Which mutual defense treaty, signed in 1955 and lasting until 1991, included Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, and Poland?

• A. NATO
• B. Warsaw Pact
• C. SEATO
• D. ANZUS

Answer: (B)

This question tests your knowledge of the Cold War defense alliances and which pact tied Eastern Bloc countries to defend one another. The group you’re looking for formed in 1955 as a Soviet-led counterbalance to NATO and functioned as the military backbone of the Eastern Bloc until the Soviet system dissolved in 1991. That pact included Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, and Poland (along with Romania for much of the period, though Albania left later). Other options refer to different regional alliances in different times: NATO is the Western alliance started in 1949, while SEATO and ANZUS involve regions unrelated to these Eastern European members.