Episode 13

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Published on:

1st Aug 2025

S2E13 The Cold War

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Transcript
Speaker:

Hello y'all.

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It's me.

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It's me.

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It's Dr.

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G.

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In the aftermath of the Second

World War is where we are.

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It was a global conflict

that had redrawn the maps.

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It had shattered empires.

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In an uneasy silence settled over the

world that had been profoundly changed

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the mushroom clouds over Hiroshima and

Nagasaki had not only signaled the end of

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one devastating war, but had also unveiled

a terrifying new form of power, casting

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a long shadow over the nascent peace.

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The Grand Alliance forged in the crucible

of war against fascism soon began to fray.

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As our textbook aptly notes relations

between the United States and the

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Soviet Union Erstwhile Allies, soured

soon after the Second World War.

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This episode, talking about the shadow

of the Cold War in the post World War II

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era, is gonna explore how and why this

happened and how this new global struggle

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would reshape America and the world.

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So let's go.

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The rapid disillusion of the wartime

alliance between the United States and the

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Soviet Union was not entirely unforeseen.

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Of course, beneath the

surface of their shared.

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Enemies, the Nazi Germans and the Imperial

Japanese lay deep seated ideological

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incompatibilities between communism

and capitalism, and their divergent

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national interests were temporarily

covered over by the necessities of war.

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The American system rooted in democratic

capitalism was in stark contrast to the

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Soviet Union's Marxist Leninist ideology

and its state controlled communist system.

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Historical precedents, such as Western

intervention in Russia after the

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Bolshevik Revolution had already sown

the seeds of distrust and mistrust.

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The Yalta and Potsdam conferences in 1945

meant to chart the course of the post-war

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world, instead, expose these growing

rifts as the war was still going on.

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Disagreements over the future of

Eastern Europe were particularly acute.

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Stalin was seeking a buffer zone, a

friendly set of states between the

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Soviet Union's Western border and those

within Western Europe to prevent them

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from trying to invade Russia once more.

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The Soviets and the Soviet Union lost more

people in this war than any other country.

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It's an understandable fear.

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The Western powers, particularly

the United States and the

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Great Britain, advocated for

self-determination and democratic

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elections in these liberated nations.

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A principle that clashed directly

with Soviet security aims the fate of

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Germany too, became a major point of

contention with differing visions for

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its political and economic future.

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Into this climate of rising

tension, step figures.

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Who would articulate the terms

of the emerging conflict?

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In February of 1946, George f Kennon,

the US Sarj de Affairs in Moscow,

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dispatched what was called the Long

Telegram to the State Department.

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I.

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This document became foundational

to American Cold War policy

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for the next few decades.

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Canaan argued that the Soviet

hostility was inherent and driven

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by traditional Russian insecurity

as well as Marxist ideology.

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He wrote famously, quote, world

communism is like a malignant parasite,

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which feeds only on disease tissue.

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End quote.

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He said there could be no cooperation

between the United States and the

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Soviet Canaan's analysis suggests

that Soviet policy was not merely

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a reaction to Western actions.

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But quote arises mainly from

basic inner Russian necessities

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and the perceived outside world

as evil, hostile, and menacing.

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Speaker 2: End quote.

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Speaker: The Long Telegram provided

a compelling intellectual framework

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for a policy of containment, a

strategy to contain and prevent the

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spread of Soviet influence outside

of traditional Soviet borders.

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The language employed by Keenan Stark and

almost biological in its condemnation of

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the Soviets was not merely descriptive.

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It actively constructed this narrative

of an irreconcilable conflict.

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There is no middle ground

thereby narrowing the perceived

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scope of any sort of diplomatic

engagement with the Soviet Union.

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Just a few weeks later, in March

of:

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Minister Winston Churchill.

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Came to the United States to Fulton,

Missouri with President Truman by his

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side, and he delivered a landmark address.

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He declared that quote from

Statin in the Baltic to Truist

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in the Adriatic, an iron curtain.

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Has descended across the continent.

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This powerful metaphor vividly dramatized

the division in Europe into Western

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and Soviet spheres and iron curtain

between them, and it captured the

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public imagination, solidifying this

perception of a bipolar global world.

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Like the long telegram, Churchill's speech

helped to frame the emerging superpowers.

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In a rivalry, in confrontational terms,

making compromise appear increasingly

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difficult, if not impossible.

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I.

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So the Cold War, as our textbook defines

it, was quote, a global political

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and ideological struggle between

capitalists and communist countries,

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particularly between the two surviving

superpowers, cold because it never got

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hot, direct shooting war between the

United States and the Soviet Union.

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The generations long multifaceted

rivalry nevertheless bent the

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world to its whims end quote.

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The United States championed

democracy and capitalism.

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While the Soviet Union promoted communism

in a centrally planned economy, the

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stage was not merely for a political

or military contest, but for what

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many perceived as a battle for the

future of global civilization itself.

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The crucial question became, what

would this policy of containment

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entail in practical terms?

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Into the intellectual void came

a framework of containment that

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soon translated into concrete

American foreign policy.

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In March of 1947, president Harry s

Truman addressed a joint session of

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Congress responding to Britain's inability

to continue providing aid to Greece

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and Turkey nations then perceived as

threatened by communist insurgencies.

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They had both had a lot of riots and

other sort of uprisings, and the fear

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was that they would soon turn communists.

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In what became known as the Truman

Doctrine, Truman declared quote, I believe

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that it must be the policy of the United

States to support free peoples who are

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resisting attempted subjugation by armed

minorities or by outside pressures.

