Generated by All in One SEO Pro v5.0.1.1, this is an llms.txt file, used by LLMs to index the site. # Cold War Studies Before, During, and After the Cold War ## Sitemaps - [XML Sitemap](https://coldwarstudies.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website. ## Posts - [The Scary Cold War: 1950s Science Fiction Films](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/09/14/the-scary-cold-war-1950s-science-fiction-films/) - Sci Fi films of the 1950s often reflect the prevailing fears, anxieties, and political tensions, those related to the Cold War and the fear of communism. - [WITCH HUNTS](https://coldwarstudies.com/2019/02/07/witch-hunts/) - Have you watched the movie Trumbo? If you haven’t, stop reading now and start streaming. The film tells the story of Dalton Trumbo, a Hollywood screenwriter. In 1947, Trumbo is at the top of the heap. His lot in life changes suddenly, though, when he is called to testify before the US Congress. Specifically, he - [Commie Mummies](https://coldwarstudies.com/2021/10/20/commie-mummies/) - What happens to a Communist leader when they die? They’re mummified of course. What does that entail? Well, it’s been the stuff of Halloween Stories for hundreds of years. According to Wikipedia, a mummy is a deceased human or an animal whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to - [The Art of Disguise: "How To" Tips from the CIA and 11 Spy Films](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/09/24/the-art-of-disguise-how-to-tips-from-the-cia-and-11-spy-films/) - All about disguises: types of disguises; hints for flawless disguises; how to hide your nationality; 11 examples of disguises from TV and movies, both good/bad - [Watch Eight Horror Films from the 1970s](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/10/29/watch-eight-horror-films-from-the-1970s/) - It's time to celebrate Halloween, so here are eight horror films, all from the 1970s. The last film is, arguably, from the Italian horror genre, Giallo. Enjoy! - [A RED SCARE HALLOWEEN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2021/10/28/cold-war10-randomly-selected-red-scare-movies-for-holiday-gift-giving/) - Cold War Studies has come up with a list of 10 Red Scare films for your Halloween viewing. To purchase from Amazon, just click on each movie title. To view trailers for most of the movies go the Cold War Studies You Tube Channel. In no particular order, the Red Scare films are: THE RED - [The Consumerist World Cup: From National Event to Global Media Spectacle](https://coldwarstudies.com/2026/05/29/the-comsumerist-world-cup-from-national-event-to-global-media-spectacle/) - Before the 1950s, soccer tournaments were locally financed. Now the World Cup is a commercially lucrative global media spectacle, a huge advertising platform. - [Chile: Stadium as Prison](https://coldwarstudies.com/2026/07/22/chile-stadium-as-prison/) - A stadium built for the 1962 FIFA World Cup, hosted by Chile, is transformed into a detention center 11 years later after a military coup ousts Pres. Allende. - [Cold War Spying Year by Year: 1962](https://coldwarstudies.com/2026/07/06/cold-war-spying-year-by-year-1962/) - 1962 was one of the most dangerous years of the Cold War, and espionage was central to almost every major international crisis. Intelligence agencies were not simply gathering information—they were shaping policy, conducting sabotage, running double agents, stealing technology, and preparing for nuclear war. Here are some of the year’s major events. The Cuban Missile - [The Secret World Cup: Argentina 1978](https://coldwarstudies.com/2026/06/17/the-secret-world-cup-argentina-1978/) - Argentina 1978 is not just about soccer. It’s also about how authoritarian governments use sports to shape international opinion and project legitimacy. - [The Cold War on the Frontier: How Early Cold War Westerns Taught and Questioned American Values](https://coldwarstudies.com/2026/06/11/the-cold-war-on-the-frontier-how-early-cold-war-westerns-taught-and-questioned-american-values/) - 1950s Westerns helped define what Americans believed they were defending against communism. Some taught Cold War values. Others reflected Cold War anxieties. - [South Africa, Mexico, and the Changing World Cup](https://coldwarstudies.com/2026/06/05/south-africa-mexico-and-the-changing-world-cup/) - The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off soon with a battle between two previous hosts, Mexico and South Africa. The Cold War impacted each team's participation. - [COLD WAR STUDIES: FOOTBALL WORLDCUP 2010](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/06/18/football-worldcup-2010/) - GROUP B: THROUGH A COLD WAR LENS Group B teams include Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, and Greece. Stats and team info are courtesy of ESPN. ARGENTINA Nickname: LA ALBACELESTE (White and Blue Sky) Appearance: 15th Record: W 33/ D 13/ L 19 Best Performance: Winners in '78, '86 Group Stage Schedule: June 12 vs. Nigeria- - [COLD WAR CULTURAL TERRORISM, AND THE 2014 WORLD CUP](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/05/31/cold-war-urbanization-cultural-terrorism-and-the-2014-world-cup/) - In the context of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, urbanization matters. In today's globalized environment, urbanization -- and its timing -- is critically important. Many of today's cities came of age during the second half of the 20th century when urban change worldwide was dictated, in large part, by Cold War associated needs and demands. - [COLD WAR STUDIES: SOUTH AFRICA WORLD CUP SOCCER](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/06/16/south-africa-world-cup-soccer/) - GROUP A: THROUGH A COLD WAR LENS World Cup Fever is here!! Since you can't get away from it, I thought it might be fun to look at the South Africa World Cup Qualifiers through a Cold War lens. Who are they and what role did they play in the half century Cold War conflict? - [COLD WAR STUDIES: WORLD CUP OF SOCCER](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/06/19/world-cup-of-soccer/) - WORLD CUP OF SOCCER GROUP C: THROUGH A COLD WAR LENS Group C teams include England, Algeria, USA, and Slovenia. Stats and team info are courtesy of ESPN. England Nickname: THE THREE LIONS Appearance: 13th Record: W 25/ D 17/ L 13 Best Performance: Winners in '66 Group Stage Schedule: June 12 vs. USA- Draw - [COLD WAR STUDIES: THE WORLD CUP SOCCER](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/06/21/the-world-cup-soccer/) - WORLD CUP OF SOCCER GROUP D: THROUGH A COLD WAR LENS The World Cup Soccer Group D teams include Germany, Australia, Serbia, and Ghana. Stats and team info are courtesy of ESPN. Germany Nickname: DIE MANNSCHAFT (The Term) Appearance: 17th Record: W 55/ D 19/ L 18 Best Performance: Winners in '54, '74, '90 Group - [COLD WAR STUDIES: FIFA SOCCER WORLD CUP GROUP E](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/06/22/fifa-world-cup-group-e-the-cold-war/) - WORLD CUP OF SOCCER GROUP E: THROUGH A COLD WAR LENS Group E teams include Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, and Cameroon. Stats and team info are courtesy of ESPN. Netherlands Nickname: THE FLYING DUTCHMEN Appearance: 9th Record: W 16/ D 10/ L 10 Best Performance: Runner-Up in '74, '78 Group Stage Schedule: June 14 vs. Denmark - [COLD WAR STUDIES AND FIFA SOCCER WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS: GROUP F](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/06/23/fifa-soccer-world-cup-qualifiers-group-f-and-the-cold-war/) - WORLD CUP OF SOCCER GROUP F: THROUGH A COLD WAR LENS Group