Catalog Search Results
Language
English
Description
This program traces the development and collapse of successive alliances and conflicts in Europe and Asia that culminate in the struggle against the much feared spread of Communism. Excellent summaries of post-World War II events between Europe's Eastern and Western blocs, the rise of Mao Tse Tung in China and the causes of the Korean and Vietnam wars are presented.
Language
English
Description
Fear of a nuclear attack by the Soviet Union led Americans to invest in many civil defense measures during the cold war. The discovery of radiation left in the air after an atomic blast, known as fallout, led to the creation of fallout shelters. These reinforced concrete shelters were promoted as safe, easy-accessible locations in which a family could live for an extended amount of time following a nuclear attack.
Language
English
Description
After the close of World War II, the U.S.S.R. and the United States entered into the cold war, wherein the two nations competed for world influence. The United States had already developed and used the atom bomb in 1945 against Japan; in 1949, the U.S.S.R. detonated their own atom bomb. This marked the start of the arms race between the two nations. The United States, now no longer the only country with nuclear weapons, began the development of the...
Language
English
Description
Following the end of World War II, the Truman administration created the Federal Civil Defense Administration (FCDA). The agency produced videos, booklets, and television shows to convince the American public that they could survive a nuclear attack by taking basic precautions. School children practiced "duck and cover" drills, dropping under their desks and covering their heads in response to a warning. Fear of a Soviet nuclear attack also led many...
5) Cold War
Language
English
Description
A part of the series America in the 20th Century. Although communists and capitalists united during World War II to crush fascism, Hitler's defeat set the stage for allies to become adversaries once more. This program frames the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union as the defining conflict of much of the 20th century. Viewers are shown how the world's two superpowers faced off in an uncompromising showdown over ideology and economics...
Language
English
Description
In this program, we encounter the ultimate weapons wielded in the Cold War - propaganda and disinformation. Tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union are underpinned by their fundamentally opposing ideologies of Capitalism and Communism. This is an engaging investigation of the prevailing propaganda themes and messages over the course of the Cold War and the role played by mediums like film, television and print media.
Language
English
Description
Early computers were heralded by the U. S. military as a means of recognizing and preventing a surprise attack on the nation during the cold war. These computers, which were large enough to fill several rooms, collected data from radar stations, aircraft, and patrol ships to give a large snapshot of the nation's airspace. The government also created public service films in order to demonstrate its military capabilities and calm the nation's fears...
Language
English
Description
A part of the series America in the 20th Century. The end of World War II was the beginning of U.S. global power as well as a milestone in the nation's economic prosperity and domestic political currents. This program examines America during the years 1945 to 1960, in which the Cold War loomed, babies boomed, and the suburban family became the bull's-eye of the mass market. Viewers learn about the leadership transition from Truman to Eisenhower, the...
Language
English
Description
This classic episode of the U.S. Army's The Big Picture television series portrays "Operation Gyroscope," the Army's new way of transporting entire units all over the globe to address the threat of Communism and the struggle of rebuilding Europe in post-World War II. This video from the National Archives and Records Administration shows soldiers training and leaving from California ports instead of New York, in case there is a need to be in the Pacific...
Language
English
Description
Berlin became the Cold War under a microscope: German authorities manufactured their own pop star, Frank Schöbel, in hopes of eclipsing Western rock groups. The Soviet Union invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 was overwhelmed by the US government's struggle to contain the Vietnam War. The Soviets sent the first man into orbit, and the Americans sent Neil Armstrong to the moon. In this era, even a gentlemanly game of chess turned into a high-stakes...
Language
English
Description
Soviet leader Joseph Stalin tries to build an image as the sole conqueror of the Second World War as he consolidates his grip on Eastern Europe. Within Germany's borders, a game of psychological chicken between east and west leads to the dramatic Berlin Blockade and Airlift. While Americans enjoy unprecedented prosperity, Senator Joseph McCarthy's House on un-American Activities leads a witch-hunt against anyone suspected of pro-communist views. Stalin...
12) War of the Words
Language
English
Description
In the 1980s, three men speak out and change the rules of the Cold War. American president Ronald Reagan challenges the Soviets to tear down the Berlin Wall. Pope John Paul II and Union Leader Lech Walesa galvanize Poland and rattle the Iron Curtain. Facing growing dissent fueled by a faltering economy, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev unleashes reforms that will shake Communism to its foundation. For almost 50 years, the fight between two superpowers...
Language
English
Description
Some walk, some ride, some are born on the way, and many others will die along the "Road to the Wall." This classic episode of the U.S. Army's The Big Picture television series shows the struggle many make on their journey to escape Communism's hold on Europe, the Soviet Union, and Cuba. This video from the National Archives and Records Administration tells the startling and ominous history of Soviet Communism and its increase during the past half...
19) Pawn sacrifice
Author
Language
English
Formats
Description
In a gripping true story set during the height of the Cold War, American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer finds himself caught between two superpowers when he challenges the Soviet Empire. It chronicles Fischer's terrifying struggles with genius and madness, and the rise and fall of a kid from Brooklyn who captured the imagination of the world.