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End quote, Truman framed the global

situation as a choice between, as he

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said, quote, two ways of life end quote.

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The one way was founded on

majority will on free institutions

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and individual liberty.

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The other on minority will

on terror oppression and the

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suppressions of freedoms.

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This doctrine marked a pivotal shift

committing the United States to a

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global policy of intervention against

any perceived communist threats.

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A significant departure from its

traditional peacetime, foreign policy

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of non-intervention and isolationism.

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Complementing this political

containment was an ambitious economic

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initiative, and we'll talk more

about that in the affluent society.

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Our next topic, post-war Europe, now

laid, devastated, its economies were

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shattered, creating fertile ground

for social unrest as the had seen in

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Greece and Turkey, and therefore in the

American eyes if there is global unrest.

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That's fertile ground

for communist expansion.

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In June of 1947, the Secretary of

State, George Marshall proposed

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a European recovery program,

widely known as the Marshall Plan.

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Marshall stated quote, our policy

is directed not against any country

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or doctrine, but against hunger,

poverty, despair, and chaos.

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End quote.

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The plan aimed to revive

European economies, establish

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a market for American goods.

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Foster, stable, democratic governments

favorable to capitalism and thereby

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contain the spread of communism.

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Over the next four years, Congress

appropriated more and more money, more

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than $13 billion for European recovery.

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The Soviet Union, however, viewed

the Marshall Plan as an instrument of

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American economic imperialism designed

to create an anti-Soviet block to make

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European countries dependent on the us.

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Moscow rejected the aid overall

and prevented its Eastern European

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satellite states from participating

or receiving any Marshall Plan money.

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As historian Adam Yulim observed

quote with the Marshall Plan.

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The Cold War assumes the character of

position warfare, solidifying the economic

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and political divisions on the continent.

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The sense of threat escalated with the

Soviet detonation of an atomic bomb

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in 1949 and the victory of communist

forces in China that same year.

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In this tense atmosphere, the United

States National Security Council

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produced a top secret report in 1950.

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The infamous.

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NSC 68.

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This document painted a very dire

picture of the future, asserting that

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the Soviet Union now with an atomic bomb

capability was driven by a new fanatic

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faith antithetical to our own end quote.

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Its goal and ultimate goal was

imposing, quote, its absolute

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authority over the rest of the world.

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Speaker 2: End quote,

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Speaker: NCS 68 declared quote, the issues

that face us are momentous, involving the

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fulfillment or destruction, not only of

this republic but of civilization itself.

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End quote, it described the Soviet Union

as a slave state whose implacable purpose

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is to eliminate the challenge of freedom.

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That they had polarized the world.

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The report called for a massive

buildup of American military strength

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in a more assertive global posture,

advocating that the US quote, make the

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attempt to bring order and justice by

means consistent with the principles

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of freedom and to democracy, and

to frustrate the Kremlin design and

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hasten the decay of the Soviet system.

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End quote.

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Through means just short of total war

NCS 68 provided another ideological and

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strategic justification for the dramatic

expansion of spending on defense to

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make a more militarized approach to

containment along with the Marshall Plans

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economic that would shape us policy now.

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For decades, these political and

economic strategies were soon

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added by military alliances.

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In 1949, the United States, Canada,

and 10 western European nations formed

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the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

or nato, A collective defensive PAC

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stipulating that attack on one member.

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Would be a considered an attack on all.

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This was a cornerstone of

Western military containment.

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The Soviet Union responded

in:

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Germany's admission to nato.

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We'll get to that in a moment.

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And they created the Warsaw Pact,

a military alliance of the USSR and

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its Eastern European satellites.

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These opposing alliances

formalize the military division

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of Europe, institutionalizing

the arms race, and creating two.

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Heavily armed, ideologically opposed

blocks on either side of the Iron curtain.

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The American policy of containment,

while often framed in defensive

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terms, incorporated elements

that were perceived by the Soviet

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Union as inherently aggressive.

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For instance, NSCS 60 eights call to

actively work towards the decay of

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the Soviet system, as they said, went

beyond mere prevention of expansion.

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It went to disable the country.

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Each American action from the Truman

Doctrine to the Marshall Plan, even to

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the formation of NATO, was interpreted

in Moscow as part of a broader

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strategy of encircling the Soviet

Union, as well as upping in hostility.

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I.

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This prompted Soviet countermeasures

such as the establishment of the

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Warsaw Pac, which then served to

confirm American fears of Soviets

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wanting to expand, creating a dangerous

feedback escalation, mistrust loop.

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And continued military expansion.

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Furthermore, by framing the conflict

in such stark moral and existential

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term, free people versus attempted

subjugation, civilization versus slave

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state, American policy makers limited

their own diplomatic flexibility.

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It was our way or the highway.

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Compromise then could be painted

as appeasement or weakness in the

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face of a foe that would not move.

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This is what we would call

a a manic keyan worldview.

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While effective for mobilizing support

domestically, it complicated the diplomacy

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necessary on the world stage to manage

a superpower rivalry without resorting

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to direct catastrophic conflict, and

often obscured a deeper understanding.

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Of Soviet motivations beyond

simple ideological fanaticism.

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The Soviet Union had goals beyond

simply being just crazy for communist.

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As we've seen in our previous

episodes, history builds on itself.

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The Cold War did not erupt in a vacuum.

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It was shaped by the legacies of United

States history, particularly if we

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go back to the beginning of where we

started, the unfinished business of

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reconstruction and the transformative

impact of the years that follow the

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industrialization, the labor movement,

gilded age, progressive era, and so forth.

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As we've explored in the previous

episodes, reconstruction's aim at

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building and rebuilding the South.