F teams include Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, and Slovakia. Stats and team info are courtesy of ESPN. Italy Nickname: GLI AZZURRI (The Blues) Appearance: 17th Record: W 44/ D 19/ L 14 Best Performance: Winners in '34, '38, '82, '06 Group Stage Schedule: - [COLD WAR IMPACT ON FIFA WORLD CUP SOCCER GROUP G](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/06/24/cold-war-impact-on-fifa-world-cup-soccer-group-g/) - WORLD CUP OF SOCCER GROUP G: THROUGH A COLD WAR LENS Group G teams include Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast, and Portugal. Stats and team info are courtesy of ESPN. Brazil Nickname: CANARINHO (Little Canary) Appearance: 19th Record: W 64/ D 14/ L 14 Best Performance: Winners in '58, '62, '70, '94, '02 Group Stage - [THE COLD WAR AND GROUP H QUALIFIERS: FIFA SOCCER WORLD CUP 2010](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/06/25/group-h/) - WORLD CUP OF SOCCER GROUP H: THROUGH A COLD WAR LENS Group H teams include Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, and Chile. Stats and team info are courtesy of ESPN. Spain Nickname: LA FURIA ROTA (The Red Fury) Appearance: 13th Record: W 22/ D 12/ L 15 Best Performance: Fourth Place in '50 Group Stage Schedule: June - [COLD WAR SOCCER: BRAZIL 2014](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/06/11/cold-war-soccer-brazil-2010/) - GROUP A: THROUGH A COLD WAR LENS World Cup Fever is here!! Since you can't get away from it, I thought it might be fun to look at the Brazil World Cup Qualifiers through a Cold War lens. Who are the teams and what role did they play in the half century Cold War conflict? Let's - [Cold War America: Coups Bolster a National Security State](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/01/19/cold-war-america-a-national-security-state/) - America's policymakers assumed that the invasion of Korea foreshadowed Communist action elsewhere. Consequently, the United States militarized its foreign policy, an action that was provocative to the Soviets. The United States was evolving into a national security state, characterized by such activities as the introduction of loyalty programs designed to ferret out security risks in - [Iran and Israel: Cold War Frenemies?](https://coldwarstudies.com/2025/05/13/iran-and-israel-cold-war-frenemies/) - (This post relies heavily on information presented in Chapter Two of Trita Parsi's book Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States. You can find more information about the book on Amazon. Just click here.) To understand the relationship between Iran and Israel during the Cold War, it’s necessary to know - [GAMING COLD WAR IRAN: MOSADDEGH, KASHANI, AND IRANIAN OIL](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/03/10/gaming-cold-war-iran-mosaddegh-kashani-and-iranian-oil/) - A major question -- especially relevant in the context of today's "Arab Spring" -- concerns the oil crisis of the 1950s and the extent to which Iran's internal debate over the nationalization of oil reflects democracy at work. Most accounts of the period center on the importance of Mosaddegh and his legacy. However, the role - [Lebanon 101: 3 Movies, 4 Episodes, 1 Book](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/10/08/lebanon-101-3-movies-4-episodes-1-book/) - Want a quick introduction to Lebanon? Watch three movies and a four episode Showtime thriller, then read an intriguing non fiction book that reads like a novel. - [Eisenhower’s Warning in 8 Films: From the Cold War to Modern Conflict](https://coldwarstudies.com/2026/04/09/eisenhowers-warning-in-8-films-from-the-cold-war-to-modern-conflict/) - Eight films trace the role of Eisenhower's military-industrial complex, from its Cold War origins to the contemporary dynamics visible in the Iran conflict. - [War and Cultural Heritage: Why Damage in Isfahan Matters](https://coldwarstudies.com/2026/03/12/war-and-cultural-heritage-why-damage-in-isfahan-matters/) - Recent airstrikes have damaged historically significant, UNESCO-listed sites in Isfahan, Iran, including the Shah Mosque (Imam Mosque) and Ali Qapu. Palace. - [Venezuela: Politics, Oil, Cuba, Drugs & Power — Timeline with Films](https://coldwarstudies.com/2026/01/06/venezuela-politics-oil-cuba-drugs-power-timeline-with-films/) - A selected timeline with film recommendations focused on Venezuela's journey from democracy to dictatorship. Includes oil, Cuba, drug trafficking, and partners. - [1973 Arab Oil Embargo: Can It Happen Again?](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/11/09/1973-arab-oil-embargo-can-it-happen-again/) - Note: This was originally published in November 2023 when Israel was at war with Hamas. For a 2026 update, just turn on your favorite news channel. Could it happen again? In 1973, three crises came together to impel what became known as the Arab Oil Embargo. One crisis was political, centering on Richard Nixon, the - [COLD WAR ARGENTINA: THE DIRTY WAR](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/03/15/cold-war-argentina-the-dirty-war/) - The early Cold War years in Argentina were dominated by the personalities of the wildly popular Juan Perón and his wife, the lovely and seductive Eva, known as Evita. The couple's followers praised their efforts to eliminate poverty and dignify labor, while their detractors accused them of dictatorship. Perón's first term as president lasted from 1946-1952. - [COLD WAR CHILE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/04/10/cold-war-chile/) - The Cold War ravaged countries not prone to insurgency or dictatorship. Chile is the best example of all because no other Latin American country could match Chile’s record of constitutional government. For years, Chile’s democracy had negotiated major ideological differences. The Chilean Communist Party was one of the oldest and strongest in the Western Hemisphere. - [The Eisenhower Matrix](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/04/16/the-eisenhower-matrix/) - Ever wonder how President Eisenhower made time for his hobbies? Recently I was doing some research when I came across a tool called the Eisenhower Matrix. It piqued my curiosity because I remember reading all sorts of stories that criticize Ike for goofing off during his presidency. "[Eisenhower] invented the 36-hole work week," one cynic - [8 Robin Hood Movies from the Cold War Era and the Red Scare Panic That Tried to Ban Him](https://coldwarstudies.com/2025/11/19/8-robin-hood-movies-from-the-cold-war-era-and-the-red-scare-panic-that-tried-to-ban-him/) - Discover the 1953 Red Scare claim that Robin Hood was a communist and explore 8 Cold War–era films that reveal how the world really saw him. - [A Different Cold War: 1953-1955](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/04/09/a-different-cold-war-1953-1955/) - As European colonial rule and conservative monarchies began crumbling, America stressed its opposition to revolution and nationalist uprisings. This despite the fact that US President Eisenhower and Secretary of State Dulles understood and sympathized with much of the new nationalism and wanted the 'old' colonial powers out of the way. Ike felt that if colonial - [Iran 1953: Oil, Democracy, and the CIA](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/01/11/iran-1953-oil-democracy-and-the-cia/) - According to Foreign Policy, the ouster of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq is the earliest Cold War coup involvement that the US government has acknowledged. Mosaddeq, known affectionately as ‘the grand old man,’ took office as Prime Minister of Iran in 1951 and promptly