The Cold War Explained In 15 Minutes | Best Cold War Documentary

Summary

The video explores the Cold War, a prolonged ideological battle between the U.S. and the Soviet Union after World War II. It highlights key events such as the arms race, the Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and conflicts in Korea and Vietnam. The narrative follows leaders like Stalin, Kennedy, and Reagan, with a focus on nuclear tensions and the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union under Gorbachev's reforms. The story emphasizes the struggle between communism and capitalism, culminating in the Cold War's peaceful resolution.

Takeaways

• 💥 The Cold War began right after World War II, with the world divided between two superpowers: the United States and the Soviet Union.
• 🧠 It was an ideological battle between communism and capitalism, marked by proxy wars and political influence rather than direct military conflict.
• ⚔️ Both sides stockpiled nuclear weapons, leading to an arms race and making nuclear diplomacy central to the conflict.
• 🌍 Europe became divided between the Eastern Bloc (led by the Soviet Union) and the West, highlighted by Churchill's 'Iron Curtain' speech.
• 💣 The U.S. adopted a policy of containment to prevent Soviet expansion, illustrated by initiatives like the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan.
• ✈️ The Berlin Blockade and subsequent Berlin Airlift were early Cold War flashpoints, symbolizing the division of Germany and Europe.
• 🛡️ NATO was established in 1949 as a defensive pact against the Soviet Union, while the CIA increased its efforts to counter communist influence globally.
• 🎖️ The Korean War (1950-1953) exemplified the Cold War turning into a global conflict, with the U.S. fighting to contain communism in Asia.
• 🚀 The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) brought the world to the brink of nuclear war, but diplomacy prevailed and a nuclear confrontation was averted.
• 📉 The Cold War came to a peaceful end with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, marked by democratic revolutions across Eastern Europe and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Q & A

What were the two primary superpowers involved in the Cold War, and what ideologies did they represent?

The two primary superpowers were the United States and the Soviet Union. The United States represented capitalism, while the Soviet Union represented communism.

What was the main strategy of the United States to counter Soviet expansionism after World War II?

The main strategy of the United States was containment, aimed at preventing the spread of communism. This strategy included the Truman Doctrine, which provided military aid to countries threatened by communism, and the Marshall Plan, which offered financial aid to rebuild European economies.

How did the Berlin Blockade and Airlift contribute to Cold War tensions?

The Berlin Blockade in 1948 was an attempt by Stalin to drive out the Western powers from Berlin by stopping all ground access. In response, the United States and its allies conducted the Berlin Airlift, supplying the city by air for 15 months, forcing Stalin to lift the blockade. This event highlighted the deep divisions between the superpowers.

What was the significance of the Cuban Missile Crisis in the context of the Cold War?

The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 was a pivotal moment in the Cold War, bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war. It occurred when the Soviet Union placed nuclear missiles in Cuba, and the United States responded with a naval blockade. The crisis ended when both sides reached an agreement: the USSR would remove the missiles, and the US promised not to invade Cuba.

How did the Korean War reflect the Cold War tensions between communism and capitalism?

The Korean War (1950-1953) was a proxy conflict where the US and its allies supported South Korea against the communist North, backed by China and the Soviet Union. It exemplified the Cold War's ideological struggle, as the US aimed to contain the spread of communism in Asia. The war ended in a stalemate with no clear victory, but it reinforced the US policy of containment.

What was the impact of the Vietnam War on US domestic and foreign policy during the Cold War?

The Vietnam War had a significant impact, leading to widespread protests and political turmoil in the US. The war was deeply unpopular and raised questions about the effectiveness of the containment strategy. It led to a shift in US foreign policy, with a focus on avoiding further direct military involvement in conflicts perceived as unwinnable.

What was the purpose of the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) during the détente period of the Cold War?

The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) aimed to freeze the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) on both sides, reducing the risk of nuclear conflict. It marked a period of reduced tensions (détente) between the US and the Soviet Union, promoting stability and arms control.

Who was Mikhail Gorbachev, and what reforms did he introduce that contributed to the end of the Cold War?