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Integrating 4 million newly freed

African Americans into the fabric

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of American society ultimately

failed, and it failed to secure,

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lasting civil and political rights.

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It led to the entrenchment of Jim Crow's

system, as well as racial segregation

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and disenfranchisement in the south.

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This deeply embedded racial

inequality became a significant

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vulnerability for the United States

on the Cold War's global stage.

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The United States projected itself as the

champion of freedom and democracy abroad,

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and the Soviet Union effectively looked

at the situation and use the reality of

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American racism as potent propaganda.

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The Soviet media relentlessly highlighted

instances of discrimination and

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lynching, the denial of basic civil

rights of African Americans, thereby

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seeking to undermine America's moral

authority and appeal, especially

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among the newly decolonizing nations

in Asia and Africa, many of which

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had non-white majority populations.

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As one analysis points out,

quote US, vulnerability to

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moral critiques were readily

appropriated into Soviet propaganda.

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Soviet propaganda campaigns were

designed to disrupt the image of the

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United States government as a global

paragon of freedom and equality.

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End.

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Quote, the unresolved issues

of reconstruction thus directly

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impacted America's ability to wage

the Cold War effectively on moral

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terms, creating an imperative for

federal action on civil rights.

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A theme we'll return

to in the next episode.

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Similarly, the legacy of America's Rise

as an industrial superpower during the

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gilded and progressive eras and the

concurrent struggles of the labor movement

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also resonated in the Cold War period.

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The nation's immense industrial

capacity as showcased.

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Winning World War II was an undeniably

a cornerstone of its world Cold

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War strength fueling this now new

arms race and enabling massive aid

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programs like the Marshall Plan.

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It also underpinned its military

might, however, the historical anxiety

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surrounding labor unions as potential

sources of radicalism IE their communist.

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And this was evident in the

earlier red scares, resurfaced.

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With renewed intensity in the Cold

War period, the TAF Hartley Act of

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1947, for example, placed significant

restrictions on union activities and

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crucially required union leaders to

sign affidavits affirming that they

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were not members of the Communist Party.

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This legislation contributed to the

purging of communists and other leftists

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from labor movements and fostered the

development of what has been termed quote.

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Cold War liberalism, and this is

what happened in major unions.

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This often meant aligning union

leadership more closely with government

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Cold War objectives, sometimes at

the cost of more militant or radical

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labor activism and internal descent.

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I.

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The drive for national unity against

perceived communist threat, reshaped the

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American labor landscape, curtailing a lot

of its autonomy and integrating it more

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firmly into the anti-Soviet consensus.

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While termed a Cold War, the ideological

struggle between the United States

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and the Soviet Union frequently

erupted into hot armed conflicts.

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But these were fought by proxy.

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The first military confrontation,

the first major one at least,

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occurred on the Korean peninsula.

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Following World War ii Korea, which

had been a Japanese colony and had

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been known as Manchuria, was divided at

the 38th parallel with a Soviet backed

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communist regime forming in the north

under Kim Il Sung, and a US supported

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nominally democratic government in the

South, led by Singman Ri on June 25th,

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1950, north Korean forces launched a.

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Full scale invasion of South Korea

aiming to reunify the peninsula.

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Under Communist rule, the United States

under President Truman quickly committed

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its forces to defend South Korea.

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The United Nations Security Council with

the Soviet Union boycotting its sessions

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at the time passed resolutions condemning

the aggression and authorizing the.

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Formation of a United UN command

led by the United States.

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This marked as described by the UN

command itself, the world's first

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attempt at collective security

under the United Nations system.

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End.

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The war unfolded in

several distinct phases.

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Initially, North Korea forces pushed

deep into the south, cornering

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UN and South Korean troops in the

small area around the port of Posan.

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The tide turned dramatically in

September of:

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MacArthur's, daring Amphibious,

landing inchin far behind enemy lines.

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This brilliant maneuver quote.

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Cut the North Korean forces in two and

it allowed the UN forces to recapture

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Seoul and advance rapidly northward

approaching the Yalu River, the

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border between North Korea and China.

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This advance of the United Nations

and the, I mean know backed by

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the United States, triggered a

new, dangerous phase of the war

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in October and November of 1950.

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Fearing American aggression

near its own borders.

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Aiming to support its communist

ally, the People's Republic of

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China, which borders North Korea

intervened massively sending hundreds

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of thousands of people's volunteer

army troops across the Yalu River.

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This intervention significantly altered

the balance of power leading to brutal

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fighting in the harsh winter conditions,

including the infamous Battle of the

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Chosen Reservoir where US Marines

and soldiers faced overwhelming odds.

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This war also precipitated a major crisis

in American civil military relations.

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General MacArthur publicly disagreed

with President Truman's strategy

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of a limited war advocating for an

expansion of the conflict to send the

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United States into China, including

the bombing of Chinese cities, and

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potentially using atomic weapons on China.

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Truman.

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Feared a wider war, and the use of such

weapons would draw the US Soviet Union

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into another global nuclear conflict.

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And so Truman relieved MacArthur

of his command in April of:

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insubordination, a decision that while

controversial, firmly upheld the principle

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of civilian control over the military.

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With MacArthur no longer at the helm,

the war settled into a bloody stalemate

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roughly along the 38th parallel where

it started, and it was characterized

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by trench warfare and heavy casualties.

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After two years of protracted

negotiations, an arms disagreement

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was finally signed on July 27th, 1953,

establishing a ceasefire and creating

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the Korean demilitarized zone, the DMZ.