led a movement to nationalize the British controlled Iranian oil industry. - [It's Now Ruz: Celebrate The White Balloon and Iran's Film Industry](https://coldwarstudies.com/2025/03/20/its-now-ruz-celebrate-the-white-balloon-and-irans-film-industry/) - The Iranian celebration of Nowruz starts at the precise moment that spring begins. Watch the movie The White Balloon to get an idea of the celebration. - [COLD WAR IRAN: 1945 -1949](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/02/09/cold-war-iran-1945-1959/) - As World War II ended, Iran's problems intensified. While the last American troops left the country on January 1, 1946, and Britain announced that it would meet a March 1 deadline, Moscow refused to withdraw its forces. Instead, the Soviets vowed continued support for a separatist movement in the northern province of Azerbaijan, establishing a - [THE WHITE REVOLUTION IN IRAN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/05/30/the-white-revolution-in-iran/) - The White Revolution In January 1963, the Shah of Iran held a national referendum to obtain approval for his total program which was known as the White Revolution or the Revolution of the Shah and the People. His policy agenda was designed to achieve the following six goals: land reform (see Iran 1960: Kennedy Pushes - [Democratization in Post Revolutionary Iran](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/05/03/democratization-in-post-revolutionary-iran/) - Demands for democratization inherent in some aspects of the revolutionary process have, until recently, gone largely unaddressed. The formation of political parties was not precluded by Iran's 1979 constitution which in Article 26 provides that the formation of parties, societies, political or professional associations, as well as religious societies, whether Islamic or pertaining to - [Toys For The Atomic Age](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/12/13/toys-for-the-atomic-age/) - Not all boys’ toys had to do with cowboys, astronauts, and soldiers. A large group of playthings were designed to prepare boys to fight the wars of the future -- the wars of the nuclear age. According to Ann Marie Kordas in her book The Politics of Childhood in Cold War America: Most of the atomic-themed - [Boys' Toys](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/12/16/boys-toys/) - While girls were busy learning about fashion from Barbie, running their faux 'real' vacuum cleaners, and decorating their doll houses, boys were learning not to be “sissies.” No Sissies Allowed Spurred on by an article in a 1950 issue of Better Homes and Gardens titled “Are We Staking Our Future On A Crop of Sissies?," toy manufacturers - [Girls And Their Toys: Just Like Mom](https://coldwarstudies.com/2020/12/21/girls-and-their-toys-just-like-mom/) - Still looking for Christmas presents? Maybe you can get some toy ideas for girls from the Cold War! According to American Cold War ideology, homemakers in the United States were a bulwark against communism, fortifying the family social unit that was basic to a democratic society. In contrast, in the Soviet Union, communism drove women - [SPACE AGE KITSCH: THE EVERGLEAM CHRISTMAS TREE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2021/12/14/space-age-kitsch-the-evergleam-christmas-tree/) - 10 Things You’ll Want to Know About the Evergleam Christmas Tree One: The Evergleam aluminum tree gained in popularity right in the middle of the Space Age craze which began on October 4, 1957. This was the day that the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world's first artificial satellite, which, coincidentally, was made of aluminum. - [COLD WAR 1960: HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM FIDEL CASTRO](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/01/04/cold-war-1960-happy-new-year-to-the-people-of-the-united-states-from-fidel-castro/) - On January 4, 1960, Fidel Castro appeared in an interview on NBC's Today Show. At that time, his relationship with the United States was still cordial. A transcript of the interview is provided below courtesy of Nelson Valdes and Cuba-L archives. The interview has been translated from an article printed in Spanish in Havana's El Mundo newspaper. - [It's a Wonderful Life: Communist Propaganda?](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/12/22/its-a-wonderful-life-communist-propaganda/) - The Frank Capra film It’s a Wonderful Life is synonymous with Christmas – at least to some. But did you know that an FBI agent left the movie’s preview claiming that it was communist propaganda? In case you’re not familiar with the story, It’s the tale of George Bailey, a down-on-his-luck businessman in the fictional - [AFTER THE COLD WAR: 18 GOOD BOOKS ABOUT OIL](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/07/20/after-the-cold-war-18-good-books-about-oil/) - In the wake of the Arab spring, there's been a lot of talk about the changing balance of power among the Middle East's major oil producers. Conversation has centered, especially, on the role of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Analysts report that Saudi Arabia came to the OPEC ministerial - [The Pilgrims: A Cold War Take](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/11/20/the-pilgrims-a-cold-war-take/) - I am a Cold War baby, born into a contentious and argumentative Irish-American family. Holidays and Sundays always found someone storming away from the dinner table. But there were certain things we didn’t fight about -- like Santa Claus and the Pilgrims. I thought they were sacred. But I learned something today when I came - [Everyone Loves a Parade: A Cold War Tradition](https://coldwarstudies.com/2021/11/22/everyone-loves-a-parade/) - Everyone loves a parade, especially a holiday parade! That’s why nothing -- not even the Cold War -- could dampen the excitement surrounding New York City’s famous Thanksgiving Day Parade. Sponsored by Macy’s Department Store, it’s been a major New York City event for almost 100 years! A Brief History The Macy’s Christmas Parade kicked - [The Cranberry Scare of 1959](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/11/14/the-cranberry-scare-of-1959/) - Right before Thanksgiving in 1959 the United States was hit with a different kind of Red Scare. Primed for panic and paranoia by Senator Joseph McCarthy’s red baiting taunts, Americans reacted anxiously when told that the cranberries they expected to serve with their Thanksgiving turkeys might be contaminated by a chemical weed killer known to - [The Meaning of Thanksgiving](https://coldwarstudies.com/2021/11/16/the-meaning-of-thanksgiving/) - Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) Looking back, it’s easy to see that American communists were not the danger. There was never going to be a United Soviet States of America. But by the late 1940s, the Soviet threat itself was very real. The fear of the Soviets, and especially the fear of Soviet nuclear bombs, shaped - [A Cold War Thanksgiving](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/11/22/a-cold-war-thanksgiving/) - COLD WAR STUDIES is proud to bring you in-depth articles on Cold War history, culture, and politics. This month we’re giving thanks with our White Paper titled A COLD WAR THANKSGIVING. Maybe you’re one of the ones who wonder about “The Meaning of Thanksgiving.” If so, this White Paper is perfect for you. Our articles talk about the topic - [9 Must Watch Heist/Theft Films of the Cold War](https://coldwarstudies.com/2025/10/21/9-heist-theft-films-of-the-cold-war/) - During the Cold War, heists and forgeries