Mikhail Gorbachev was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. He introduced the policies of perestroika (economic restructuring) and glasnost (political openness) to reform the Soviet system. His willingness to negotiate with the West and reduce Soviet military commitments in Eastern Europe played a crucial role in ending the Cold War.

How did the construction and fall of the Berlin Wall symbolize the division and eventual reunification of Germany during the Cold War?

The Berlin Wall, built in 1961, symbolized the physical and ideological division between communist East Germany and capitalist West Germany. Its construction aimed to stop defections to the West. The fall of the wall in 1989 marked the collapse of communist regimes in Eastern Europe and paved the way for the reunification of Germany, symbolizing the end of the Cold War.

What was the role of the Brezhnev Doctrine in maintaining Soviet control over Eastern Europe, and how did its abandonment lead to the end of the Cold War?

The Brezhnev Doctrine justified Soviet intervention in any socialist country threatened by internal or external forces. Its abandonment by Gorbachev in the late 1980s signaled that the USSR would no longer use force to maintain control over Eastern Europe. This led to a wave of democratic revolutions in the region and ultimately the dissolution of the Soviet Union, ending the Cold War.

Outlines

00:00

🛠️ The Beginnings of the Cold War

At the end of World War II, the Cold War began, pitting the United States against the Soviet Union in an ideological battle between capitalism and communism. Both sides stockpiled nuclear weapons, with control and elimination of these weapons becoming a central issue. The period witnessed key events like the arms race, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and conflicts in Berlin, Vietnam, and Korea. These events shaped the conflict between the East and West.

05:00

⚔️ The Division of Europe and Containment Policy

Post-WWII Europe was divided between the communist East led by the Soviet Union and the capitalist West led by the United States. Joseph Stalin sought a buffer zone in Eastern Europe, leading to the establishment of communist regimes. Tensions escalated when the Soviets delayed troop withdrawal from Iran and pressured Turkey. The U.S. responded with the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, aimed at containing communism through military and economic aid. Germany became a key battleground, divided into East and West, leading to the Berlin Blockade and the eventual establishment of NATO in 1949.

10:03

🌍 The Cold War Goes Global

The Cold War extended beyond Europe, with communist revolutionaries led by Mao Zedong winning in China in 1949. The U.S. bolstered its allies in Asia, providing economic support to Japan and military aid to French forces in Vietnam. When North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950, the U.S. intervened under the 'domino theory,' fearing that communism would spread. The Korean War ended in a stalemate in 1953. Meanwhile, Soviet leader Khrushchev proved unpredictable, building the Berlin Wall in 1961 to stem defections from East Germany and facing off with the U.S. during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

15:04

🧱 Vietnam and the Cracks in Soviet Power

In Vietnam, the U.S. supported South Vietnam against the communist North, with involvement increasing under President Johnson. The war grew unpopular, with widespread protests in the U.S. leading to Johnson's decision not to seek re-election. Despite significant loss of life, the war ended in a North Vietnamese victory. By the mid-1960s, the Soviet Union faced internal issues, and Brezhnev, Khrushchev's successor, focused on stabilizing relations with the U.S. This led to the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT), marking a brief period of detente between the superpowers.

📜 Reagan, Gorbachev, and the End of the Cold War

President Reagan pursued a hardline policy against the Soviet Union, launching an arms race with the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) in the 1980s. However, new Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev recognized the need for reform, introducing perestroika and glasnost. Reagan and Gorbachev held several summits, resulting in significant arms reductions, including the 1987 INF Treaty. Gorbachev's reforms led to a wave of democratic revolutions in Eastern Europe, culminating in the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, marking the end of the Cold War.

Keywords

💡Cold War

The Cold War was a prolonged period of political and military tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, along with their respective allies, following World War II. Unlike conventional wars, the Cold War involved no direct large-scale fighting between the two superpowers, but it was characterized by ideological conflict, proxy wars, and a nuclear arms race. In the script, the Cold War frames the central narrative of post-World War II tensions between communism and capitalism.

