Warsaw Security Pact

Explanation and Analysis of the Document

The Warsaw Pact is written in language common to defense pacts. It begins with a preamble in which the “Contracting Parties” affirm the desire to safeguard peace in Europe. It alludes to the “Paris agreements,” a series of treaties signed in Paris on October 23, 1954. These treaties ended the Allied occupation of West Germany and restored its sovereignty, provided for the admission of West Germany to NATO in 1955, and admitted West Germany and Italy to the Western European Union, another defense pact.

In Article 1, the signatories agree to abide by the United Nations Charter and “refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force.” Article 2 emphasizes a desire for peace and the reduction of armaments and the elimination of nuclear weapons. Article 3 calls on the member states to consult with one another, particularly under threat of attack.

Article 4 is the core of the pact. It states that in the event of an armed attack on one of the nations, each of the parties to the treaty shall “come to the assistance of the state or states attacked with all such means as it deems necessary, including armed force.” Thus, an attack on one Warsaw Pact nation was an attack on all of them. In this regard, Article 5 establishes a joint defense command. Article 6 also calls for the establishment of a “Political Consultative Committee” to deliberate on any issues that arise in the implementation of the treaty.

Article 7 precludes any member state from entering into a treaty or coalition at odds with the Warsaw Pact. Article 8 states that the signatory nations will “act in a spirit of friendship and cooperation” and adhere “to the principle of respect for the independence and sovereignty of the others and non-interference in their internal affairs”—a provision that was ignored in 1956 in Hungary and 1968 in Czechoslovakia when Soviet tanks put down revolts against the Soviet-dominated Communist governments. Article 9 allows for the admission of other states “irrespective of their social and political systems.” Article 10 states that the agreement is subject to ratification by the signatory states. Article 11 establishes the duration of the pact and looks forward to a time when a General European Treaty of Collective Security is established.