appeared not only in real life but also on screen, reflecting a preoccupation with secrecy, surveillance, and value. - [The Cold War's War of Words](https://coldwarstudies.com/2019/10/15/the-cold-wars-war-of-words/) - Balloons Over Poland Between February and May 1955, a group secretly funded by the Central Intelligence Agency inflated ten-foot balloons and armed them each with thirty CIA made copies of George Orwell’s Animal Farm. The balloons were scheduled to drop their contents in Poland, deep behind the Iron Curtain. As Duncan White relates in his - [October Surprise](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/10/06/october-surprise/) - It’s the first week in October and everyone seems to be talking about an October Surprise. Will Russia use tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine? Will Trump’s ongoing legal issues come to a head before the midterm elections? Will he be indicted or will he announce that he is running for president in 2024? Will Herschel - [Remember the Cuban Missile Crisis: October 16-29, 1962](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/10/22/remember-the-cuban-missile-crisis-october-16-29-1962/) - This October is the sixty-second anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and today, October 22, marks the anniversary of Kennedy’s televised address to the nation, announcing that US spy planes have discovered Soviet missile bases in Cuba. (You can watch the uncut speech below.) These missile sites—under construction but nearing completion—housed medium-range missiles capable of - [The Beat Generation: Voices of Rebellion and Freedom in Cold War America](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/08/02/the-beat-generation-voices-of-rebellion-and-freedom-in-cold-war-america/) - In today’s world, it’s commonplace to hear someone say “take a beat” in ordinary conversation. But in the 1950s – the early years of the Cold War – the word BEAT was used quite differently. Then it referred to a literary movement, an individual who was a nonconformist, even a generation. The Beat Movement is - [Cold War Literary Movements](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/09/21/cold-war-literary-movements/) - Cold War Literary Movements - A Post Written (mostly) by Chat GPT Here are some notable literary movements that emerged or gained prominence during the Cold War. They reflect the diverse cultural and ideological landscape of the era. Beat Generation: The Beat movement, with writers like Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs, emerged - [American Film Noir: 5 Classic Movies You Must See](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/06/13/american-film-noir-5-classic-movies-you-must-see/) - If it's dark,brooding, shot in black and white, with US-Soviet tension or stories about the Red Scare, it's almost certainly American film noir. - [It's Autumn in New York: Here are 8 Cold War Spy Sites to Explore](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/10/01/its-autumn-in-new-york-here-are-8-cold-war-spy-sites-to-explore/) - Here are eight Cold War Spy Spots close to Midtown Manhattan. During the Cold War, the Soviets packed NYC with KGB and GRU officers. UN missions were covers. - [The Red Scare Roots of Today's Culture Wars](https://coldwarstudies.com/2025/04/10/the-red-scare-roots-of-todays-culture-wars/) - A new book, Red Scare by Clay Risen, argues that the roots of today's divisions can be found in the Red Scare (1940s-1950s) and two diverse ideas of America. - [11 Things to Know About the CIA Book Program](https://coldwarstudies.com/2025/09/11/11-things-to-know-about-the-cia-book-program/) - During the Cold War, books like 1984, Animal Farm, and Doctor Zhivago were banned in Eastern Europe and the USSR and smuggled into those countries by the CIA. - [COLD WAR FASHION: THE EARLY YEARS (1950s - 1960s)](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/02/22/cold-war-fashion-the-early-years-1950s-1960s/) - During the Cold War, Western fashion - from the bikini to the spacesuit - reflected fear of communist infiltration, alien invasion, spies, and the Space Age. - [The 1970s Roller Disco: Perfect for a Throwback Summer!](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/08/11/the-1970s-roller-disco-perfect-for-a-throwback-summer/) - Staying home this summer? Not ready for a Cold War Road Trip and not interested in the Berlin Wall Trail Virtual Challenge? Well, no worries, you can still have a lot of fun. Think about a Retro/Throwback Summer, specifically a look back at roller disco from the 1970s. Why the 70s? It’s been argued that - [Noir, Espionage and Resistance: 15 Films and an Honorable Mention](https://coldwarstudies.com/2025/07/29/noir-espionage-and-resistance-15-films-and-an-honorable-mention/) - Stories of the underground resistance movement in various wars have long been popular. Here are 16 films, mostly about resistance to Axis forces during WW II. - [Fifth Column Films and Converts to the Allies](https://coldwarstudies.com/2025/08/19/fifth-column-films-and-converts-to-the-allies/) - In these early spy movies, the "fifth column" refers to a group of people secretly working from within a country to undermine its defense and support an enemy. - [8 Films Featuring Bad Spies](https://coldwarstudies.com/2025/07/08/8-films-featuring-bad-spies/) - Curious about ‘Bad Spies?' Here are 8 Early Espionage/Spy Noir films that focus on wartime enemies and sexual stereotypes. World War II evildoers abound. - [10 Films About Good Spies: Early Espionage](https://coldwarstudies.com/2025/07/01/10-films-about-good-spies-early-espionage/) - A good spy is usually a trained government agent from either the US or Great Britain. - [Join Us for an Early Espionage/Spy Noir Summer](https://coldwarstudies.com/2025/06/26/join-us-for-an-early-espionage-spy-noir-summer/) - Join us this summer for a 2-month-long deep dive into Early Espionage/Spy Noir. We’ll begin on Tuesday, July 2, 2025,with an emphasis on Good Spies. - [Beware the Femme Fatale!](https://coldwarstudies.com/2025/03/27/beware-the-femme-fatale/) - Since March is Women’s History Month, I want to focus on one of the character types that classic noir and the spy genre share: the seductive femme fatale. - [Cold War Summer Reading Bucket List Challenge](https://coldwarstudies.com/2025/06/10/cold-war-summer-reading-bucket-list-challenge/) - Love to spend the summer reading? If you start Cold War's Summer Reading Challenge today, you have eleven weeks to read five books, chosen from ten categories. - [CULTURAL COLD WAR](https://coldwarstudies.com/2015/04/14/cultural-cold-war/) - I’m sure that most of you know that the Cold War involved more than proxy wars and revolutions. It was above all ideological, a rivalry between two very different ways of life, a half century struggle pitting "freedom" against "repression." For many, the conflict was most apparent in what was called the cultural Cold War. But - [From Private Eye to Spy Noir: 8 Book-to-Film Pairings for Your Weekend Watch](https://coldwarstudies.com/2025/05/22/from-private-eye-to-spy-noir-8-book-to-film-pairings-for-your-weekend-watch/) - Fictional detectives—like Mike Hammer, Sam Spade, and others—occupy a space at the cusp of the Cold War. Read. Read and/or watch 8 eight noir-tinged stories. - [Cold War Influences on 1950s Film Fashion](https://coldwarstudies.com/2025/05/06/cold-war-influences-on-1950s-film-fashion/) - In the Cold War, fashion and film became tools for expressing political ideology. Along with spy noir, 10 Fashion Films From the 1950s show Cold War Influences - [COLD WAR