💡Communism

Communism refers to a political and economic ideology advocating for a classless society, where all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs. In the Cold War context, the Soviet Union represented communism, and the script highlights its influence in Eastern Europe, as well as its spread in regions like Asia (e.g., China, Vietnam). This ideology was in direct opposition to capitalism, leading to global ideological conflict.

💡Capitalism

Capitalism is an economic system in which private individuals or corporations own the means of production, and goods and services are traded in a free market for profit. The United States, as the leading capitalist power, aimed to stop the spread of communism, with efforts like the Marshall Plan and military interventions in places like Korea and Vietnam. In the Cold War, capitalism and communism were opposing forces competing for global influence.

💡Nuclear Arms Race

The Nuclear Arms Race was a key feature of the Cold War, in which the United States and the Soviet Union built up massive stockpiles of nuclear weapons. Both superpowers were engaged in a competition to develop more advanced and powerful weapons, leading to a constant fear of nuclear annihilation. The script mentions moments like the Cuban Missile Crisis, where nuclear war seemed imminent, highlighting the dangers of this race.

💡Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall was a physical barrier built by the Soviet-backed East German government in 1961 to prevent defections to West Berlin, which was under Allied control. It symbolized the division of the world between communist and capitalist ideologies. The script references its construction and its eventual fall in 1989, which marked a significant turning point in the Cold War, representing the weakening of Soviet influence and the reunification of Germany.

💡Containment

Containment was a U.S. foreign policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism during the Cold War. It was first outlined by President Truman and became a cornerstone of American strategy, leading to involvement in conflicts like the Korean and Vietnam wars. The policy sought to limit Soviet expansion, as highlighted in the script through initiatives like the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan.

💡Cuban Missile Crisis

The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 was a pivotal Cold War confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union over the placement of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba. The script describes how this event brought the world to the brink of nuclear war, with U.S. President Kennedy imposing a naval blockade on Cuba to prevent further missile shipments. The crisis ended peacefully but demonstrated the high stakes of the Cold War nuclear arms race.

💡Proxy Wars

Proxy wars were indirect conflicts where the U.S. and Soviet Union supported opposing sides in various regional wars without directly fighting each other. Examples from the script include the Korean War, where the U.S. fought against communist North Korea (supported by the Soviet Union), and the Vietnam War, where the U.S. supported South Vietnam against the communist North. These wars were battlegrounds for the ideological struggle between communism and capitalism.

💡Perestroika

Perestroika, meaning 'restructuring,' was a series of political and economic reforms introduced by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980s. The reforms aimed to revitalize the Soviet economy and reduce government corruption but also inadvertently weakened the Soviet Union's control over its satellite states. The script explains how Gorbachev's reforms led to the eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union, marking the end of the Cold War.

💡Glasnost

Glasnost, meaning 'openness,' was another reform introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev, focused on transparency in government institutions and greater freedom of information. It was intended to reduce corruption and promote open discussion but also exposed the deep political and social issues within the Soviet Union. The script mentions how Glasnost contributed to the weakening of Soviet control and the eventual collapse of communist regimes in Eastern Europe.

Highlights

The Cold War begins with a global ideological battle between the United States and the Soviet Union, marked by the struggle between capitalism and communism.

Soviet leader Joseph Stalin creates a buffer zone in Eastern Europe by installing communist governments, leading to the division of Europe with the famous 'Iron Curtain.'

The United States implements the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan to contain communism and support European recovery, solidifying America's post-war strategy.

The Berlin Blockade and Airlift of 1948 demonstrate the first major confrontation of the Cold War, with the U.S. supplying West Berlin for 15 months.

NATO is established in 1949 as a defensive alliance against Soviet expansion, marking the beginning of formalized military alliances in the Cold War.

The Korean War (1950-1953) shows the global reach of the Cold War, with the U.S. intervening to prevent the spread of communism in East Asia.

The construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 by Khrushchev symbolizes the physical and ideological divide between East and West, reinforcing the separation of Germany.

The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 brings the world to the brink of nuclear war, with a naval blockade and intense negotiations between Kennedy and Khrushchev.

The Vietnam War becomes a costly and divisive conflict for the United States, ultimately leading to a failure of the containment strategy in Southeast Asia.