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A heavily fortified buffer zone

and continues to this day to

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divide North and South Korea.

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Crucially, quote, A permanent

peace treaty has never been signed.

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End quote, the Korean War resulted

in millions of death, including

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soldiers and civilians, and

left the peninsula devastated.

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And if you've ever seen the show mash.

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That's what more is taking place.

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It was a brutal demonstration of the

Cold War's capacity for lethality,

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and it solidified the divisions in

Korea intensifying global tensions

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and underscoring the ever present

danger of superpower confrontation.

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The conflict in its stalemate also

drove the United States to increase

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its US military spending going

forward using the ideologically

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shaped NSC 68 as its backbone.

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Beyond Korea, the Cold War played out

across a rapidly changing global landscape

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marked by an era of decolonization or

former colonies becoming independent.

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Between 1945 and 1960, dozens

of new states in Asia and

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Africa gained independence

from European colonial rulers.

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These newly independent nations often

impoverished and strategically located.

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In or around rich natural

resources became new arenas for

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this conflict between superpowers.

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Economically, the United States

found itself in a complex position.

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Its founding ideals resonated with

this aspiration for self-determination.

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Yet its Cold War anxieties about

communist expansion and its commitment

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to its NATO allies who often sought

to retain their colonial possessions

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like the British or the French.

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They wanted them for economic and

military strength, and this frequently

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led to contradictory policies.

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The Soviet Union meanwhile actively

courted these new nations portraying

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communism as an inherently

anti-imperialist ideology, and it was

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thus a natural ally for a national

liberation movement against empires.

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The US employed various means,

including financial aid packages,

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technical assistance, and sometimes

covert operations and assassinations

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to encourage newly independent nations

to align with the West and to prevent

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perceived socialist or communist

takeovers with notable concerns arising

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in different places like Indonesia,

French Indochina, Egypt, and Iran.

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Many Emerge nations, however, resisted

being drawn into the superpower

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rivalry, forming what they call

the non-aligned movement, following

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the Bang Done Conference in 1955,

choosing instead to focus on their own

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internal development decolonization,

thus dramatically reshaped the

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international order, creating this quote.

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Third world battleground where the US and

the USSR Vided for influence and often

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with a profound and lasting consequences

for the nations involved themselves.

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Independence wasn't just

simply becoming independent.

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This competition frequently led the

United States to support undemocratic

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but anti-communist regimes, even

dictators who were pro capitalists

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and thereby created a tension within

its own proclaimed values of promoting

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freedom and democracy globally.

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A contradiction that was not lost

on observers in newly appendant

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world or on the Soviet Union.

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And their propaganda

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on the home front.

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The anxiety of the Cold War did not remain

something internationally and on distant.

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Battlefields, it actually

permeated American society.

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It fostered a climate of fear and

suspicion directed at perceived

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enemies, communists within our borders.

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We'll talk a little bit more about

that in the next episode, but for

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now, this period is often referred

to as the second Red scare, and it

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was fueled by this potent mix of

genuine concerns about Soviet spies.

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The shocking news that the Soviets.

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Actually developed an atomic bomb in 1949.

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The shocking news that China fell

to communism also in:

383

:

as high profile spy cases like those

involving Alger Hiss and Julius and

384

:

Ethel Rosenberg, who were accused

and ultimately executed for passing

385

:

nuclear secrets to the Soviets.

386

:

As our textbook describes,

quote, McCarthyism was a symptom

387

:

of a massive and widespread

anti-communist hysteria that engulfed.

388

:

Cold War America, even before Senator

Joseph McCarthy rose to infamy, the Truman

389

:

administration took steps to address

concerns about communist infiltration.

390

:

In 1947, Truman issued Executive

order 98 35, establishing loyalty

391

:

reviews for federal real employees.

392

:

While intended to root out genuine

security risks and to counter Republican

393

:

accusations that Truman and his

administration were soft on communism,

394

:

this program institutionalized a hunt

for disloyalty within the government.

395

:

It created an atmosphere of pervasive

suspicion leading to investigations,

396

:

interrogations, and the dismissal

or resignation of thousands of

397

:

federal workers, often based on

flimsy evidence and mere accusations.

398

:

It was Senator Joseph McCarthy,

though a Republican from Wisconsin

399

:

who came to personify the most extreme

excesses of this second red scare.

400

:

I.

401

:

He gave a famous speech in Wheeling,

West Virginia in February,:

402

:

and McCarthy claimed to possess a

list of known communists working

403

:

in the US State Department.

404

:

He actually pulled out a list.

405

:

It was a list from his wife.

406

:

It was his, uh, grocery list.

407

:

But in it, he said, quote, today

we are engaged in a full all out

408

:

battle between communist, atheism and

Christianity regarding the infiltration.

409

:

He assert a quote.

410

:

I have in my hand 57 cases of individuals

who would appear to be either card

411

:

carrying members or certainly loyal to the

communist party, and who nevertheless are

412

:

still helping to shape our foreign policy.

413

:

End quote.

414

:

McCarthy's tactics were

characterized by sensational, and

415

:

more often than not unsubstantiated

accusations and the hearings.

416

:

Were televised in the House of un-American

activities where he bullied witnesses and

417

:

relentlessly campaigned to expose these

subversive communists in the government

418

:

and other institutions across the country.

419

:

He quote fueled fears that communism

was rampant and growing and the

420

:

impact was devastating for many.

421

:

As one of our sources notes, quote,

those accused by McCarthy faced loss

422

:

of employment, damaged careers, and in

many cases broken lives and contributed

423

:

to a widespread climate of fear.

424

:

I.