CITIES: HAVANA, TAIPEI, AND ISFAHAN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/09/19/cold-war-cities-three-stories-havana-taipei-and-isfahan/) - Havana, 90 miles from the mainland of the United States, was first a client of the US, and later allied with the Soviet Union. Isfahan, located on the periphery of the Soviet Union, received resources from both superpowers. Taipei, strategically located near America's interests in Asia (particularly Japan), was a client of the United States. - [10 Ways to Explore the US Experience in Vietnam: Remembering the Fall of Saigon](https://coldwarstudies.com/2025/04/30/10-ways-to-explore-the-us-experience-in-vietnam-remembering-the-fall-of-saigon/) - America's role in Vietnam ended on April 30, 1975, with the loss of 58,000 US troops and some 3 million Vietnamese. We are still dealing with the legacy. - [Star Trek's Cold War Stories](https://coldwarstudies.com/2025/01/14/star-treks-cold-war-stories/) - Star Trek is a good example of how the Cold War’s 50-year conflict permeated - and often dominated - American pop culture, including widely watched TV shows. - [7 Spy Films that Celebrate Romance the Cold War Way](https://coldwarstudies.com/2025/02/15/7-spy-films-that-celebrate-romance-the-cold-war-way/) - If you want to watch something that combines intrigue and romance, here are seven movies about the Cold War that fit the bill. - [If You Like Noir, You'll Like Espionage: 11 Films from the 1940s-1970s](https://coldwarstudies.com/2025/02/25/if-you-like-noir-youll-like-espionage-11-films-from-the-1940s-1970s/) - Cold War espionage and noir cinema reflect intertwining themes of paranoia, betrayal, and moral ambiguity. Spy films increasingly incorporated noir aesthetics - [It's July: Bikini Days Are Here!](https://coldwarstudies.com/2018/07/18/its-july-bikini-days-are-here/) - Be sure to check out our latest fashion post Cold War Influences on 1950s Film Fashion. Seventy-two years ago this month, on July 5, 1946, French designer Louis Reard unveiled a daring two-piece swimsuit at the Piscine Molitor, a popular swimming pool in Paris. The new fashion, dubbed a “bikini,” was so shocking that the - [The Rise of Fast Fashion: Globalization and Waste](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/09/08/the-rise-of-fast-fashion-globalization-and-waste/) - Be sure to check out our latest fashion post Cold War Influences on 1950s Film Fashion. Now that Labor Day is over, the “fall fashion” season is in full swing. And in today's world, most of that buying will center on "Fast Fashion" -- trendy, inexpensive garments produced in large amounts and manufactured speedily in - [US and Iran: Timeline of Selected Nuclear Events](https://coldwarstudies.com/2018/05/08/us-and-iran-timeline-of-selected-nuclear-events/) - 1953: Eisenhower delivers his Atoms for Peace speech to the UN General Assembly in New York City on December 8. Atoms for Peace is an initiative designed to provide countries with peaceful civilian nuclear technologies. The intent is that this will prevent the pursuit of military nuclear programs. Beneficiaries include Israel, India, Pakistan, and Iran. - [THE RED SCARE IN THE COLD WAR'S EARLY YEARS](https://coldwarstudies.com/2015/12/08/the-red-scare-in-the-cold-wars-early-years/) - 1947: The first issue of the anti-Communist periodical Plain Talk is published under the editorial direction of Isaac Don Levine. It is financed by San Francisco businessman Alfred Kohlberg. A weekly called Counterattack follows shortly, published by the American Business Consultants -- a group founded by a trio of ex-FBI agents, dedicated to uncovering Reds - [THE NEW DEAL, WWII, AND THE RED SCARE (1928-1944): A TIMELINE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/05/22/the-new-deal-wwii-and-the-red-scare-1928-1944-a-timeline/) - American sentiments toward Russia changed during the period encompassing the New Deal and World War II (1928-1944). The nation's feelings were even less balanced after Hitler and Stalin signed their nonaggression pact in the fall of 1939. Still, even though the USSR was now an overt enemy of the US, communism was only occasionally a - [THE FIRST RED SCARE: A TIMELINE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/04/24/the-first-red-scare-a-timeline/) - Known to some as the Red Scare of 1919, the First Red Scare was a precursor to the Red-baiting and witch hunting that occurred in the years following World War II. During this period: People truly believed that Reds were under the bed -- not to mention in the water supply, creeping through the halls - [COLD WAR RED SCARE COLLECTIBLE: HOW TO IDENTIFY AN AMERICAN COMMUNIST (LOOK MAGAZINE 1947)](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/11/26/cold-war-red-scare-collectible-how-to-identify-an-american-communist-look-magazine-1947/) - When it came time for Look magazine to provide its readership with a handy method of identifying Communists, it turned to Renaissance man Leo Cherne (1912-1999). Here is what Leo had to say: (From Look Magazine, March 4, 1947) The real Communist is not a liberal or a progressive. He believes in Russia first and - [COLD WAR IRAN: FERENGI, GUNS, AND BUTTER](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/11/19/cold-war-iran-ferengi-guns-and-butter/) - What's Happening to the 'Hood? While American and Iranian neighborhoods were somewhat segregated in Cold War Isfahan, there was much intermingling. Buses carrying Westerners traveled back and forth through various areas of Isfahan every half hour. Since many Americans took great pride in living off the local economy, the buses traversed the oldest areas of - [After the Coup - George Orwell's Burma](https://coldwarstudies.com/2021/02/09/after-the-coup-george-orwells-burma/) - As you've no doubt heard, Myanmar's military launched a coup to start the month of February 2021, unseating the country's popularly elected government. The country's top civilian leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (known as "The Lady,") is now under house arrest along with other leaders from her party, the National League for Democracy. A - [Iran: Isfahan and the Military Industrial Complex in the 1970s](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/09/23/cold-war-iran-isfahan-and-the-military-industrial-complex-in-the-1970s/) - At the beginning of the 1970s when the earliest groups of Americans began to arrive, Isfahan was a dual city having undergone change throughout the post World War II period. In the north end of the municipality proper, traditional elements remained dominant -- twisting streets, bazaar routes, courtyard houses, mosques, madrasehs, caravanserais, and hammans. In contrast, - [COLD WAR TAIWAN: GLOBAL FLOWS](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/12/03/cold-war-taiwan-global-flows/) - As the various pieces of outward orientation fell into place in the 1960s, Taiwan's economy entered a period of rapid and sustained expansion with exports constituting the main source of growth. No longer were flows unidirectional with Taipei only on the receiving end. Between 1960 and 1977, manufacturing as a share of GDP rose from - [Christmas During the Cold War: A Curated Vision](https://coldwarstudies.com/2019/12/17/christmas-during-the-cold-war-a-curated-vision/) - (All videos courtesy of YouTube. If you have trouble loading just refresh your page.) This Video from British Pathe shows Christmas in America and West Berlin 1963. The original title reads: "'Season Of Giving And Cheer Is Here Again'. American voiceovered newsreel material." The Christmas season is a bright