The Brezhnev Doctrine and the suppression of dissent in the Eastern Bloc highlight the Soviet Union's struggle to maintain control and stability.

The era of détente in the 1970s marks a temporary easing of tensions, with key arms limitation treaties like SALT aimed at controlling the nuclear arms race.

Reagan's aggressive 'Peace through Strength' policy pressures the Soviet Union into a renewed arms race, aiming to force arms reduction agreements.

Mikhail Gorbachev's reforms of Perestroika and Glasnost begin to transform the Soviet Union, aiming to address economic stagnation and political unrest.

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (1987) becomes a landmark arms control agreement, reducing thousands of nuclear weapons and fostering U.S.-Soviet cooperation.

The collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989 symbolizes the end of the Cold War, leading to the reunification of Germany and the eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Transcripts

[Music]

at the end of the second world war

the cold war had begun the world lay

divided between two great superpowers

the united states and the soviet union

it would not be a conventional war with

the two sides never directly fighting

instead it would be an ideological

battle between communism

and capitalism the east first the west

and the resulting struggle for

ideological influence

and power both sides would stockpile

nuclear weapons

with questions over how to use control

and eliminate them

becoming central to the conflict from

stalin to reagan

from the arms race to the cuban missile

crisis

from the berlin wall to vietnam and

korea

this is the story of the cold war

[Music]

at the end of the second world war

europe lay divided between two camps the

soviet union

the world's leading communist power

would rule over what would become known

as the eastern bloc

after suffering almost 27 million

casualties during the war

soviet leader joseph stalin had been

keen to create a buffer zone against the

west

installing communist governments across

eastern europe

as former british prime minister winston

churchill would famously state

an iron curtain has descended across the

continent

the united states the world's leading

capitalist power

would also emerge as a post-war

superpower

their economy was thriving and they had

sole control of the most powerful weapon

in human history

the atomic bomb two of which president

harry truman had dropped on japan to end

the war

hostilities began when stalin delayed

the removal of soviet troops from iran

and pressured turkey into giving him

control over the turkish straits

wanting to stop soviet expansionism

president truman would announce the

truman doctrine

sending military aid to greece and

turkey

it was a policy aimed at containing the

soviet union

and would become the basis of american

cold war strategy for years to come

this policy was known as containment

fearing the spread of communism in

europe the united states would

also introduce the marshall plan in

april 1948.

