Cold War

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Selling Ideologies - Cold War Propaganda - 16 m - 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.

Cold War in Europe and Asia - 17 m - 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.

Unconditional surrender & The presence of victory [World War 2 : The complete history ep. 13] - 52 m (Allies re-shape Europe) - The war in Europe came to an end on 8th July, 1945 with surrender of Germany. The Allies meet to shape post-war Europe at the Pottsdam Conference. The US drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan surrenders and the war in the Pacific ends. Germany is divided into three zones controlled by allies.

The Forgotten War (Australians at War ; ep. 06 - Looks at the remarkable courage, endurance and tenacity of the Australians who served in the Korean War and the subsequent insurgencies in Malaya and Indonesia.

Websites

Cold War Museum - In 1996, Francis Gary Powers, Jr*. and John C. Welch founded the Cold War Museum to preserve Cold War history and honor Cold War Veterans. Currently, a mobile exhibit of historical artifacts associated with the U-2 Incident of May 1960 is traveling around the world promoting interest in the creation of a permanent Cold War Museum facility. (*former CIA pilot shot down over Soviet territory in 1960).

Cold War (BBC) Contains links to Korean War ; Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis 1962 and Fall of the Soviet Union 1985-1991

The Cold War - BBC GCSE Bitesize revision topics

The Cold War 1945-1991 - Cold War tensions between the USA and the USSR became so significant that a potentially disastrous nuclear war seemed imminent.

Marshall Plan - In the immediate post-World War II period, Europe remained ravaged by war and thus susceptible to exploitation by an internal and external Communist threat. In a June 5, 1947, speech to the graduating class at Harvard University, Secretary of State George C. Marshall issued a call for a comprehensive program to rebuild Europe.

Marshall Plan - In 1947, two important events occured: firstly, President Truman warned the American Congress that it was America's job to contain Communism - this became knownas the Truman Doctrine - and secondly, General George Marshall came up with a plan to help Europe recover from the war using American money - this became known as the Marshall Plan.

Formation of NATO and the Warsaw Pact - In 1949, the prospect of further Communist expansion prompted the United States and 11 other Western nations to form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The Soviet Union and its affiliated Communist nations in Eastern Europe founded a rival alliance, the Warsaw Pact, in 1955.

Arms Race - History - An arms race denotes a rapid increase in the quantity or quality of instruments of military power by rival states in peacetime.

Cambridge spies - The hardest and most bitterly fought confrontation between the Soviet Union and the western democracies during the 50 years of the Cold War was on the espionage front. In this arena the KGB, the 'sword and the shield' of the USSR, pitted its wits against its principal adversaries - the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States (CIA) and the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS).

Silent Weapon: Smallpox and Biological Warfare - Colette Flight explains how the weaponisation of smallpox was perfected by the Soviets during the Cold War - and how this biological weapon may still threaten the lives of millions.

Cold War & Australia

Menzies and the Communist Party - The Liberal Party, led by Menzies, attempted to outlaw the Communist Party of Australia by introducing the Communist Party Dissolution Bill into the House of Representatives in 1950. The Bill was the most contentious legislation every introduced to the Australian Parliament.

The Communist Party Dissolution Act 1950 - After the Second World War ended with the defeat of Germany and Japan in 1945, a new global conflict between Communist and non-Communist blocs threatened world peace. The Cold War, as it was called, had substantial domestic repercussions in Australia.

Domino Theory - The belief that a Communist victory in one country could lead to the subsequent over-throw of governments in neighbouring countries. This was used to support Australia's involvement in Asian conflicts such as Korea and Vietnam.

The Petrov Affair - The defection of the Petrovs came to be regarded by Western intelligence services as one of the most important of the Cold War era. The Petrov Affair had a profound and lasting impact on the Australian political landscape, with the Labor Party Split a direct consequence of the events of 1954-1955.