The Malformed Military Cooperation Of Socialist Countries

Warsaw Treaty Organization played an important role during the Cold War period. Warsaw Treaty Organization had played an important role in safeguarding Soviet Union and Socialist countries in East Europe against imperialist aggression, protecting world's peace, as well as promoting world's national liberation movement. However, Warsaw Treaty Organization was controlled by Soviet Union since its establishment and it became the tool that Soviet Union used to control other socialist countries in East Europe and to suppress their reforms pursuing independence and self-reliance for the unequal status of Soviet Union and other socialist countries in East Europe. At present, there is not enough comprehensive and systematic study on Warsaw Treaty Organization in the academic circle at home and abroad. The research on Warsaw Treaty Organization is of great academic value for both Cold War history study and socialist countries'relationship study.This paper is focused on the reasons for Warsaw Treaty Organization's disbandment and its experiences and lessons. By studying the background of Warsaw Treaty Organization's establishment, its mechanism and activities, the author analyzes deep reasons for Warsaw Treaty Organization's disbandment, draws lessons from the unequal relations between Soviet Union and other socialist countries in East Europe and reviews the cooperation pattern among socialist countries. In the author's opinion, the typical characteristic of Warsaw Treaty Organization is malformation. Warsaw Treaty Organization should be a military alliance of socialist countries on the basis of equality and cooperation. However, Soviet Union, relying on its political and military power, made it a tool to control socialist countries in East Europe on one hand and to contend with US for hegemony on the other hand.By analyzing malformed structure and activities of Warsaw Treaty Organization, the author points out the unequal relationship between Soviet Union and other socialist countries in East Europe. Under the system of combination of party and administration, confusing inter-country relations with inter-party relations, if ideological consistency is excessively strengthened, sovereignty and independence of each member of the socialist alliance can not be guaranteed. Once there are conflicts, the relations of the members will be weakened. This is the deep immanent cause of Warsaw Treaty Organization's disbandment. On the basis of those analyses above, the author also reviews the lessons from the cooperation history of socialist countries-ideology was given priority.