one around the Free World. Shopping - [EGYPT TRANSFERS LOYALTY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE COLD WAR](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/06/10/egypt-transfers-loyalty-from-the-ussr-to-the-us-in-the-middle-of-the-cold-war/) - The Soviets began a thrust in midyear 1970 that deepened their military involvement in Egypt. According to Rodman, they did this by "flying combat air patrols over the Suez Canal and manning the missile batteries against Israeli planes" in the Egyptian-Israeli War of Attrition. The United States, in turn, augmented its arms sales to Israel, - [16 Book Recommendations for 2024](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/12/05/16-book-recommendations-for-2024/) - Holiday books for 2024 come from a variety of sources Many of them are on various lists detailing the ‘best books of 2024’. Some were listed in earlier posts. - [12 Must Have Cookbooks for the Cold War Kitchen](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/11/19/12-must-have-cookbooks-for-the-cold-war-kitchen/) - The American kitchen served fairly bland food at the start of the Cold War, including dishes served at most family Thanksgiving dinners. Times have changed. - [SYRIA TIMELINE: 1915-1970](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/09/10/syria-timeline-1915-1970/) - Syria is in the news. But how much do you really know about that country and its Twentieth Century history? Here's the first part of a Syria Timeline to help you out. 1915-1918: Over 600,000 inhabitants of greater Syria lose their lives during World War I, roughly 18% of the prewar population. September 1918: An - [SYRIA TIMELINE:1971-1985](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/09/17/syria-timeline-1971-1985/) - 1970: Hafiz al-Asad seizes power. He represents the rise of a new rural elite who claim power at the expense of the established urban politicians and merchants. His regime is authoritarian, based on the military and the Ba’ ath Party. Holding absolute power, al-Asad becomes the object of a personality cult. He adopts socialist economic policies and stands - [POST-REVOLUTIONARY IRAN: REDISTRIBUTION AND MILITARISM](https://coldwarstudies.com/2015/03/18/post-revolutionary-iran-redistribution-and-militarism/) - As might be expected, Isfahan changed rapidly as the Americans withdrew and skilled workers migrated to other sections of the country. The many Iranians who had been employed as support staff -- drivers, gardeners, housekeepers, guards -- saw their economic prospects diminish. In addition, many Isfahanis also left Iran. Brain Drain and Redistribution The loss - [COLD WAR AFGHANISTAN: THE SOVIETS IN QUICKSAND](https://coldwarstudies.com/2015/01/19/cold-war-afghanistan-the-soviets-in-quicksand/) - In 1979, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, one of the seminal events in Cold War history. But Afghanistan's problems actually began long before this happening. And the repercussions of the Soviet intervention -- and later American actions -- haunt us today as concerns about terrorism spread. Perhaps a look back will increase our understanding of today's - [Cold War Isfahan 1960 - 1978: A Wrap Up](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/05/10/cold-war-isfahan-1960-1978-a-wrap-up/) - Isfahan was clearly influenced by Cold War forces, particularly during the years 1960 - 1978. As a close ally of the United States, the city's post World War II urban development transpired in the Cold War context. Most decisions regarding the urban environment were independent ones. However, American involvement in two specific events -- covert - [Meet George Smiley: John Le Carre's Spy Extraordinaire](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/04/23/meet-john-le-carres-george-smiley-spy-extraordinaire/) - Have you met George Smiley? In a sense he's an enigma. Just think of the different personas of the actors who have played him over the years. I’m betting that most of you think you know who he is. But do you really? Would you recognize him if you saw him on the street? I - [Cold War Soviet Meddling in US Politics](https://coldwarstudies.com/2018/08/01/cold-war-soviet-meddling-in-us-politics/) - I’ve just finished reading a 2017 policy memo by Mark Kramer, the Director of the Cold War Studies Program at Harvard. In his memo, The Soviet Roots of Meddling in US Politics. he argues that efforts by Russian security services to influence last year’s U.S. presidential campaign in favor of Donald Trump evoked a sense - [Election 2020: Is American Democracy in Danger](https://coldwarstudies.com/2020/02/18/election-2020-is-american-democracy-in-danger/) - Concern It’s election season in the US and more than one of the Democratic primary contenders is touting one form or another of the following: “Our Democracy is in Danger; Our Democracy is at Stake; This Election is About the Future of our Democracy.” I’ve had conversations with family members, close friends, and acquaintances, but - [1948 Election: Political Cartoons and Presidential Campaigns](https://coldwarstudies.com/2020/08/20/1948-election-political-cartoons-and-presidential-campaigns/) - Would you rather read a comic book or a 500 page biography? In 1948, President Truman's campaign answered that question with a 16 page comic book published by the Democratic National Committee. By this time, President Truman was used to the snickering of political cartoonists. They’d made fun of his stance on many controversial issues: - [Cold War Presidents: A July 4th Film Festival](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/07/03/cold-war-presidents-weekend-film-festival/) - Enjoy a film festival this Fourth of July, celebrating movies and documentaries that are either about American Cold War Presidents or that feature them. - [10 Election Movies You'll Want to Watch Now](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/09/10/10-election-movies-youll-want-to-watch-now/) - It's after Labor Day; the 2024 US Presidential Election season is in full swing. here are ten highly rated election movies released in the Cold War (and after). - [Colonialism - Especially Settler Colonialism - is a Hot Topic These Days: Here are Some FAQs](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/03/05/colonialism-especially-settler-colonialism-is-a-hot-topic-these-days-here-are-some-faqs/) - Colonialism - especially settler colonialism - is a hot topic these days. Controversial conversations focusing on the subject have become increasingly common as people struggle to explain the on-going crisis in Gaza. These conversations have been spurred, also, by a new biography of the anticolonial revolutionary Franz Fanon. An Afro-Caribbean psychiatrist and philosopher, Fanon became - [The Middle East in Context: A Cold War Timeline](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/03/28/the-middle-east-in-context-a-cold-war-timeline/) - Background It’s pretty clear to even the casual observer that the Middle East is a mess. Over the course of the Cold War, old relationships were severed, and new alliances emerged. Islamist movements gained prominence as Cold War rivalries fueled concerns over nuclear proliferation. Western powers supported autocratic regimes to counter communist influence, while the - [Food by Air: 1948 vs 2024](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/03/21/food-by-air-1948-vs-2024/) - If you like history, chances are you enjoy watching old newsreels. But how authentic are they? What can they really tell us? Remember the successful Berlin Airlift of 1948? For months, as I’ve