cold war

Cold War episode 11 - Vietnam 1954-1968

Cold War episode 11 – Vietnam 1954-1968

Cold War episode 11 – Vietnam 1954-1968: Since the conclusion of French colonial rule, Vietnam has been a nation divided. The North is governed by communists, while the South is controlled by anti-communists. Despite cautionary advice against involvement in a nationalist conflict, the United States deploys its military forces. As opposition to the war grows within America, the US comes […]

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Cold War episode 10

Cold War episode 10 – Cuba 1959-1962

Cold War episode 10 – Cuba 1959-1962: In a gripping tale of political intrigue and high-stakes brinkmanship, Khrushchev, with Castro’s consent, decides to station short and medium-range missiles in Cuba, a mere 90 miles from the United States. As the tension mounts, the U.S. discovers the missile sites and enforces a blockade around the island. The two superpowers stand toe-to-toe,

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Cold War episode 9 - The Wall 1958-1963

Cold War episode 9 – The Wall 1958-1963

Cold War episode 9 – The Wall 1958-1963: The fate of Germany remains unresolved. West Germany has been admitted to NATO. Within East Germany, Berlin is divided between East and West by an open border. Thousands seize the chance to flee the communist system. To keep their people in, the East Germans, with Soviet backing, build The Wall.    

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Cold War episode 8 - Sputnik 1949-1961

Cold War episode 8 – Sputnik 1949-1961

Cold War episode 8 – Sputnik 1949-1961: During the mid-1950s, it appeared that the Soviet Union was surging ahead. In October 1957, the first Soviet satellite, Sputnik, orbited the Earth, causing dismay and fear within the United States as their space programme struggled to keep pace. In 1961, the Soviets sent Yuri Gagarin into space, forcing America to rise to

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Cold War episode 7 - After Stalin 1953-1956

Cold War episode 7 – After Stalin 1953-1956

Cold War episode 7 – After Stalin 1953-1956: Following Stalin’s demise, it becomes possible for change to occur. Khrushchev outwits Malenkov in the struggle for power and embarks on a journey to the West. Citizens of Germany, Poland, and Hungary attempt to rebel against Soviet rule. In 1956, a Hungarian uprising is brutally suppressed by Soviet tanks. The US, committed

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Cold War episode 6 - Reds 1948-1953

Cold War episode 6 – Reds 1948-1953

Cold War episode 6 – Reds 1948-1953: Following Stalin’s domination of Eastern Europe and the loss of China, American democracy falls victim to anti-communist hysteria, but survives it. Eisenhower is elected President. In the Soviet Union, Stalin reinforces the climate of terror on which his rule is based. When he dies, in 1953, the Soviet people mourn the end of

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Cold War episode 5 - Korea 1949-1953

Cold War episode 5 – Korea 1949-1953

Cold War episode 5 – Korea 1949-1953: In June1950, North Korea invades the South, with Stalin’s blessing. The United States, backed by the United Nations, defends South Korea, and then is confronted by communist China. In mid-1951, the war grinds to a bloody stalemate but eventually an armistice is signed. Aggression has contained. Korea was split between the United States

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Cold War episode 4 - Berlin 1948-1949

Cold War episode 4 – Berlin 1948-1949

Cold War episode 4 – Berlin 1948-1949: In Berlin, the American, British and French sectors form a Western enclave in the Soviet zone of divided Germany. In June 1948, the Soviets blockade the city, but the Western allies successfully airlift in supplies. In August 1949, Soviet scientists explode an atomic bomb, establishing nuclear parity between the two superpowers. Opposed by

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Cold War episode 3 - Marshall Plan 1947-1952

Cold War episode 3 – Marshall Plan 1947-1952

Cold War episode 3 – Marshall Plan 1947-1952: The U.S. adopts the Truman doctrine, pledging to defend freedom worldwide. Secretary of State George Marshall plans to bolster economic recovery in Europe. Seeing this as a threat, Stalin forbids his satellites to participate. The world effectively divides. For both selfless and selfish reasons, the United States institutes the Marshall Plan, giving

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Cold War episode 2 - Iron Curtain 1945-1947

Cold War episode 2 – Iron Curtain 1945-1947

Cold War episode 2 – Iron Curtain 1945-1947: The Soviet Union dominates Eastern Europe. Churchill warns of the consequences. Stalin insists that the governments of the Soviet Union’s clients states be pro-communist. Impoverished after the war, Great Britain opts out as a world power. The U.S. assumes the mantle of world leadership. As wartime turned to peacetime, a resurgent United

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Cold War episode 1 - Comrades 1917-1945

Cold War episode 1 – Comrades 1917-1945

Cold War episode 1 – Comrades 1917-1945: Though ideological enemies, the Soviet Union and the U.S. are allies against Hitler during WWII. At the end of the war, Europe is divided, and the one-time allies now confront each other. The U.S. has the atomic bomb. The Russian Revolution of 1917, followed by the Russian Civil War caused a rift between

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The Silent War episode 2 - The Russians Are Coming!

The Silent War episode 2 – The Russians Are Coming!

The Silent War episode 2 – The Russians Are Coming! – Throughout the 1970s and 80s, the front line of the Cold War was hidden beneath the ocean. Submariners from three navies – American, Soviet and British – played a deadly game of cat and mouse in a secret war of espionage and intimidation. The nuclear balance between East and

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