425

:

However, McCarthy's Crusade did not

go unchallenged in June of:

426

:

Senator Margaret Chase Smith,

a fellow Republican from Maine,

427

:

delivered a courageous speech,

her declaration of Conscious to

428

:

the Senate on the Senate floor.

429

:

She powerfully rebuked McCarthy

and his methods stayed in.

430

:

Quote, I don't wanna see the

Republican party ride to political

431

:

victory on the four horsemen of.

432

:

Fear, ignorance, bigotry, and smear.

433

:

She lamented that quote, the American

people are sick and tired of being

434

:

afraid to speak their minds, lest they

be politically smeared as communists

435

:

or fascist by their opponents.

436

:

Freedom of speech is not what

it used to be in America.

437

:

End quote.

438

:

Smith's declaration supported by

six other Republican senators was a

439

:

significantly though initially outnumbered

voice of reason against the prevailing

440

:

hysteria, highlighting the profound

damage being inflicted upon American

441

:

principles for free speech due process

and the presumption of innocence.

442

:

I.

443

:

The House of un-American

Activities Committee.

444

:

HUAC also was a central player in

this red scare, and they conducted

445

:

extensive interviews into the alleged

communist influence in various aspects

446

:

of American life beyond the government.

447

:

And most famously, I.

448

:

In Hollywood, the Hollywood 10, a group

of screenwriters and directors were

449

:

cited for contempt of Congress and

jailed for refusing to testify about

450

:

their political affiliations or to

name others who might be communists.

451

:

List led to the creation of the

infamous Hollywood blacklist, which

452

:

barred hundreds of actors, writers,

directors, and other entertainment

453

:

professionals from employment due to their

alleged communist ties or sympathies.

454

:

The personal toll was immense

playwright Lillian Hellman, who called

455

:

when called before the huac, refused

to name names of her associates.

456

:

Famously writing a letter to the

committee quote, to hurt innocent

457

:

people who I knew many years ago

in order to save myself is to me

458

:

inhumane and indecent and dishonorable.

459

:

I cannot and will not cut my

conscience to fit this year's fashions.

460

:

End quote.

461

:

Her refusal led to her blacklisting

Dalton Trumbo, one of Hollywood, one

462

:

of the Hollywood 10 later reflected on

this period as quote, A time of evil.

463

:

There were only victims.

464

:

End quote, ring Lardner Jr.

465

:

Another of the 10 in his defiant

testimony before Huac responded

466

:

to the question of his Communist

Party membership with the memo line.

467

:

I could answer it, but if I did, I

would hate myself in the morning end

468

:

Speaker 2: quote.

469

:

Speaker: The UCLA's Library Centers

for Oral History Research holds

470

:

so many valuable interviews with

individuals like Alfred Lewis Levitt,

471

:

Helen Sto Levitt, and Paul Jericho.

472

:

So go check them out.

473

:

'cause their recollections of this

devastating impact of blacklisting

474

:

on their careers is real.

475

:

Parallel to this red scare

and often intertwined with

476

:

it was the lavender scare.

477

:

It was a systemic persecution of gay men

and lesbians in the federal government.

478

:

Homosexual individuals were deemed

to be security risks because they

479

:

believed that they were vulnerable to

blackmail by Soviet agents, and thus

480

:

they were unfit for government service.

481

:

David K.

482

:

Johnson, who wrote a book,

the Lavender Scare Documents.

483

:

This purge noting that quote, in

popular discourse, communists and

484

:

homosexuals were often conflated.

485

:

Both groups were perceived

as hidden subcultures.

486

:

Both groups were considered

immoral and godless.

487

:

Many people that the two groups

were working together to undermine

488

:

the government end quote.

489

:

Thousands of federal employees

were fired, were forced to resign

490

:

due to their sexual orientation.

491

:

President Eisenhower issued an executive

in:

492

:

adding quote, sexual perversion end

quote, as grounds for dismissal from the

493

:

government, effectively barring gay men

and lesbian from all federal government

494

:

jobs, and extending scrutiny to government

consultants, personal tragedies from this.

495

:

Abounded.

496

:

Senator McCarthy himself cited

case 14 and Case 62 as homosexuals

497

:

who were security risks.

498

:

Franklin Kadi, an astronomer fired

from the Army Map Service in:

499

:

after an arrest for consensual

homosexual conduct found his.

500

:

Fought his dismissal all the way to

the Supreme Court, and later became

501

:

a pioneering gay rights activist.

502

:

The persecution extended to

women though defining a lesbian

503

:

relationship for the purposes of

official action, proved actually to

504

:

be quite challenging for authorities.

505

:

The red scare and the lavender

scares were not merely existing

506

:

exercises in identifying actual

spies or security threats.

507

:

They became powerful instruments for

political opportunism and enforced an

508

:

ideological conformity and a conformity.

509

:

We're gonna talk about next episode,

as well as suppressing a wide range

510

:

of social and political extent that

extended far beyond the communism,

511

:

the broad and often vague definitions

of what it meant to be subversion.

512

:

Disloyalty or a security risk allowed

for the targeting of individuals with

513

:

left-leaning, liberal political views,

as well as civil rights advocates

514

:

who challenged the racial status quo.

515

:

Another conflation was

civil rights and communism.

516

:

I.

517

:

But also the lgbtq plus individuals

who transgress prevailing social norms

518

:

in a time of conformity, the lack

of due process and the public nature

519

:

of the accusations, the witch hunts

that created such a potent chilling

520

:

effect on free speech and expression

radiated across American society.

