Mandatory History Lesson on the Cold War (BBC)

(This first post here is just an introduction, scroll down to get to the videos if you mind my yapping)

The Greater Resource of Modern History Research:
The BBC Gives: "Cold War"
An in-depth documentary series in 24 parts.

In 24 episodes, each about an hour long, we will go through every little inch of the Cold War; how it started, how it developed and how it finally came to an end.
This BBC production is above outstanding in many aspects.
It is without bias, and it doesn't take any sides. It clearly sticks to facts and does not venture in to speculations or even gray areas.

Narrator is Kenneth Branagh, a well-known voice that speaks clearly and with great empathy. The over all tempo of the series is well balanced and it never gets boring, slow or too fast. This is the way school should have been like! Kenneth for president!

It should be mandatory to watch these episodes before making wild claims on how the world works with all its politics and systems.
You might think you already know "everything", but I can assure you, that you will have at least one major eye-opener per episode.

Watch them all in one epic session (not recommended if you wish to actually remember anything) or pick your favourite episode. Maybe you participated in any of the mentioned conflicts, or maybe one of your relatives or friends did? Maybe there is some mist over certain parts of the Cold War that needs to be cleared? I’ll try to give a little introduction to each episode so you know what you are in for.
Nonetheless, each and every episode is outstanding in its excellence and totally worthwhile watching. I used to see them three in a row each day.
It’s like the most thrilling and exciting reality-action-thriller-drama ever to have been created!

After have seen all 24 parts, I must say I have a much clearer picture on how our world have come to be the way it is today. Many question marks have been straightened out and I have ridden myself of many mis- and preconceptions on the USA, the Soviet Union, the Communist system, the Vietnam War and many, many other hallmark events during our eventful 20th century.

What I fancy the most in this production is the vast material of interviews. We get to hear opinions, testimonials and tales from presidents and statesmen, ex-presidents, peasants, guerrilla warriors, soldiers, writers and poets, politicians, victims, victors, freedom fighters and all in between. I can’t figure out how they found some of the people. Sometimes, it is just a faint face in the corner of some old photograph. Still, they went through great lengths to find them and hear them out.

So please, sit down comfortably, have some snacks (be warned thought, there is some extremely explicit material at times) and suck in this massive load of class A documentary material like the information absorbing sponges that you are!


Have a nice trip through time!

Ep. 1 of Cold War: Comrades (1917-1945)

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How it all begun, the background to the background
There was a time when the Soviet Union and the USA were allies. A very shaky period, but they were closely tied together during the Second World War.

Learn how these ties were bound and how they dissolved ever so rapidly.
See how the two blocks, the East and the West were founded, shaped and cast in blood, sweat and tears. A shape that would last for 50 long years.
This is where it all begun!

Ep. 2 of Cold War: Iron Curtain (1945 - 1947)

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"When the Map was Drawn"
This episode gave me inspiration to this (unnoticed) thread: A little reminder...

All us Europeans should know that if it wasn't for the Yanks and their determined labor force, we could so very easily have fallen into Communist ranks, every last one of us.
Say what you will of the USA and the Capitalist system, but Soviet Communism was not an option!
One should also learn what an entire continent, devastated by war, looks and feels like.
See also what the Soviets had left after the war: practically nothing but millions after millions of their best men dead and a country laid to waste.





[edit on 25-1-2010 by Raud]

Ep. 3 of Cold War: Marshall Plan (1947-1952)

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"Italy on the Brink"
After the dictatorship led by Mussolini and his fascists, Italy was on the tipping point of falling into Communism. In this case, the Catholic Church played a central part. Hear from the men and women involved in shaping modern Italy.
A real nail-biter!
Learn also of the Marshall plan and what it meant for Europe; we could never have done without it.

Ep. 4 of Cold War: Berlin (1948-1949)

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"Divide and Conquer"
Why was Germany split in two?
How did it feel for the Germans to suddenly be torn apart?
Why and how was the line drawn and how did the East and West react to it?
Lots of good "basic facts" to learn here.

Ep. 5 of Cold War: Korea (1949-1953)

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"The War after The War"
Many of our American friends have relatives, if not family members, that fought in this grim war.
Learn about the politics behind it.
Hear testimonials from US troops, Koreans involved and Chinese officers.

Ep. 6 of Cold War: Reds (1947-1953)

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"The Communist Scare"
If you think living in the USSR was a life of constant fear from the government, you should learn how total paranoia spread through the West like a wild fire.
But was there actually any reason to fear the "Red tide"?
An important part in US political history that is often missed out on.
Some of the old journal movies are pretty hilarious!

Ep. 7 of Cold War: After Stalin (1953-1956)

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"The Communist Dream that Never Was"
So, what was really life like in the USSR?
I can tell you this; it sure wasn't no walk in the park.
Learn more on the "Satellite States" with emphasism on East Germany and the ruthless Walter Ulbricht; a man who must have stood model for C. Montgomery Burns!
Jokes aside, this tells of the grim fate that gripped the countries who fell in Communist hands.
In East Germany, an attempt was made to overthrow the Communist leadership. An attempt that failed and led to much bloodshed. The Reds had showed that they were there to stay, no matter what...

