The History of the Cold War Podcast

In this episode we review the importance and impact of the Second Sino Japanese war and the larger impact of World War II on the Chinese Civil War. We examine how the Communists used the war to their advantage and how the war crippled the Nationalists and laid the foundation for the Chinese Communist victory in 1949.

In this episode we examine the start of the Chinese Civil War between the Nationalists and The Chinese Communist Party. We also examine the rise of the two faction leaders Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek. We review the exile of the Chinese Communists to the wilderness of Yan'an and the Nanjing Decade of Nationalist control of China.

In this episode we will be examining the events leading up to the Chinese Civil War. The decline of the Qing Empire and China's century of Humiliation. We explore the reasons why China declined as the leading power in the world and the political instability to led to the creation of both the Nationalist Party and the Chinese Communist Party.

In this episode were going to examine how the actual occupation of Japan unfolded versus how it was planned by the Americans and anticipated by the Japanese. We examine how the US ran Japan and established a new Japanese government. The rise of PanPan culture in post war Japan and the state of life in early post war Japan.

In this episode the factors that influenced the thinking around the American occupation of Japan, the plan around the occupation and the lead up to the occupation. Looking at the events that unfolded before the Americans arrived and the opening ceremonies of the Occupation. We also look at both American and Japanese concerns in the build up to the occupation and the state of Japan socially, politically and economically at the start of the occupation.

In this episode we examine the events leading up to the occupation of Japan. We review the forces which created Imperial Japan and the forces which led to its down fall in world war II.

Joes Segal, Chief Curator of the Wende Museum, joins Jeff to discuss the Wende Museum and Joes own historical work which focuses on art and culture and he provides many interesting insights on art during the Cold War. Join us for this fascinating look into cultural aspects of the Cold War. The Wende Museum, located in Los Angeles, centers around preserving Cold War art, culture, and history from the Soviet Bloc countries and is considered a must see for any Cold War fan visiting Southern California. Wende Museum: www.wendemuseum.org

In this episode we are going to cover the growth of the mob's power and influence in the American economy and politics despite the end of prohibition and the Great Depression. We will look at efforts by law enforcement and politicians to contain the mob and the Mafia's growing and often complex relationship with the government during the period of the Cold War.

In this episode we explore the origins of the American mafia and its influence on American politics in the early 20th century. We examine how immigration, prohibition and events in Europe led to the rise of American organized crime and how the Italian Mafia came to dominate the American underworld.

Arne Westad, ST Lee Professor of US-Asia Relations at Harvard University, joins Jeff to discuss his new book The Cold War: A World History and weighing in on important questions surrounding the cold war. Join us for a discussion with one of the pre-eminent scholars of the Cold War and a great influence for the founding of this show.

In this episode we explore the complex cut throat politics of the Soviet Union and Beria's subsequent rise and fall from power. We explore his early life and his role in Soviet politics. His role in World War II and his influence on the Cold War and the Soviet Union along with his personal life.

In this episode we examine the life of J. Edgar Hoover and his subsequent rise and fall in American politics. We look at the questions surrounding his sexuality. We examine the rumors around his racial background, was Hoover part black? We also explore his ties to the Mob and why he claimed that the Mafia was a hoax.

In this episode we examine the origins of the FBI and the rise of J Edgar Hoover in American politics. We will also look at how the Cold War started for the FBI in 1917 and continued into the inter-war years. Finally, we chart the rise of the surveillance state in the United States and how Hoover helped to stoke the flames of the Second Red Scare.

In this episode we explore the origins of the NSA in the early Cold War. When did the US start to monitor Soviet communications Traffic ? Learn about Signals Intelligence's complex relation with US democratic institutions and how work on breaking soviet codes influenced the development of the computer.

Join us as we explore the origins of the CIA and its influence on the early Cold War. How was the CIA different from MI6 or the KGB ? Learn how Washington Politics influenced the structure and growth of the CIA. Finally learn about the early clandestine missions of the CIA in the early years of the Cold War.

