Did Europe act irresponsibly during the Cold War with respect to their defensive needs?

 (Asked on Quora). My answer.

Yes and No. People have to remember that the double hit of World War One and World War Two has thrown Europe off their much vaunted podium as the vanguard of Western Civilization. The continent has been in relative decline for close to a century now and this aspect of a weakening was reflected and amplified by the Cold War.

It was to be expected. The losses in both wars were immense and the various ruling elites on the continent were found wanting. After 1945 Western Europe in particular was exhausted. Former powerhouses, the UK, France and Germany (now divided) were a shell of what they once were with the locus of global power in the West shifting across the Atlantic to the United States.

The national economies of many Western European countries were wrecked and although they were in several cases resuscitated (West Germany especially) as a function of such American initiatives as the Marshall Plan a great deal of the robustness of these societies had been lost.

The appetite for war, let alone the will to extend one’s influence globally (a feature of Europe’s glory in the 19th century), had been emptied and in the face of growing Soviet aggression Western Europe offered scant resistance to Moscow. Most of Eastern Europe had already succumbed to the onslaught of the Red Army with the communist threat in Greece and Turkey only barely curtailed (Three cheers for the Truman Doctrine).

If the United States did not act as the chief stop gap to further expansion it is conceivable that the Soviet Juggernaut could have spread Westwards gobbling up Austria and much of the remainder of Germany in its wake. Who knows what may have followed in the absence of an American deterrence? France was in no position to resist the Soviets. Neither were the Low countries nor Italy for that matter. The British population had no stomach for a war on the continent and who can blame them? The largely land based war that defined WWI was the beginning of the end of Britain as a global power and its repercussions were all too clear.

It was only the US that could guarantee European security. However Washington was not prepared to do so alone which is why NATO was formed in 1949. Included in the anti-Soviet alliance were most of the Western European countries plus Canada but it was clear from the get go that the US would do the heavy lifting. No other country had the military capacity to do so. It was as simple as that.

So did Europe act irresponsibly? I don’t believe they did. At least so initially. When pushed they didn’t have much to offer post WWII. The wars of the 20th century had gutted the major Western European powers. However we have moved on from those dark days in the late 40s, 50s and 60s. While Europe is no the longer the epicenter of global economics many Western European countries have benefited immensely by having the US taxpayer essentially fund their security. They are also wealthier than they were in 1945.

With few exceptions these countries have become over-reliant on Uncle Sam, with their own defense budgets falling way short of where they ought to have been in the face of an external threat. In this respect they have acted irresponsibly and until recently most American Presidents have not pushed the issue. Hopefully Biden will continue where Trump left off. There is nothing good about being a Free loader. Strong relationships are built on mutual contributions that are not one-sided. Western Europe needs to own more of its security by taking national responsibility.