Which defensive alliance formed in 1949 linked Western Europe with North America to deter the Soviet Union?

• A. Warsaw Pact
• B. SEATO
• C. ANZUS
• D. NATO

Answer: (D)

Collective security and deterrence during the early Cold War. After World War II, Western nations sought a formal defense agreement that would bind Western Europe with North America to deter Soviet expansion. Formed in 1949, NATO created a single alliance with the principle that an armed attack on one member would be treated as an attack on all, providing credible deterrence through multinational military planning and joint commitments. This geographic and strategic linkage—Western Europe connected to North America under a unified defense—defines the alliance in question.

Other regional pacts developed later or focused elsewhere: the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact formed in the mid-1950s among Eastern Bloc countries; SEATO aimed at Southeast Asia in the 1950s; and ANZUS linked Australia, New Zealand, and the United States in the Pacific. None matched the specific Western Europe–North America linkage for deterrence against the Soviet Union.