521

:

This witch hunt for enemies often

damage the very democratic principles

522

:

of the United States claim to be

defending on the global stage.

523

:

And it mirrored the external Cold War's

worldview creating another problem.

524

:

It created an internal other

that needed to be identified and

525

:

purge, similar to how the Soviets

on the world stage needed to be.

526

:

As well,

527

:

the defining terror of the

Cold War was the ever present

528

:

threat of nuclear annihilation.

529

:

The United States monopoly on the

atomic bomb ended abruptly in August

530

:

of 1949 when the Soviet successfully

detonated its own atomic device.

531

:

This event triggered a desperate

and escalating nuclear arms race.

532

:

Both superpowers poured vast resources

in developing even more powerful weapons.

533

:

In 1952, the United States tested the

first hydrogen bomb, a thermonuclear

534

:

device that was orders of magnitudes,

way more destructive than the

535

:

atomic bombs they had used in Japan.

536

:

The Soviets followed suit with their

own HBO testing thereafter, with

537

:

sources indicating 1953 or 1955.

538

:

It's hard to tell which one,

but it wasn't long after.

539

:

This massive stockpiling of

nuclear warheads was the result.

540

:

By late 1960s, the Soviet Union

had achieved roughly nuclear

541

:

parody with the United States.

542

:

Both sides possessing thousands

of weapons capable of destroying

543

:

the planet many times over.

544

:

Out of this terrifying or, uh,

reality emerged the doctrine of

545

:

mutually assured destruction or mad.

546

:

This theory posited that a nuclear attack

by one superpower would inevitably trigger

547

:

a devastating retaliatory strike from

the other, resulting in the complete

548

:

annihilation of both attacker and defender

and the world while mad created fear.

549

:

It also paradoxically.

550

:

Was believed to act as the deterrent

against any sort of first strike nuclear

551

:

de deterrence theory, which holds that the

threat of a massive retaliation prevents

552

:

one from attacking became the central

tenant of Cold War strategic thinking.

553

:

I.

554

:

Political scientist, Kenneth Waltz,

outlined key requirements for successful

555

:

nuclear deterrence, including a

survivable second strike capability,

556

:

reliable command and control systems,

and the avoidance of false alarms.

557

:

The debate continues among historians

and strategists as to whether.

558

:

Deterrence truly worked during the

Cold War, or if other factors such

559

:

as caution or luck actually is

what prevented a nuclear holocaust

560

:

from actually happening life.

561

:

Under the shadow of the mushroom

cloud profoundly affected

562

:

American society at home.

563

:

Civil defense programs aim to

prepare the populace for a nuclear

564

:

attack, though how well any of

these measures might have worked.

565

:

This is often dubious, and

I'll give you an example.

566

:

I.

567

:

School children across the nation

participated in duck and cover drills

568

:

illustrated by films like The Animated

Duck and Cover featuring Bert the

569

:

Turtle on how to supposedly protect

themselves in the event of a nuclear bass.

570

:

Go check this out on

YouTube for Duck and Cover.

571

:

Great song.

572

:

Historian Alex Wallerstein has noted

that these drills were often mocked while

573

:

ducking and covering under a desk might

offer some minimal protection from the

574

:

effects of a distant nuclear detonation

like flying debris or thermal radiation.

575

:

More significantly, these drills

quote channeled a growing panic over

576

:

an escalating arms race end quote.

577

:

It gave people something that they could

do so they wouldn't have to fear it.

578

:

And along with the promotion of

backyard fallout, shelters fostered a

579

:

pervasive anxiety about nuclear war.

580

:

In a curious attempt to formalize

nuclear technology, some companies even

581

:

marketed Atomic Energy Lab toy sets

equipped with radioactive materials,

582

:

supposedly to help Americans become

more comfortable with nuclear energy.

583

:

Amidst the escalating arms race President

Dwight d Eisenhower, a former five

584

:

star general winner of World War ii.

585

:

Offered both proposals for

cooperation and stark warnings.

586

:

In his 1953 Adams for Peace

speech before the United Nations.

587

:

Eisenhower advocated for the peaceful

application of nuclear energy and

588

:

proposed the creation of an international

agency to promote such uses.

589

:

However, it was his farewell address

in January of:

590

:

one of the most enduring, uh,

admonitions of the Cold War era.

591

:

Eisenhower warned against escalating cold

War into a military industrial complex.

592

:

He stated, quote, the potential for the

disastrous rise of misplaced power exists.

593

:

And will persist.

594

:

We must never let the weight of

this combination endanger our

595

:

liberties or democratic processes.

596

:

He also cautioned the

public policy could become.

597

:

The captive of a scientific,

technological elite

598

:

Speaker 2: end quote.

599

:

Speaker: This was a remarkable warning

from an outgoing president with deep

600

:

military experience about the dangers

of a permanent armaments industry,

601

:

a military industrial complex, and

its pervasive influence on government

602

:

and policy, how it can shape society.

603

:

In even the direction of scientific

research within the company, potentially

604

:

making peace anywhere harder to achieve

in distorting national priorities.

605

:

The Cold War also fueled

intense competition in other

606

:

technological arenas, most notably.

607

:

Space race.

608

:

This contest was deeply rooted in the

nuclear arms race as rocket technology

609

:

was becoming essential for delivering

nuclear warheads to the other side

610

:

of the world, and thus, the space

race became an extension of this

611

:

ideological battle for global prestige.

612

:

The Soviet Union delivered a profound

shock to the United States in:

613

:

the launch of the satellite, Sputnik won.

614

:

This was the world's first

artificial satellite.

615

:

This achievement changed the world

overnight, and I can't stress that enough.

616

:

And it demonstrated Soviet

technological prowess and fears of their

617

:

superiority over the United States.

618

:

The US scrambled to respond, launching

its first satellite explorer one in

619

:

January of 1958, and establishing

the National Aeronautics and Space

620

:

Administration, NASA later in that year.

621

:

The Soviets achieved a series of

early milestones in the space race.

622

:

Leika became the first animal

to orbit around Sputnik two.

623

:

In 1957, Yuri Ga Garrin became the

first human in space aboard Vo Stock

624

:

one in April of 1961 and Valentina

Kova became the first woman in

625

:

space aboard Vo Stock six in 1963.

626

:

The US countered with Alan Shepherd

becoming the first American in

627

:

space in May, 1961, and John

Glenn, the first American to

628

:

orbit the earth in February, 1962.

629

:

In May of 1961, newly

elected president John F.

630

:

Kennedy, boldly committed the

United States to landing a man on

631

:

the moon and returning him safely

to earth by the end of that decade.

632

:

He didn't live to see

the end of the decade.

633

:

Spoiler alert, but his goal was

achieved, but we'll get to that.

634

:

This goal, however, galvanized what would

become the Apollo program, which early

635

:

setbacks, including the tragic Apollo

one fire achieved a stunning success

636

:

when Apollo eight orbited the moon in

December of:

637

:

came in July of 1969 when Apollo 11 with

astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

638

:

Walked on the lunar surface, a

monumental achievement for the United

639

:

States in a decisive victory in the

space race against the Soviet Union.

640

:

Beyond space exploration, the

intense military and technological

641

:

competition of the Cold War spurred

numerous other advancements with

642

:

lasting impacts to this day.

643

:

Jet propulsion technology crucial

for both military aircraft and

644

:

for the missile delivery systems.

645

:

Advanced rapidly materials science saw

breakthroughs in developing lightweight

646

:

heat resistance materials for spacecraft

and for high performance aircraft

647

:

innovations now found numerous civilian

applications, the demands for complex

648

:

calculations of her missile trajectories

for code breaking and space missions.

649

:

Drove significant progress in creating

computers and microelectronics the

650

:

need for smaller, faster, and more

reliable components led to the

651

:

miniaturization that lead the groundwork

for modern personal computers, for the

652

:

smartphones in your hands, and other

digital technologies, indeed, Soviet.

653

:

Marshall Nikolai OG Grov reportedly

acknowledged in:

654

:

West had won the Cold War, largely

because, quote, modern military

655

:

power is based upon technology, and

technology is based upon computers.

656

:

We will never be able to catch up to you

until we have an economic revolution.

657

:

End quote.

658

:

One of the most transformative

technological developments was arnet

659

:

or Advanced Research Projects Agency

Network, established by the US

660

:

Department of Defense in the late 1960s.

661

:

Designed as a decentralized

communication network to withstand

662

:

potential attacks by linking

universities and defense contractors.

663

:

Arnet was the precursor.

664

:

To the internet.

665

:

The first message was sent in 1969.

666

:

A transatlantic link was established in

:

667

:

Even medical technology benefited in this

time period with advancements in sensors

668

:

and imaging tools for space missions.

669

:

Contributing to the development of MRI

in CAT scan technologies we use today.

670

:

The immense fear of nuclear war,

thus paradoxically fueled an era

671

:

of unprecedented innovation, laying

the groundwork for future global

672

:

interconnectedness, even as the

primary drivers were national security.

673

:

Civil defense measures like duck

and cover, while offering a little

674

:

if no practical protection against

a direct nuclear strike, served a

675

:

crucial psychological and political

purpose to manage public anxiety.

676

:

And create a semblance of preparedness,

thereby helping maintain public

677

:

support for the enormous costs and the

inherent risks of Cold War policies.

678

:

One of the most profound paradoxes

of the Cold War era was the

679

:

United States position as the

global champion of freedom.

680

:

It was championing its freedom and

democracy while simultaneously enforcing

681

:

racial segregation and discrimination

against its own peoples at home.

682

:

This glaring contradiction, the

unresolved legacy of slavery,

683

:

the failure of reconstruction,

became a significant Achilles heel

684

:

for America in its ideological

struggle against the Soviet Union.

685

:

While our textbook notes that some

anti-communist also became opponents of

686

:

Jim Crow, the broader atmosphere of the

Red Scare could also be used to stifle

687

:

activism by labeling it as subversive.

688

:

Any calls to end Jim Crow could

only be actuated because of

689

:

communist influence, not the

desires of black people themselves.

690

:

In the early 1950s, the US State

Department estimated that nearly half

691

:

of all Soviet propaganda focused on the

United States racial discrimination.

692

:

This constant barrage damaged America's

international prestige and its

693

:

credibility as the world's moral leader.

694

:

I.

695

:

This international pressure, however,

created a compelling geopolitical

696

:

incentive for the United States

federal government to begin

697

:

addressing domestic racial injustice.

698

:

American officials increasingly recognized

that segregation was not just a domestic

699

:

issue, but it was now a foreign policy

liability that hampered their efforts to

700

:

win allies and counter Soviet influence.

701

:

In what would be called the Third world.

702

:

This dynamic played a significant

role in several landmark moments

703

:

of the Civil Rights movement.

704

:

Like the 1954 Supreme Court decision in

Brown versus the Board of Education of

705

:

Topeka, which declared spa state-sponsored

segregation in public schools.

706

:

Unconstitutional historians like

Mary Dak have argued pervasively

707

:

that the Cold War context was

a crucial factor in the court's

708

:

decision and cannot be underplayed.