watched the challenges of getting humanitarian aid into Gaza I’ve wondered why we didn’t just 'airlift' the needed supplies. Now several countries - [A Dozen Things I Found on the Internet This Week](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/05/30/a-dozen-things-i-found-on-the-internet-this-week/) - Quirky and informative information like mutilated mannequins in the Nevada desert to flying saucers to mid century swimming pools . - [15 Cold War Books Written in the 21st Century](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/08/13/15-cold-war-books-written-in-the-21st-century/) - The NY Times published an article titled The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. Here are 15 books that those of us interested in the Cold War might enjoy. - [25 Cultural Highlights of the First Cold War](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/06/20/25-cultural-highlights-of-the-first-cold-war/) - 25 cultural highlights of the First Cold War (1945-1980) influenced by the ideological struggle and tensions of the rivalry between the US and the Soviet Union. - [Nuclear Worries | Atoms for Peace | Nuclear Noir](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/09/19/nuclear-worries-atoms-for-peace-nuclear-noir/) - Learn the 5 nuclear worries that are concerning today. Next discover 10 takeaways from Eisenhower's Atom for Peace program, and get 4 nuclear noir movie ideas. - [Remember Soft Power: Send out the Bands!](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/06/25/remember-soft-power-send-out-the-bands/) - More than a half century ago, in the early years of the Cold War, the US State Department sent out the bands, organizing tours to counter Soviet propaganda. - [Atomic Rock](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/04/05/atomic-rock/) - The bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, at the end of World War II, marked the first use of atomic weapons in history. The five-ton uranium bomb “Little Boy” generated a huge fireball and explosion that killed 70,000-80,000 people. Another 70,000 were seriously injured. As Joseph Siracusa says: In one terrible moment, 60 percent of Hiroshima . - [Popular Culture and The Atomic Age](https://coldwarstudies.com/2021/04/06/remembering-the-atomic-age/) - Recently I came across the details of an art installation inspired by nuclear weapon control centers. Pioneer Works, a gallery in Red Hook (Brooklyn), is presenting a documentary on "the bomb" which begins with the first atom bomb tests and traces the story to the present day. The film, directed by Kevin Ford, Smriti Keshari, - [Love Watching The Olympics? Here Are 16 Movies You'll Want To Watch](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/08/06/love-watching-the-olympics-here-are-16-movies-youll-want-to-watch/) - Do you enjoy true stories like Miracle? Or fictional films like Downhill Racer? You can find both in this listing of 16 films focused on Cold WarOlympic Games. - [Cold War Olympics: 1980 US Boycott](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/08/02/cold-war-olympics-1980-us-boycott/) - On the surface, the boycott of the Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980 was a direct response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Seen from this perspective, it appeared to many to be an overreaction by a naive president. Actually, though. America’s relationship with the Soviet Union had been declining for some time - [Pan European "Freedom" Picnic: August 19, 1989](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/08/18/pan-european-freedom-picnic-august-19-1989/) - On August 19th, 1989, near the city of Sopron, Hungary, thousands of people called for an end to the cold war at an event dubbed the Pan-European "Freedom" Picnic. However, if you think the picnic is remembered because it was a highly organized event analogous to the highly publicized Dîners en Blanc ¹ so popular today, - [Cold War Authors: 10 Books for Armchair Travelers](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/05/07/cold-war-authors-10-books-for-armchair-travelers/) - Do you ever feel like running away? It’s the merry month of May, the sun is shining, and I have itchy feet. Nevertheless, I’m stuck at my computer, typing away at projects with due dates. This morning, though, I came across an out, a listing of the 86 Greatest Travel Books of All Time from - [The Blacklist on Broadway](https://coldwarstudies.com/2020/10/28/the-blacklist-on-broadway/) - Quietly and without fanfare, President Trump signed an executive order last week that, to me, is eerily reminiscent of the profiling that was common place during the Red Scare of the early Cold War years. The order is titled Executive Order on Creating Schedule F in the Excepted Service, and it gives Trump the power - [8 Health Scares During the Cold War](https://coldwarstudies.com/2020/03/19/8-health-scares-during-the-cold-war/) - In 1947, New York City was able to avoid an epidemic of Smallpox. Unfortunately, the world hasn’t been so lucky this time around. Here are 8 health scares that occurred during the Cold War, some very different from the pandemic we’re facing in 2020. #1: Small Pox (1947) According to a post on Ephemeral New - [RED SCARE MOVIE REVIEW: FAIL-SAFE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/11/08/red-scare-movie-of-the-month-fail-safe/) -  FAIL-SAFE is a 1964 film directed by Sidney Lumet. The movie is based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler. It tells the story of a fictional Cold War nuclear crisis during a time when the world was concerned about its own mutual destruction. The film features - [THE COLD WAR: A SUPERFICIAL HISTORY OF THE RED SCARE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/12/08/the-cold-war-a-superficial-history-of-the-red-scare/) - Before we get started, I need to make one thing clear about Red Scare History. This post is not about the real Soviet Menace which threatened the world with nuclear destruction. Instead, it is about anti-Communist propaganda run rampant, scaring Americans into thinking that their world could end in a heartbeat -- and with very - [1962: The Best Movie Year Ever?](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/09/01/1962-the-best-movie-year-ever/) - When history buffs think of 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis is often the first thing that comes to mind. Alternatively, some look back on Vietnam and the expansion of the Vietcong (VC) insurgency into South Vietnam. Fifty-three American soldiers were killed in South Vietnam during the year while the South Vietnamese armed forces suffered 4,457 - [Host Your Own Argentina and Chile Film Festival](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/02/16/host-your-own-argentina-and-chile-film-festival/) - Since it’s still winter and there’s a holiday weekend coming up I thought you might have some screen time. So here’s a selection of films centering on Argentina and Chile during their authoritarian periods. The listing is in no particular order. Argentina Argentina, 1985 A recent film about Argentina’s disappeared titled Argentina, 1985 is available - [THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES VETS: WHY NOT PUT YOURS IN THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS?](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/05/24/thanks-for-the-memories-vets-why-not-put-them-in-the-library-of-congress/) - The American Legion Family brought National Poppy Day® to the United States by asking Congress to designate the Friday before Memorial Day, as National Poppy Day. On the