About this season
A 24-part series which deals with the relations between the United States, the Soviet Union and their respective allies between the end of World War II to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Episodes (24)
1. Comrades (1917-1945)
3.5Aired 19 September 1998 • 46 min
Despite their ideological differences, the United States and the Soviet Union become allies in the wars against Germany.
2. Iron Curtain (1945–1947)
3.5Aired 26 September 1998 • 46 min
Stalin begins to spread communism across Europe after the war ends, and tension grows between the United States and the Soviet Union.
3. Marshall Plan (1947–1952)
3.5Aired 3 October 1998 • 46 min
The United States offers assistance to countries that reject communism after Great Britain halts aid to Turkey and Greece.
4. Berlin (1948–1949)
3.5Aired 10 October 1998 • 46 min
Berlin is divided into two separate cities, and Europe itself splits as the countries align themselves with the opposing major powers.
5. Korea (1949–1953)
3.5Aired 17 October 1998 • 46 min
A Chinese civil war between the factions of Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-Shek brings the armed forces of the United States onto the battlefield to oppose communism.
6. Reds (1948–1953)
3.5Aired 31 October 1998 • 46 min
A look at the period in which Stalin securely dominated eastern Europe, China embraced communism, and anti-communist hysteria spread in the United States.
7. After Stalin (1953–1956)
3.5Aired 7 November 1998 • 46 min
Stalin's death brings hope that tensions will ease between the Soviet Union and the United States, and Nikita Khrushchev becomes the new Soviet Leader.
8. Sputnik (1949–1961)
3.5Aired 14 November 1998 • 46 min
The Soviet Union launches its first satellite into orbit while the United States' own space program lags behind.
9. The Wall (1958–1963)
3.5Aired 21 November 1998 • 46 min
The Soviet Union solves the problem of people leaving East Germany to the free West by stopping open transit and building a secured ring around West Berlin.
10. Cuba (1959–1962)
3.5Aired 28 November 1998 • 46 min
President Kennedy confronts Kruschev when the Soviet Union begins to deploy nuclear missiles in Cuba
11. Vietnam (1954–1968)
3.5Aired 12 December 1998 • 46 min
The United States continues its containment of communism by becoming involved in Vietnam's ongoing struggle, leading to enormous public disapproval of the policy.
12. MAD (1960–1972)
3.5Aired 12 December 1998 • 46 min
A look at how technology shaped the politics of the Cold War era, including the United States' Mutual Assured Destruction strategy and the introduction of missiles with multiple payloads.
13. Make Love Not War (The 60s)
3.5Aired 13 February 1999 • 46 min
An examination of the effects of the Cold War upon the populace, including civil rights movements and protests that led to policy changes.
14. Red Spring (The 60s)
3.5Aired 20 February 1999 • 46 min
The Soviet Union continues its aggressive European policy by invading Czechoslovakia and crushing the Prague Spring Revolution.
15. China (1949–1972)
3.5Aired 27 February 1999 • 46 min
The history of communism in China, from Mao Tse-tung's victory to President Nixon's trip to China in 1972.
16. Detente (1969–1975)
3.5Aired 6 March 1999 • 46 min
A look at the era of detente that resulted in cooperation and exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union.
17. Good Guys, Bad Guys (1967–1978)
3.5Aired 13 March 1999 • 46 min
An examination of how the major powers fought by proxy in different areas of the world throughout the era.
18. Backyard (1954–1990)
3.5Aired 20 March 1999 • 46 min
The United States utilizes different ways to fight the spread of communism in its own hemisphere, from Guatamala to Grenada.
19. Freeze (1977–1981)
3.5Aired 27 March 1999 • 46 min
Unrest in Eastern Europe and the Oil Crisis threatens to undermine the progress made by detente.
20. Soldiers of God (1975–1988)
3.5Aired 11 April 1999 • 46 min
An examination of the effects of religious fundamentalism upon the United States and the Soviet Union's foreign policies.
21. Spies (1944–1994)
3.5Aired 18 April 1999 • 46 min
A look at the hidden front of the Cold War involving subterfuge and secret intelligence gathering.
22. Star Wars (1981–1988)
3.5Aired 25 April 1999 • 46 min
The Soviet Union's economy falters as it struggles to keep up in the arms and technology race.
23. The Wall Comes Down (1989)
4.0Aired 2 May 1999 • 46 min
The Soviet Union loses its grip on Eastern Europe as the Berlin Wall comes down and the Cold War comes to an end.
24. Conclusions (1989–1991)
3.5Aired 9 May 1999 • 46 min
The Cold War era comes to an end as the Soviet Union's empire falls and new policies are implemented by Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin.