Two “superpowers,”the United States and the Soviet Union, emerged from the devastation of World War II. Mistrust, fear, and deep ideological differences between the two nations led to a Cold War that lasted more than forty years – and still reverberates today.
Putin’s Nuclear Threats Evoke Cold War Tensions of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Russia’s recent nuclear threats have revived Cold War animosity with roots in the Cuban missile crisis. During a standoff in 1962, a tense confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union nearly resulted in a nuclear war.
Why the Cold War Race for Nuclear Weapons Is Still a Threat
Russian President Vladimir Putin controls the world’s largest nuclear arsenal, and his invasion of Ukraine is a reminder that Russia, the U.S. and many other countries have thousands of nuclear missiles, even as safeguards once in place have fallen away.
The Cold War on TV: Joseph McCarthy vs. Edward R. Murrow
Senator Joseph McCarthy used bold accusations and populist appeal to fuel Americans’ fear about the spread of communism in the 1950s. He met his match in a hard-hitting journalist, Edward R. Murrow, whose television commentary was sharply critical of McCarthyism.
How a Cold War Airlift Saved Berlin With Food, Medicine and Chocolate
A Soviet blockade around Berlin cut the divided city off from the West. But in 1948 U.S. and British pilots began to fly food, fuel and medicine to the Allied sectors.
The Secret C.I.A. Operation That Haunts U.S.-Iran Relations
A 1953 C.I.A.-backed coup that ousted Iran’s Cold War leader has colored U.S.-Iran relations for decades.
- Lesson Plan: Regime Change in Iran – Oil and Operation Ajax
- Student Activity: Regime Change in Iran – Oil & Operation Ajax
- Lesson Plan: Operation Ajax and the C.I.A. in the Cold War
- Student Activity: Operation Ajax and the C.I.A. in the Cold War
- Conceptual Analysis FRQ: Regime Change in Iran
- Comparative Analysis FRQ: Iran & Rentier States
How the Korean War Changed the Way the U.S. Goes to Battle
In the Cold War, North Korean Communists invaded South Korea. President Truman’s decision to intervene had consequences that shape the world today.
How the Cold War Arms Race Fueled a Sprint to the Moon
The Cold War fueled the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union – especially after early Soviet advances left many fearing that the United States would be left behind.
Could We Geoengineer Ourselves Out of Climate Change?
In the 1980s the Nuclear Winter theory became a heated scientific topic, a pawn in Cold War brinksmanship and a lesson in how scientific understanding changes over time. Decades later it is clear that Nuclear Winter continues to raise new questions — not only about the devastation that would follow nuclear war, but also about our ability to alter the Earth’s climate, for both good and ill.
Agent Orange: Last Chapter of the Vietnam War
During the Vietnam war, the U.S. military sprayed Agent Orange over millions of acres of jungle in order to deprive its enemy defensive cover. Today, use of the defoliant continues to cast a dark shadow over both American veterans and Vietnamese citizens.
Kennedy and the Cold War Webinar | Retro Report
Join Retro Report and The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza for Kennedy and the Cold War: Berlin to Cuba and Beyond. This free educator webinar will feature films, lessons and resources. A new Retro Report film about the Cuban Missile Crisis will be screened, and we will share resources for approaching the global Cold War.