history

Cold War episode 8 - Sputnik 1949-1961

Cold War episode 8 – Sputnik 1949-1961

History / 8 minutes of reading / / By

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 the challenge.       Unbeknownst to the United States, the Soviets had been spying on their development of the atom bomb and quickly created their own after the Second World War. This ignited a nuclear arms race between the […]

Cold War episode 8 – Sputnik 1949-1961 Read More »



Cold War episode 7 - After Stalin 1953-1956

Cold War episode 7 – After Stalin 1953-1956

History / 7 minutes of reading / / By

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 to containing rather than overthrowing communism, takes no action.         Subsequent to Stalin’s unexpected death, Nikita Khrushchev seizes control of the Soviet Union and reverses some of Stalin’s repressive policies. Khrushchev also rekindles relations with Yugoslavia and,

Cold War episode 7 – After Stalin 1953-1956 Read More »

Cold War episode 6 - Reds 1948-1953

Cold War episode 6 – Reds 1948-1953

History / 8 minutes of reading / / By

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 an era. Fear of one another permeates the eastern and western leadership, trickling down to the citizenry.         The House Committee on Un-American Activities in the United States begins investigating alleged communist infiltration in the entertainment industry

Cold War episode 6 – Reds 1948-1953 Read More »



Cold War episode 5 - Korea 1949-1953

Cold War episode 5 – Korea 1949-1953

History / 5 minutes of reading / / By

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 and the Soviet Union at the end of World War Two. The Soviets install Kim Il-sung as the leader of the north, while the Americans place Syngman Rhee at the head of the south. In 1950, with the help of

Cold War episode 5 – Korea 1949-1953 Read More »

Cold War episode 4 - Berlin 1948-1949

Cold War episode 4 – Berlin 1948-1949

History / 5 minutes of reading / / By

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 the USSR, the United States emphasizes the need to rebuild the German economy.         With the introduction of the Deutsche Mark, the Soviets react by tightening checkpoints leading into the French, British, and American sectors of Berlin,

Cold War episode 4 – Berlin 1948-1949 Read More »



Cold War episode 3 - Marshall Plan 1947-1952

Cold War episode 3 – Marshall Plan 1947-1952

History / 5 minutes of reading / / By

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 massive amounts of aid to the war-ravaged countries of Europe. Suspicious of American intentions, Stalin prevents countries in the Soviet sphere from taking part in the plan. As a counter to the U.S. plan, Stalin established the Council for Mutual

Cold War episode 3 – Marshall Plan 1947-1952 Read More »

Cold War episode 2 - Iron Curtain 1945-1947

Cold War episode 2 – Iron Curtain 1945-1947

History / 5 minutes of reading / / By

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 States enjoys economic prosperity while Europe is left to recover from the ravages of war. In the Soviet Union, Stalin has resumed his feared purges and the country is gripped by famine. Germany is forced to cede some of its

Cold War episode 2 – Iron Curtain 1945-1947 Read More »



Cold War episode 1 - Comrades 1917-1945

Cold War episode 1 – Comrades 1917-1945

History / 5 minutes of reading / / By

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 the Soviet Union and the United States. But when President Franklin Roosevelt took office in 1933, diplomatic and trade relations between the two countries resumed. The relationship was strained yet again after the USSR annexed the Baltic States and signed

Cold War episode 1 – Comrades 1917-1945 Read More »

The Hidden Truth of WWII episode 8

The Hidden Truth of WWII episode 8

History / 5 minutes of reading / / By

The Hidden Truth of WWII episode 8: On August 19th Parisians rise up against their Nazi overlords, vowing to exact revenge for four years of brutal and bloody occupation. As the battle intensifies on the streets of the French capital, the race is now on for the Allies to get to Paris and save the citizens from possible slaughter and its city from complete destruction.     The Liberation of Paris in 1944 was a significant turning point in World War II. The city had been under Nazi occupation for four years, and the liberation marked the end of the

The Hidden Truth of WWII episode 8 Read More »

The Hidden Truth of WWII episode 7

The Hidden Truth of WWII episode 7

History / 6 minutes of reading / / By

The Hidden Truth of WWII episode 7: Determined to destroy the Soviet Union once and for all Hitler has ordered his armies to strike south and seize the vital oilfields of the Caucasus region. But first they must capture Stalingrad. But the Soviet defenders make the 6th German Army pay in blood for every inch of ground and draw the Germans into a trap from which there will be no escape.     The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the most significant military confrontations of World War II, fought between Germany and the Soviet Union. It lasted for almost

The Hidden Truth of WWII episode 7 Read More »

The Hidden Truth of WWII episode 5

The Hidden Truth of WWII episode 5

History / 4 minutes of reading / / By

The Hidden Truth of WWII episode 5: On March 7th 1945, at the town of Remagen, American soldiers discover to their amazement that a bridge across the Rhine has not been demolished. Fate would deal the men of the 9th Armored Division a lucky card, as German attempts to blow the bridge in the face of the advancing troops failed.     If you are a history buff or just interested in learning more about the pivotal moments of World War II, then you need to know about Operation Plunder. This military operation was a key factor in the Allied

The Hidden Truth of WWII episode 5 Read More »

The Hidden Truth of WWII episode 4

The Hidden Truth of WWII episode 4

History / 4 minutes of reading / / By

The Hidden Truth of WWII episode 4: July 10th 1944, six long weeks since D-Day. Allied forces have been caught in a murderous battle trying to breakout of the invasion beachhead. The Germans have rebounded from the shock of invasion and are fighting back furiously, inflicting horrendous casualties on the Allied ground forces; the Allies need a breakthrough, and fast.       Operation Cobra was a significant turning point in World War II, with the Allies breaking through German defenses in Normandy and driving towards Paris. This operation was a crucial moment in the war, as it allowed the

The Hidden Truth of WWII episode 4 Read More »

Scroll to Top