Final answer:
The Soviet Union formed the Warsaw Pact to counter the influence of NATO, expand communism, and pay off their debts.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Soviet Union formed an East European alliance through the Warsaw Pact for several reasons:
- To have an answer for the NATO alliance, which was formed by Western capitalist countries as a response to the perceived threat of communism.
- To threaten non-communist countries in the East as a way of expanding their influence and promoting communism.
- To pay off a debt to the Allies and the Empire of Japan. After World War II, the Soviet Union incurred significant financial obligations and creating an alliance in Eastern Europe allowed them to exert control over these countries to cover their debt.
Overall, the formation of the Warsaw Pact by the Soviet Union was a strategic move to consolidate their power, counterbalance the influence of the NATO alliance, and spread communism.
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