The Reliability of the Warsaw Treaty Organization: Can the Soviet Union Depend on Its Northern Tier Allies?

This thesis examines the reliability of Czechoslovakia, East Germany GDR, and Poland the Northern Tier Eastern bloc states as Soviet allies in case of a war with NATO. The success of Soviet efforts to bind the political, military, and economic systems of these states into a homogenous whole under Moscows control is evaluated. In spite of a good deal of interdependence among the East Bloc countries, hostility towards the Russians and between the various ethnic groups makes control difficult and reliability questionable in a conflict with the West. East Germany is the most reliable of the three and is not likely to shift its position in the near future in spite of differences of opinion on how to deal with East German-West German relations. Czechoslovakia is outwardly reliable, but only because the people see no chance of breaking the Soviets grip. Poland is now, and will be for the foreseeable future, an unreliable ally, but one whose geographical position is so vital to the Soviet Union that the Russians will expend whatever resources necessary to keep it under control. Originator-supplied keywords Military reliability, Political reliability, Warsaw Treaty Organization, Warsaw Pact, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, German Democratic Republic, Poland, Political culture, COMECON, Council for Mutual Economic Assistance.