Ep. 8 of Cold War: Sputnik (1949-1961)

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"The Cold War Goes Nuclear"
The space race and how all that came to be.
When both sides now had nuclear armament, the threat of nuclear holocaust was something we had to consider for many decades to come.
Can you even begin to imagine how much money and time was spent on this madness?
Do you know how the blue prints for the atom bomb was delivered straight into the hands of the Soviets? Do you know who did it, or even more important: why?
This is gold material for all you "Fall Out" fans!

Ep. 9 of Cold War: The Wall (1958-1963)

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"The Scar Across Europe"
What is more suitable to represent the Cold War than the Berlin Wall.
This explains how, why and when it was built.
Hear from the people involved on both sides and how counter measures were made...and countered once again by the opposing forces.
Even though great fear swept through Europe, tensions between the US and the Soivet Union eased a little during this period in time. Just to get worse later...

Ep. 10 of Cold War: Cuba (1959-1962)

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"The Emerging of the Bothering Island"
Was the revolution in Cuba really a socialist one?
Hear from Fidel Castro, amongst others.
Why did they turn on the US? Or did the US turn on them?
Learn the complete modern political history of Cuba. I bet some of our American friends don't know half the story! "Bay of Pigs", what really happened?
And of course; the part of the Cold War when things looked the grimmest: The Cuban Crisis of 1962...

Ep. 11 of Cold War: Vietnam (1954-1968)

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"The War America Never Won"
...nor lost?
But who did emerge as winners then?
Maybe the Chinese?
Get the complete political background and hear from all kinds of people involved.
Many of our members participated in this horrible conflict and many more know or are related to them.
And what about the Tonkin bay incident? You got it; it never happened....

Ep. 12 of Cold War: MAD (1960-1972)

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"Total Devastation Enclosed"
Nothing says it like MAD: Mutually Assured Destruction.
Learn of how the term was invented and for what purpose.
Hear from those who actually supported the idea, who thought it was a good thing really. The MADmen.
Learn also about "Tsar Bomba", the Czars of Bomb: the largest bomb ever dropped. 50 megatons of pure hell.
The minds of men have seldom been any darker...

Ep. 13 of Cold War: Make Love, Not War (1960's)

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"Out with the Old, in with the New!"
Great shifts in the "American Way".
Suddenly it was not all the way it used to be. People started to think.
The traditional ways of life was under fire. The people had never been happier and those in control never more afraid of their own people. Suddenly, everyone wanted to practice their "freedom". Geroge Wallace even thought that the new way of life was a part of a "Communist conspiracy". Sounds like he could have been an ATS member!
The JFK murder is in this episode also, without the conspiracy mind you!

Ep. 14 of Cold War: Red Spring (1960's)

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"The Grip of the Red Fist"
Do you know about the "Prague Spring?"
The Soviet Union shows what it means to be a member of the "family"; you obey the house rules or else!
This also tells the tale of how the USSR long kept the upper hand in most fields, compared to the West. Not only in the arms race.

Ep. 15 of Cold War: China (1949-1972)

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"The Sleeping Giant Awakens"
Don't forget about the Chinese!
From what we see today, China is a force to be reckoned with.
This is how it grew out from the battle smoke of the second World War.
We return to the Korean war for a short moment to get some further insight.
I think that it is important to learn about the Chinese and understand what history they come from.
Learn also about Taiwan and the ties between them and the US.

Ep. 16 of Cold War: Détente (1969-1975)

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"Race for Arms, Arms and More Arms"
This episode opens with a pretty pedagogic cartoon of how the principals of the Cold War worked.
Lots of talking by Henry Kissinger in this part.
It also shows the growing unpopularity of Richard Nixon.
Also, something seldom talked about that we must not forget:
May 4th, 1970: Kent State University...

Ep. 17 of Cold War: Good Guys, Bad Guys (1967-1978)

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"Cold War in the Dark Continent"
Have you ever thought of how the Cold War affected the African continent?
Well, here you have it. Trade, war, post-colonial era colonialism and mercenaries.
Hear some chilling testimonials from soldiers of fortune who operated there.
Also, we get insight in the middle eastern conflicts, mainly those involving Israel.
Understand how and why the ties between the Middle East, the USA and the USSR were made.

Ep. 18 of Cold War: Backyard (1954-1990)

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"This is When it All Went Wrong..."
Warned be you that there are some specifically grim material in this episode.
Up to this point in time, the Cold War somewhat made sense.
It was about security, freedom and peace, at least more or less.
But now, as South America becomes a target for the US, for what seems to be out of greed and sinister capitalism, everything goes haywire.
The CIA grows into a rampant beast. This is where most of our great conspiracies grow out from.
This is the one episode I find the most disturbing.
Nonetheless, it is a "must watch", no matter how horrific it may be.
The Contras, United Fruit, Pinochet, torture and puppet regimes...
The ugliest face of the West shows itself in broad daylight.

Ep. 19 of Cold War: Freeze (1977-1981)

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"Promises of Peace That Fell Flat"
The US celebrates 200 years. But what has it come to?
Some attempts were made to reduce the nuclear arsenals, but nothing really happened. The US tried to walk a softer path, but the response was quite the contrary.
The oil crisis hits the West but it didn't affect the USSR since they have such vast supplies of gas and oil themselves.
The "Helsinki talks" about human rights. Something that wasn't really considered earlier, at least not in the USSR.