# Britain becomes a founding member of NATO (1949)

URL: https://english-history.com/timeline/1949-britain-becomes-a-founding-member-of-nato
Categories: main-event

The United Kingdom joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization with the United States, Canada and western European states. Within the broader Postwar & Modern UK period, decolonization, welfare institutions, migration, European integration and withdrawal, devolution and social change reshaped the modern United Kingdom. This event is placed at 1949 in the chronology so it can be read alongside the political, military, social and cultural changes around it. NATO membership anchored British security policy within the transatlantic alliance during the Cold War.

## Why it matters
NATO membership anchored British security policy within the transatlantic alliance during the Cold War.

Ruler at the time: [George VI](https://english-history.com/rulers/george-vi)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Britain becomes a founding member of NATO](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Britain+becomes+a+founding+member+of+NATO&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Britain becomes a founding member of NATO](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Britain+becomes+a+founding+member+of+NATO)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of British history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_British_history)
- [The National Archives — Postwar collection](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/explore-by-time-period/postwar/)