Cold War episode 21 – Soldiers of God 1975-1988 – Afghanistan is a war that costs the lives of almost 15,000 Soviet conscripts and an estimated one million Afghans. The turbulent conflict in Afghanistan that unfolded during the closing decades of the 20th century can be characterized as a tragic, costly war of significant global …
Cold War episode 18 – Good Guys, Bad Guys 1967-1978: The Cold War was not only a confrontation between two superpowers, but also a series of proxy conflicts that involved their allies and surrogates in different regions of the world. One of the main arenas of this surrogate warfare was the Middle East, where the …
Cold War episode 18 – Good Guys, Bad Guys 1967-1978 Read More »
Cold War episode 16 – China 1949-1972 – Chinese communists win the longest civil war in 20th century history. In the annals of 20th-century history, the Chinese Communist Party emerged victorious in the longest and most protracted civil war, profoundly shaping the nation’s future. Mao Zedong’s initial land reforms were met with widespread approval, but …
Cold War episode 15 – Red Spring: The Sixties – In the Soviet bloc, communist rule stifles ambition and achievement. Soviet defense expenditure cripples economic growth. In the Soviet bloc, the grip of communist rule has long been a suppressive force, stifling ambition and achievement among its citizens. The immense burden of Soviet defense expenditure …
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 …
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 …
KGB: The Sword and the Shield episode 3: Although the end of the Soviet Union also meant the end of the KGB, it did not mean the end of secret service activities. FSB and the foreign intelligence service SVR took over the tasks. Under the secret service officer Vladimir Putin, who has long been Russia’s …
KGB: The Sword and the Shield episode 2: By August 1949, at least five years earlier than expected, the USSR became the world’s second superpower, thanks to its spies who had stolen America’s atomic secrets. But by March 1953, Stalin is dead and KGB chief, Beria, is executed later the same year. Nikita Kruschev tries …