In this episode we examine the creation of the IMF and World Bank. Why were these institutions formed ? How did these institutions shape the post Cold War World ? What was the Bretton woods system and how did it effect the world economy in the first half of the Cold War ?

Join us in for our first interview with Daniele Bolelli host of the History on Fire Podcast. We talk a little about what's new with the History on Fire and get Daniele's views on the Cold War. We talk about the ideology of the period. His experience growing up in Italy during the Cold War and his views on some of the big debates in the Cold War community. Check out History on Fire at http://historyonfirepodcast.com/

In this episode we examine the founding of the United Nations and its role in the early Cold War. How did the League of Nations and World War II shape the UN ? Learn how the Soviet Union got three votes in the general assembly whereas other nations were limited to one. Moreover, we examine the thoughts behind why the UN is structured the way it is. Why do only five nations have Vetoes ? Why are some nations treated different from others ? Why is the UN almost helpless in stopping Civil wars and atrocities ?

In this episode we examine the First Arab-Israeli war in the context of the Cold War. How did an Israel so outnumbered achieve victory? What was the Soviet Union's role in the war? How did the war effect the Cold War?

In this episode we examine the early Cold War in the Middle East from a general perspective and examine the first Crisis in the Middle East the Iran Crisis. Learn about the politics of the region ? How did the US become involved in the region and how were the nations in the region influenced by the early Cold War?

In this episode we discuss the infamous Soviet Gulag system. Did they serve a useful purpose? How harsh were the conditions? Why did they form in the first place? How do the Gulags compare to modern prison systems? We will answer these questions and more.

In this episode we examine the Soviet Empire during the early Cold War. What was the politics of the early Cold War ? What was happening in Eastern Europe and what was the Soviet Perspective of the early Cold War.

Join us this episode as we take a closer examination of Ho Chin Minh and General Võ Nguyên Giáp early lives leading up to the First Indo-China War. We look at Ho's early life overseas and his rise to power in the communist party and how he subsequently lost influence. Learn why Giap hated the French and his early life as a revolutionary.

In this episode the war in Indo-China intensifies. A new French general arrives to take command and the fighting escalates. What really happened at Dien Bien Phu ? How close did the Americans come to using atomic bombs to save the French and how did the French ultimately lose the war ?

In this episode we examine the first part of the struggle for Vietnamese Independence. What was France's strategy in the post war to recolonize Indo-China. How did Britain play a role in starting the Vietnam war ? How did America come to aid the French in this struggle and become involved in Vietnam ?

In this episode we examine the late French Empire and its place in the Cold War and the growing decolonization movement . What was France's plan for its empire in the post war world ? How did issues in domestic French politics affect the empire and wider Cold War ? What happened with France's minor holdings in Morocco, Madagascar and Tunisia ? Learn all this more !

In this episode we examine the controversial book Road to Serfdom. Who was Hayek and what was the book Road to Serfdom all about ? How was the work viewed in the early cold war and how would it go on to effect the late Cold War ?

Join us as we examine the second half of the Malaya Emergency 1952-1960. The Malayan Emergency is a forgotten chapter in the Cold War often overshadowed by The French Defeat in Indo-China and the Korean war. Its also a chapter in the Cold War where the United States and the Soviet Union played little or no role. So how did the British achieve victory in Malaya ? Why Couldn't the MCP achieve victory ?

In this episode we examine the early Malayan emergency. What did the emergency mean for the wider cold war?

In this episode we explore the first clash between India and Pakistan in the mountains of Kashmir. What was so important about this region and why did India and Pakistan fight a war over it ? How did the Kashmir conflict become involved in the wider Cold War and how did the conflict shape the future of both nations and the wider region? Learn all this and more !

In this episode we examine the Indian movement for independence, the decline of the British Raj and early Cold War India and Pakistan. Why couldn't Britain retain control of India, why didn't India a strong democratic nation become an American ally in the Cold War. Finally, how and why did Pakistan become an ally of the United States? Learn all this and more!

