Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact was a mutual defense international treaty.
The organization established by the treaty was formally the Warsaw Treaty Organization, but was commonly referred to by the treaty's name.
Contents
Composition
The founding members were:
Albania left in 1968.
History
The pact was established in 1955.
Albania began withholding support in 1961, and officially abandoned membership in reaction to the invasion of Czechslovakia.
Romania also began withholding support in the 1960s but remained a member, and is considered the one full member that was not a Soviet client state.
Mongolia participated as an observer. In part due to a Romanian veto, and in part due to the fallout of the Albanian split (which then led into the Chinese split), they did not join.
China, North Korea, and North Vietnam were all observers. They all left following the aforementioned Chinese split. However, Ceaușescu and Mao maintained strong relations throughout.
In 1991, following the dissolution of the USSR, the remaining members agreed to terminate the pact.