What did NATO do between it's beginning and the end of the Cold War?

Question

Was it involved much in economics, or culture, or was it just a collective security organization that kept largely to itself?

Answer 1

It was a huge symbol of the way that people were willing to fight Communism.

It did a number of things to demonstrate that it would stand up to the Soviet Bloc. It tightened its ties economically, keeping its members ready to go to war. Culturally, the various nations grew closer, viewing each other as friends and allies.