it was thought that by improving

europe's economies communism would lose

its appeal

the plan provided almost 13 billion

dollars of financial aid

encouraging economic integration and the

promotion of free markets

germany was one of the most prominent

symbols of the newly divided world

having been split in half after the war

the soviets would occupy the east

with britain france and america

occupying the west

berlin despite laying 100 miles within

the soviet zone

was divided in the same way in june 1948

stalin would begin the berlin blockade

stopping all ground access to the city

in an attempt to drive out the americans

british and french

but truman quickly responded beginning

the berlin airlift

delivering supplies to the city for 15

months and forcing stalin to end at the

blockade

with tensions high the us and its allies

would establish an independent west

german state

the federal republic of germany the

soviets would respond

the following month by creating the

german democratic republic

in the east in response to soviet

expansion and influence

nato the north atlantic treaty

organization

was created in 1949 bringing together

the us

canada and most of western europe in a

defensive pact against the soviet union

to help stop the spread of communism the

cia would be established in september

1947

with the organization growing in size

and strength over the coming years

from 1949 to 1952

cia personnel would increase tenfold

with their overseas bases growing from 7

to 47

and their annual budget increasing from

4.7 million

to 82 million dollars they would go on

to interfere in developing countries

where independence movements were often

seen as potential paths to communism

in 1953 and 54 they would overthrow the

leaders of iran and guatemala

installing highly unpopular dictators in

their place

earning the organization an infamous

reputation

events in east asia would soon turn the

cold war into a global conflict

in china mao zedong had led communist

revolutionaries to victory in 1949

establishing the people's republic of

china

the u.s would respond by increasing

economic support to its new ally japan

in an attempt to stimulate economic

growth in the region

as well as sending aid to french

colonial forces in vietnam

who were fighting against a communist

independence movement

led by ho chi minh in 1950

communist north korea invaded south

korea

with domino theory at the height of

political thought the idea that if one

nation fell to communism

others would as well the united states

sent tens of thousands of american

troops to push the invaders back

north the korean war would drag on for

three years

with the armistice of july 1953 leaving

it so there was no clear victory for

either side

the border between the two careers had

hardly shifted at all

with the loss of life totaling over two

million

but crucially the korean war showed that

communism could be contained

the main thinking behind future

conflicts in particular

vietnam

after stalin's death in 1953 nikita

khrushchev had become leader

soon creating the warsaw pact to counter

the growing power of nato

but khrushchev would soon prove to be a

provocative and unpredictable leader

in november 1956 he would threaten

britain and france with rocket weapons

after they invaded egypt and he was

known for his emotional outbursts

allegedly banging his shoe on a table at

the 1960 united nations general assembly

when a new president john f kennedy came

to power in 1961

khrushchev made an attempt to secure

berlin

there had been around 2.7 million

defections from communist east germany

since 1949 most of which had escaped

through west berlin

securing the city was therefore vital to

the survival of the german democratic

republic

with defections usually of the highly

trained and educated

growing by the day at a 1961 meeting in

vienna

khrushchev gave kennedy six months to

vacate berlin

but kennedy refused now desperate

khrushchev authorized the construction

of the berlin wall

on august 12 1961 creating a physical

barrier between east and west berlin

starting as a barbed wire fence it soon

turned into a massive concrete block

wall

12 feet high and nearly 100 miles long

complete with armed guards and

minefields it was an embarrassment for

communists

everywhere

[Music]

[Music]

but kennedy was having difficulties of

his own cuba had been taken over by

communist revolutionaries in early 1959

led by fidel castro the revolutionaries

began freeing cuba of its economic and

political reliance on the us

eventually turning to the soviet union

for help

not wanting a communist nation so close

to home

kennedy attempted to topple castro from

power in the bay of pigs invasion

using a group of cia-trained cuban

exiles

but it would turn out to be a disaster

with the invaders surrendering

after just three days it was an

embarrassment to kennedy

and convinced khrushchev that he needed

to protect castro

with him sending nuclear missiles to the

island in 1962

american reconnaissance aircraft soon

spotted the missiles

causing kennedy to begin a naval

blockade of cuba to prevent any further

soviet shipments from arriving

a hundred and forty thousand u.s

invasion troops were then stationed in

florida

and the u.s alert system was raised to

defcon 2 for the first time in history

they were preparing for nuclear war

[Music]

