The Truth About NATO Pt. 3

The Price of Defeat

This is part 3 of my NATO series, I suggest you start it from the beginning but, do what you want. We’re currently in 1990 at the tail end of the Soviet Union with Mikhail Gorbachev at the helm. The Soviets are in dire economic straights and Warsaw Pact countries are falling like dominoes.

Statue of KGB founder Felix Dzerzhinsky (1991)

After The Wall

Everyone talks about the fall of the Berlin wall but no one talks about the power dynamics that played out afterwards. West Germany was part of NATO while East Germany was not. After the reunification of Germany, would it go towards NATO or towards the Soviets?

US President George Bush stated at the time “The concept of Germany being in NATO is absolutely crucial”. Germany staying in NATO was a priority for Bush he just needed a way to do it without Gorbachev taking issue.

In a conversations between then German Chancellor Kohl and Bush the chancellor made in interesting point:

“The Soviets are negotiating. But this may end up as a matter of cash. They need money”. I said it before but I want to emphasize, the Soviets are in dire economic straights. Nothing is going to plan and people are starving.