Western Bloc

Western Bloc
The Western Bloc, also known as the Capitalist Bloc, is an informal, collective term for countries that were officially allied with the United States during the Cold War of 1947–1991. While the NATO member states, in Western Europe and Northern America, were pivotal to the bloc, it included many other countries, in the broader Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa with histories of anti-Soviet, anti-communist and, in some cases anti-socialist, ideologies and policies. As such, the bloc was opposed to the political systems and foreign policies of communist countries, which were centered on the Soviet Union, other members of the Warsaw Pact, and usually the People's Republic of China. The name "Western Bloc" emerged in response to and as the antithesis of its Communist counterpart, the Eastern Bloc. Throughout the Cold War, the governments and the Western media were more inclined to refer to themselves as the "Free World" or the "First World", whereas the Eastern bloc was often referred to as the "Communist World" or less commonly the "Second World".
1947–1991 Western Bloc associations
NATO
*
*
*
*
(1955–1990)
(from 1952)
*
*
*
*
*
*
(from 1982)
(from 1952)
*
*
Five Eyes
ANZUS
Anti-Soviet communist or socialist states (until 1989)
China (from 1978)
(from 1978)
(from 1982)
(from 1964)
(from 1948)
Compact of Free Association
METO, Baghdad Pact, CENTO (until 1979)
(until 1979)
(until 1958)
(until 1979)
(until 1979)
(until 1979)
Rio Treaty
(from 1982)
(until 2005)
(1902–1959) (until 1959)
(until 1990)
(until 2012)
Nicaragua (until 1979)
(from 1967)
(until 1999, rejoined 2019 by Juan Guaidó)
SEATO
(until 1956)
(1970–1975)
(until 1975)
(until 1975)
Middle East/North Africa Region
(2001–2021)
(from 1979)
(until 1979)
(until 1990)
(before 1969, from 2011)
(from 1977)
Sudan (1971-1985, 2019–2021)
(until 2009)
(Hadi government)
(1962–1990)
Asia, Southeast Asian, and Oceania Partners
(from 1984)
(from 1995)
Others
(1991–1994)
(before 1974)
(1970–1975)
(1991–1999)
South Africa
Post-1991 Western-aligned associations
NATO
(from 2009)
*
(from 2004)
*
(from 2009)
(from 1999)
*
(from 2004)
(from 2023)
*
*
*
(from 1999)
*
*
(from 2004)
(from 2004)
*
(from 2017)
*
(from 2020)
*
(from 1999)
*
(from 2004)
(from 2004)
(from 2004)
*
*
*
*
Major non-NATO ally (MNNA)
(from 1987)
(from 1987)
(from 1987)
(from 1987)
(from 1987)
(from 1996)
(from 1997)
(from 1998)
(from 2002)
(from 2003)
(from 2003)
(de facto) (from 2003)
(from 2004)
(from 2004)
(from 2004)
(2012–2021)
(from 2015)
(from 2019)
(from 2022)
(from 2022)
Middle Eastern Partners
(from 2004)
Asia, South East Asian, and Oceania Partners
Inter-American Partners
Quadrilateral Security Dialogue
Others
(from 2018)
(from 2014)
See also
List of Western Bloc defectors
Martin and Mitchell defection
List of American and British defectors in the Korean War
Allies of World War II
Axis powers
Eastern Bloc
Free World
First World
Second World
Third World
Operation Condor
Partnership for Peace
Western betrayal
Western European and Others Group
Western world
Notes
Sources
Matloff, Maurice. Makers of Modern Strategy. Ed. Peter Paret. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1971. 702.
Kissinger, Henry. Diplomacy. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994. 447,454.
Lewkowicz, Nicolas. The United States, the Soviet Union and the Geopolitical Implications of the Origins of the Cold War New York and London: Anthem Press, 2018.
Cold War organizations
Cold War terminology
Country classifications
Politics by region
Politics of Europe
Spheres of influence