as negotiations were underway a

confrontation in the atlantic

almost ended in disaster u.s ships had

used signaling depth

charges to alert a soviet submarine that

it had strayed too close to the blockade

thinking they were under attack the

submarine's captain ordered nuclear

torpedoes to be launched

but the decision required the approval

of all three onboard officers

one of the officers vasily arkipov

refused to go through with the launch

single-handedly preventing the outbreak

of a nuclear war

the very next day on october 28th

kennedy and khrushchev were able to come

to an agreement

kennedy promised not to invade cuba and

khrushchev removed the soviet missiles

it was the closest the world has ever

come to nuclear war

and it significantly impacted the

outlook of both powers

with a hotline being installed between

the white house and the kremlin

to provide better communication if

another crisis occurred

the next major crisis would occur in

vietnam where the u.s had been

supporting the south in their struggle

against the communist north for almost a

decade

after kennedy's assassination in 1963

his vice president

lyndon b johnson was left to deal with

vietnam

believing america would look weak on the

international stage if he allowed the

south to fall to communism

johnson chose to rapidly increase u.s

military involvement

but the war was deeply unpopular and in

1968 protests would break out across the

western world

the largest would be seen in america

where a politicized youth demonstrated

against a war they thought unjust and

unwinnable

the scale of discontent proved too much

for johnson

who decided not to seek re-election the

war would last for another five years

before the us decided to withdraw

with the communist north then taking

over the south

more than 58 000 americans had died as

well as 250 000

south vietnamese soldiers over a million

north vietnamese soldiers and vietcong

gorillas would also perish

as well as over 2 million civilians from

both the north and the south

and thousands more from laos and

cambodia while containment had worked in

korea

it had proven ineffective in vietnam

by 1964 the soviet union had been going

through several

internal difficulties khrushchev had

been deposed and replaced by leonid

brezhnev

whose reign was marked by nepotism

corruption and economic stagnation

standards of living within the soviet

sphere were deteriorating

and disillusionment was growing with the

brezhnev doctrine suppressing dissidents

throughout the region with military

force

this would lead brezhnev to seek a more

stable soviet american relationship

facing large protests over vietnam and

cambodia

president richard nixon was also looking

to stabilize relations

in late 1969 he began talks with

brezhnev about a strategic arms

limitation treaty

or salt which would freeze the existing

number of intercontinental ballistic

missiles on both sides

it was the beginning of a period of

detente a french term that refers to the

easing of tensions between nations

ditant would lead to a tense but

relatively stable decade

during which both sides would attempt to

control their nuclear arsenals and avoid

proxy conflicts

but it would ultimately prove

unsuccessful

when ronald reagan assumed the

presidency in 1981

the conventional wisdom of how to deal

with the soviet union

was falling apart dayton was not working

in 1977 the soviets had placed ss-20

ballistic missiles in eastern europe

and had invaded afghanistan in 1979

fiery speeches would become a trademark

of reagan with him describing the soviet

union as an evil

empire and declaring that democracy will

leave marxism leninism

on the ash heap of history but reagan's

view on nuclear weapons was clear

he wanted to see a world in which they

did not exist and where nations were

free from the threat of total

annihilation

the only way he saw to achieve this was

to force the soviets into a new arms

race they would lose

pressuring them to accept an arms

reduction agreement

as reagan stated their choice is to

break their backs to keep up

or to agree to reductions this policy

would be called peace

through strength the cornerstone of this

policy was the strategic defense

initiative

or sdi nicknamed star wars by the media

the project aimed at creating a radical

new missile defense system

using lasers and space-based missile

systems that could defend against a

nuclear attack

reagan knew that the soviet union was

lagging far behind in computer

technology

and could never hope to match the

programme leaving them dangerously

exposed

this policy worked as predicted with the

soviets soon forced to negotiate

meeting with the us in a 1985 summit to

discuss the ongoing nuclear arms race

[Music]

but this time reagan would meet with a

new soviet leader

mikhail gorbachev who would prove to be

one of the most important figures of the

entire cold war

facing years of economic stagnation and

growing discontent in eastern europe

gorbachev knew things had to change he

would introduce perestroika or

restructuring to reform the economy

and glasnost or transparency to address

corruption and political unrest

he knew that the arms race was crippling

the soviet economy

and that the only way forward was to

negotiate with the united states

gorbachev would meet with reagan on five

separate occasions between 1985

and 1988 with each meeting building

trust and respect between the two

reagan happily negotiated with such an

open and cooperative soviet leader

with the two signing the intermediate

nuclear forces treaty

on december 8 1987 banning all short and

intermediate range missiles

within three years the treaty had led to

the destruction of over two and a half

thousand

nuclear weapons with each side allowing

access to their nuclear sites to check

compliance it was a momentous agreement

being the first time both sides had

pledged to eliminate an entire class of

nuclear missile

but soon gorbachev's reforms would begin

to unravel the soviet union itself

in december 1988 he would make a speech

to the united nations

vowing to cut the soviet ground force

commitment in eastern europe by half a

million men

signaling that the brezhnev doctrine

would no longer be enforced

realizing that they would not be crushed

by the soviet military

reformers began to emerge across eastern

europe and in 1989

a string of democratic revolutions would

see nearly every communist

government ousted from power on november

9th

the most symbolic monument of the cold

war the berlin wall

would come down and germany itself would

be reunited the following year

the soviet union would collapse in 1991

dissolving into 15 independent states a

surprisingly quick

and bloodless conclusion to the cold war

a conflict which had dominated

international relations

for over 40 years

[Music]

you