709

:

The Brown case was thus seen.

710

:

Not only as a victory for racial

justice, but internationally it was

711

:

seen as quote, a blow to communism

because the case would enable peoples of

712

:

color around the world to believe that

democracy was a just system of government

713

:

Speaker 2: End quote.

714

:

Speaker: The crisis surrounding the

integration of Central High School in

715

:

Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957 further

underscored this connection when Governor

716

:

Orville faas used the Arkansas National

Guard to prevent nine African American

717

:

students, the Little Rock nine, from

entering the previously all white school.

718

:

The events captured intense

international media attention.

719

:

Images of angry white mobs screaming

obscenities, and threats as calm.

720

:

Dignified black teenagers were

broadcast around the globe.

721

:

It provided a powerful indictment

of American racial society.

722

:

The Soviet Union claimed a moral victory

over the United States end quote, with

723

:

Soviet newspapers running headlines like,

quote, troops advance against children.

724

:

The damage to American International

standing because of incidents like

725

:

this was amends US Secretary of

State, John Foster Dulles publicly

726

:

stated that the Little rock crisis

was quote, not helpful to the

727

:

influence of the United States abroad.

728

:

Speaker 2: End quote.

729

:

Speaker: Ultimately, president Eisenhower

federalized the Arkansas National

730

:

Guard and dispatched troops from the

US Army's 101st Airborne Division to

731

:

enforce the court ordered integration

of Central High, a decision driven in

732

:

significant part by the need to repair

America's image on the world stage.

733

:

African American activists and

organizations skillfully use this

734

:

Cold War context highlighting the

hypocrisy of American foreign policy to

735

:

press for democratic reforms at home.

736

:

However, the pervasive anti-communist

climate also presented its own challenges.

737

:

I.

738

:

To maintain legitimacy and avoid

being smeared as red or subversive.

739

:

Many mainstream civil rights organizations

felt compelled to distance themselves

740

:

from the more radical elements of

their movement and to purge individuals

741

:

suspected of communist sympathies, a

process that sometimes led to internal

742

:

divisions in the civil rights movement.

743

:

Figures like Paul Robeson and WEB Du

Bois, who were critical of US foreign

744

:

policy and expressed admiration

for aspects of the Soviet Union.

745

:

Stated commitment to racial

equality, face severe government

746

:

harassment and public condemnation.

747

:

Thus the Cold Wars.

748

:

Impact on the civil rights

movement was deeply paradoxical.

749

:

It provided both the crucial leverage

and language for achieving landmark

750

:

desegregation reforms by framing them

as national security imperatives, while

751

:

simultaneously enabling more suppression

of radical black activism and activists

752

:

through a potent weapon of red baiting.

753

:

The struggles for the civil rights became

inextricably linked with the global

754

:

battle for hearts and minds, and we'll

discuss more of that in our next episode.

755

:

The Cold War, a decades long twilight

struggle as President Kennedy once termed.

756

:

It profoundly reshaped not only

global politics, but also the

757

:

very fabric of American life.

758

:

It forged enduring alliances,

but also forged animosities

759

:

that continue to influence

international relations to this day.

760

:

It led to unprecedented levels of military

spending and technological innovations

761

:

from the terrifying power of nuclear

weapons to the transformative potential

762

:

of space exploration and the internet.

763

:

Domestically, the Cold War fostered in

an atmosphere of anxiety and conformity,

764

:

marked by the red and lavender scares,

which curtailed civil liberties and

765

:

ruined countless lives in the name of

national security and anti-communism.

766

:

Yet paradoxically, the global

ideological competition also provided

767

:

a crucial impetus for the advancement

of civil rights as the United States

768

:

grappled with the hypocrisy of

championing freedom abroad, while

769

:

denying it to many of its own citizens.

770

:

The Cold War as our textbook concludes

forever altered American life in

771

:

the generations of Americans that

lived within its shadow end quote.

772

:

As we sit back and reflect on this

era, several questions linger.

773

:

How do the geopolitical fault lines

establish during the Cold War?

774

:

Continue to shape our world today?

775

:

In what ways does the national Security

framework so powerfully solidified

776

:

during those decades still influence

US policy and ongoing debates about the

777

:

balance between security and liberty?

778

:

And how has the vast technological legacy

of the Cold War from nuclear arsenals

779

:

to digital networks continue to evolve?

780

:

Presenting us with new and complex

challenges and opportunities.

781

:

The Cold War may be officially ended

with the collapse of the Soviet Union,

782

:

but its shadow is long understanding.

783

:

Its multifaceted origins, its global

and domestic impacts, and its complex.

784

:

Legacies is essential for navigating

the complex world that we inhabit today,

785

:

but also to understand how we got there.

786

:

And we'll start that way next episode.

787

:

I'm Dr.

788

:

G, and I'll see y'all in the past.

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About the Podcast

Star-Spangled Studies
Star-Spangled Studies is a college-level U.S. history podcast created by professional historian Dr. G—built for students, teachers, and curious listeners alike. Season 1 covers the era from 1865 to the present, using The American Yawp, a free and open educational resource (OER) textbook, as its guide. Each episode unpacks key events, movements, and ideas that shaped the modern United States—through rich narrative, scholarly insight, and accessible storytelling.

Whether you're enrolled in a course or exploring history on your own, you’ll get clear, engaging episodes that follow the chapters of The American Yawp. Bring your curiosity, download the textbook, and join Dr. G for a star-spangled journey through American history.

Free. Accessible. Thought-provoking.
This is your front-row seat to the story of the United States.
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