In March 1946, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivered his famous Iron Curtain address in the United States, saying: "From Szczecin on the Baltic Sea to Trieste on the Adriatic Sea, a Transcontinental Iron Curtain has descended." "The Soviet Union's growing high-handed control over Eastern and Central Europe threatened European countries. Churchill believed that the United States could not adopt a "policy of appeasement" and stand idly by.
At Churchill's instigation, on March 18, 1949, the United States, Britain, France and other countries formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to deal with the members of the Eastern European bloc led by the Soviet Union. After the United States, Britain and other countries formed NATO, the Soviet Union felt more and more wrong, and in 1954, it applied to join NATO. NATO was formed to contain the Soviet Union, so how could the United States and other countries let the Soviet Union join.
After the rejection, NATO's sinister intentions were revealed. In order to avoid falling behind in the struggle for hegemony between the United States and the United States, the Soviet Union also formed the Warsaw Pact on May 14, 1955, together with the German Democratic Republic, the Polish People's Republic, Czechoslovakia, the Hungarian People's Republic, the Socialist Republic of Romania, the Bulgarian People's Republic, and the People's Republic of Albania.
At this point, the two camps were formally formed, and the world entered the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union that lasted for half a century. The Soviet Union did not lose to its rival, the United States, but it took only 36 years for the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact to come to an end, and finally disbanded in 1991.
On 1 July 1991, the Warsaw Pact was officially dissolved. After the dissolution, what is the current situation of the 8 member states of the Warsaw Pact? Who has the best time?
First, the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union was the boss of the Warsaw Pact, but unfortunately, the superpower that was originally on a par with the United States, due to its own economic development problems and other reasons, brought him to the end of the road. On December 25, 1991, the Soviet Union officially disintegrated and was divided into 15 countries.
Of the 15 member states of the Soviet Union, the three Baltic countries, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which joined NATO and the European Union, are now doing well, with a per capita GDP of more than $20,000, of which Estonia's per capita GDP is as high as $27,000. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Ukraine and other countries are also actively moving closer to Europe and the United States and want to join the European Union. Ukraine's conflict with Russia because of its tilt toward Europe and the United States has led to Ukraine becoming the poorest country in Europe, with a per capita GDP of only $5,285.
Five Central Asian countries, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Kazakh and Turkmenistan, because of their abundance of resources, have made a good living by selling their resources. Turkmenistan's per capita GDP is $10,331, Kazakhstan's per capita GDP is $9,977, and the other three countries have a per capita GDP of less than $2,100. Russia is the strongest of the member countries, but because of the suppression of the United States and Europe, the economy is relatively poor, with a per capita GDP of 12198 US dollars.
2. People's Republic of Poland
After Poland left the Warsaw Pact, it joined the European Union and NATO. Poland's economy is now doing well, with a GDP per capita of $17,815.
At the beginning of World War II, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany destroyed Poland, and also in Poland, the tragic Katyn Massacre was created. On April 10, 2010, the Polish president's plane crashed in Russia, killing 96 people, including Polish President Lech Kaczynski, First Lady Maria Kaczynska, and many senior Polish officials.
Iii. Czechoslovakia
After the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact and the disintegration of the Soviet Union, great changes occurred within his young brothers. Serious antagonisms emerged within Czechoslovakia. In 1993, the czech and Slovak leaders, through consultations, divided Czechoslovakia into two countries, czechoslovakia and slovakia. Subsequently, the Czech Republic and Slovakia joined NATO and the European Union, and now they are both developed countries and are doing well.
4. The German Democratic Republic
After World War II, the Soviet Union occupied Germany in the United States, Britain, and France, and finally the Soviet Theater established the GDR, the United States, Britain, and the French occupation zone established the Federal Republic of Germany, and the german capital Berlin was also divided into two, with the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany accounting for half of each. During the Cold War, Germans belonging to the same family were separated by the cold Berlin Wall and could not get together, which became a pain in the hearts of Germans.
The economic development of the GDR lagged behind that of the Federal Republic of Germany, especially in 1979, after the second oil crisis, the economy of the GDR experienced a serious recession, and the people bought color TVs, refrigerators, washing machines and other daily necessities, not only expensive, but also had to wait for a long time. In terms of food, clothing, housing, and transportation, the gap with the West German people became wider and wider, and the dissatisfaction of the East German people broke out, and they demanded political reform in East Germany. Later, the demands of the East German people became the reunification of the two Germans, demanding the unification of West Germany.
Under the pressure of the people, the political scene in the GDR underwent great changes, and many important officials were forced to resign and withdraw from the Warsaw Pact and the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance. At the same time, the United States, Britain, France and other countries also actively participated in it, and they began to consult with the Soviet Union. At this time, the Soviet Union, overwhelmed by internal contradictions, could not take care of the GDR, and agreed to german reunification.
In 1990, the two Germanys were reunified. Now Germany is an important member of NATO and the boss of the European Union, and has a pivotal position in Europe. Germany is an old capitalist country, an industrial power and the world's fourth largest economy, with a per capita GDP of $50,705.
5. Hungarian People's Republic
After the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, Hungary also joined NATO and the European Union. Now Hungary has a good economic development, with a per capita GDP of 18968 US dollars.
6. Socialist Republic of Romania
After the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, Romania also joined NATO and the European Union. After joining the EU, Romania's economic growth rate was the highest among EU member states. In 2019, Romania was included in the Ranks of High-Income Economies by the World Bank. At present, Romania, with stable economic growth, social and political stability, and people living and working in peace and contentment, has become an important emerging market in Europe. Romania's regional and international influence has grown and it has earned the acclaim of the "European Tiger". Romania's GDP per capita is $14,667.
7. People's Republic of Bulgaria
After the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, Bulgaria also joined NATO and the European Union. Bulgaria is a resource-poor country and is still an agricultural country, but after joining the European Union, it hitched a ride and ushered in a period of rapid economic growth. Bulgaria's economic base is relatively weak, and in 2009, after the international financial crisis and the European sovereign debt crisis, it was deeply affected and the economy declined. Now it's gradually recovering. In 2021, Bulgaria's GDP per capita will be $11,684, which is the lowest level among EU member states.
8. People's Republic of Albania
After the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, Albania joined NATO. In 2009, Albania also applied to join the European Union. At present, Albania, a candidate country for the European Union, has not yet joined the European Union, which makes Albania unable to enjoy the dividends of eu development. Now Albania is one of the poorest and most backward countries in Europe, with a per capita GDP of 6375 US dollars, ranking third from the bottom in Europe.
The 8 member states of the Warsaw Pact, the GDR that joined the European Union, the three Baltic states, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary and other countries, the economic development is good, is a high-income country, of which the richest is Germany. Countries that have not joined the European Union, such as the five Central Asian countries, Albania, Ukraine, Belarus and other countries, have poor economic development and low incomes for the people.