In this episode we examine our first cultural artifact from the Cold War the novel 1984. We will look at connections between 1984 and the Cold War. Who was George Orwell and what inspired him to write 1984 ? What are the similarities between Orwell's 1984 and what happened in the Cold War ? Moreover, we examine the how this novel written in the Cold War influences us today.

In this episode British Intelligence in the early Cold War. What was happening beyond the Cambridge five ? What were Britain's objectives vs the United States?

Join us as we examine the late British Empire in the Cold War. What was Britain's position in the early Cold War? How did the British Empire try to stay relevant in the early Cold War? Did the Cold War ultimately hurt or help the British Empire ?

Join us as we examine the the decline and fall of the Dutch East Indies and the Rise of Indonesia. How did small Holland come to rule a large island chain on the other side of the world ? Why did the Dutch East Indies fall and why didn't Communism spread to Indonesia like in Korea and Vietnam ? Learn all this and more!

How did Europe come to dominate the world? Why did Europe global dominance end ? How did the process of decolonization tie into the Cold War ?

Join us as we examine the early history of East and West Germany. Why was Germany divided after the second World War? Why Couldn't the Allies and Soviets come to an agreement about Germany ? Why did Germany become a central front in the Cold War ?

Join us as we examine the Cold War in Scandinavia. Why didn't Finland join the Warsaw Pack ? Was Sweden a truly neutral state or a NATO satellite ? Were US nuclear arms secretly stored in Iceland and Greenland ?

Join us this episode as we examine the Cambridge spy ring. Who were the Cambridge five ? Why did they betray their country and social class ? What was their impact on the early Cold War ? Learn all this and more!

In this episode we learn about the origins of the Soviet atomic bomb. How much did Soviet espionage help in building the Soviet atomic industry ? Why didn't Germany produce an atomic bomb in world War II ? How did Soviet development of the atomic bomb change the course of the Cold War ? Learn this and more in our latest episode!

In this episode learn about the origins of the KGB. How did the Soviets develop so many spies and sources ? who were the spies in the Roosevelt administration ? How did the Soviets steal the A-bomb ?

Join us as we explorer the origins of NATO and its early years. Why did nations such as Norway and Germany want to join NATO ? What were NATO's early war plans and what was its stance around nuclear weapons ? What were the early political challenges that NATO faced and how has this shaped the current alliance ? Learn all this and more in our latest episode

In this episode we will look at early leaders of the cold war. Who were they and what made them tick: Tito and Bevin.

This episode we examine the lives of two of the most influential bureaucrats of the early Cold War Molotov Soviet Foreign Minister and James Forestall the first US secretary of defense. We will examine their meteoric rises to power in the 1920s and 1930s and their subsequent falls from power in the late 1940s. Including Forestalls controversial descent into madness and suicide.

In this episode were going to examine what was going with the Democrats and their convention. We will look at the rise of the dixiecrats in the South as a fourth party. The election itself and the aftermath…what happened to all these characters ? We will also talk about how the election affected the United States and the wider Cold War.

In this episode we will be examining the Southern reaction to Truman's Civil rights program, we will look at the Progressive party and what went wrong and why did it fail to attract more Americans? We will also take a closer examination of the Republican party and their primary election

In this episode we will be exploring the 1948 election. What were the issues? who were the players? What were the American politics of the period and how would all of this affect the Cold War? And What are the Similarities and differences between today and 1948?

Join us for part two of the Berlin Airlift. Learn about the logistics of the airlift and the politics involved. Find out who opposed the airlift and why? What was the happening in the city at this point? Finally, we review how the airlift affected the Cold War and do some counterfactual history talking about what the Soviets could have done different.

Join as we explore Berlin in post 1945 and how and why the Berlin blockade started ? Why did the Soviets blockade the city and what did they hope to achieve ? Find out this and more!

Join us in this episode as we examine a rarely looked at aspect of the Cold War, the cold war perspective from the perspective of Mediterranean. In this episode we will look at Albania, Greece, and Turkey. Why did Albania want to side with Stalin over Tito? Why did Greece not fall in the communist sphere of influence? How did Turkey come to be part of NATO? We explore that those topics and many others in this episode.