Friday before Memorial Day, wear a red poppy to honor the fallen and support the living who have worn our nation's uniform. In the United States, we're - [COLD WAR LIBYA: ALL ABOUT OIL](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/03/24/cold-war-libyaall-about-oil/) - When the Cold War began, Libya held little importance for either superpower. Yes, it was the home to Wheelus Air Force base, one of the major American bomber bases in the Eastern Hemisphere, but that's about it. Leading exports were esparto, a type of grass used to make paper for currency bills, and scrap metal - [CUBA IN A NUTSHELL: PART ONE (1959-1990)](https://coldwarstudies.com/2020/09/22/cuba-in-a-nutshell-part-one/) - I wrote this post for Cold War Magazine in 2016 when, for the first time in 88 years, an American president was visiting the island of Cuba. Now, Cuban Americans are in the news again because of their voting power in the upcoming 2020 presidential election, so I thought this would be a good time - [The Manhattan Project: The Congo and the Quest for Uranium](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/08/08/the-manhattan-project-the-congo-and-the-quest-for-uranium/) - Before 1940, the US considered the African continent to be within the European sphere of influence. Africa was known as the “dark continent,” and was mysterious and difficult to explore. Americans, for the most part, knew little about it. After 1940 things changed. The US Launches a Nuclear Program Concerned that Nazi Germany was on - [What Was the Cold War: American Grand Strategy Redux](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/01/02/american-grand-strategy-redux/) - Do you ever wonder about America's place in the world? Maybe my age is showing, but I seem to remember a time when our economy wasn't bolstered by arms sales to every 'Tom, Dick, and Harry nation' one could think of. And I'm sure I remember a time when we didn't intervene in every conflict - [Workout Like A Spy: 10 Fitness Hints From The Gray Man](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/01/09/workout-like-a-spy-10-fitness-hints-from-the-gray-man/) - Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes Why choose a Gray Man workout when according to reviewers the Netflix movie about him was only ‘watchable’? Good question. Several answers. First, the books by the author Mark Greaney are terrific! Although I almost always like books better than movies, watching is fun and this film is all about - [Africa in Film: Colonialism and 2024 Hot Spots](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/02/01/africa-in-film-colonialism-and-2024-hot-spots/) - Every January foreign policy related websites list their candidates for the top hotspots in the year to come, and 2024 is no different. I pay particular attention to the lists put out by Foreign Policy and the International Rescue Committee. Nations in Crisis Like many of you, I expected either Gaza/the Middle East or Ukraine - [The Forgotten Forever War: Korea](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/03/14/the-forgotten-forever-war-korea/) - There were 100,000 deaths in clashes in Korea between 1946 and the formal beginning of the Korean War in June 1950. The struggle at that time was between left-wing Koreans who were ardent nationalists (led by Kim Il Sung) and right-wing authoritarian Koreans (led by Syngman Rhee). Consequently, when President Truman decided to send American - [The Cold War: 15 Books For Your Wintertime Reading](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/02/06/the-cold-war-15-books-for-your-wintertime-reading/) - We're finally having a spate of gorgeous weather in NYC, but in case your weather's not as nice as mine, here are 15 books for your wintertime reading. The list is almost evenly split between fiction and non-fiction. As usual, the links are to Amazon. As you know, Cold War is an Amazon affiliate and - [Korean War Music](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/01/25/korean-war-music/) - Music played an outsized role in the Cold War. Look for our articles about the Jazz Ambassadors, the Beatles and Blue Jeans theory of the fall of the Soviet Union, Vietnam protest music, and atomic (nuclear) music. Today I thought I'd give you just a taste by posting an article on Korean War Music. Here - [HISTORY OF COLONIZATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA (MENA): PRECURSOR TO COLD WAR CONFLICT](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/01/11/history-of-colonization-in-the-middle-east-and-north-africa-mena-precursor-to-cold-war-conflict/) - COUNTRIES WHICH HAD BEEN ANCIENT EMPIRES BUT WERE NEVER OFFICIALLY COLONIZED Turkey: Head of the Ottoman Empire from the 16th century on. Controlled parts of Europe, much of North Africa, all of the Fertile Crescent, none of the Gulf. Lost its imperial domains when it was defeated by European powers in World War I after - [The Cold War: Decolonization and Conflict in The Third World](https://coldwarstudies.com/2019/09/17/the-cold-war-decolonization-and-conflict-in-the-third-world/) - The Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union was fought on several fronts: It was a contest for the domination of Europe, punctuated by dangerous crises over Berlin. It was a competition in strategic weapons, using the deadly technology of the nuclear and missile age. It was a struggle for influence - [A Freebie for You: 100 ChatGPT Cold War Prompts](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/09/28/a-freebie-for-you-100-chatgpt-cold-war-prompts/) - How Smart Are You? Do you remember the popular TV show “Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?” I only watched it once or twice even though it ran for 4 seasons. Still, I think the show may have had merit, and if you’re like me, interested in modern history and politics – the Cold - [Taiwan Goes to the Polls](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/01/12/taiwan-goes-to-the-polls/) - Over 50 countries will go to the polls in 2024, including Russia, India, El Salvador, South Africa, the United States, and Taiwan. The elections will have huge implications worldwide, ranging from human rights to international relations to the status of democracies. Taiwanese Pre-Election Campaigning Taiwan’s elections are scheduled for Saturday, January 13, and the results - [COLD WAR YEMEN: SOME THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW](https://coldwarstudies.com/2024/01/12/cold-war-yemen-some-things-you-need-to-know/) - Known as 'Arabia Felix' or Arabia's 'land of happiness', Yemen has been hard hit by war and other misfortunes. The story, spanning at least 1,500 years, involves everything from early Islamic politics to Arab nationalism and the Cold War. Today, Yemen is the poorest country in the Middle East. A Short and Superficial History In - [The GOATs: 12 Iconic Spy Novelists](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/10/05/the-goats-12-iconic-spy-novelists/) - Want to escape the humdrum? Here are twelve classic spy genre authors to keep you busy for a year or more. How many have you read? Just a note before beginning: The list below is subjective and selected; it’s not comprehensive, but does include authors from “before, during, and after the Cold War.” While not - [COLD WAR BEGINNINGS: TAIPEI DEFINED 1945](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/10/27/cold-war-beginnings-taipei-defined-1945/) - When World War II ended, Taipei began a period of transition. For the preceding 50 years (1895-1945), the metropolis had served as administrative headquarters for the Japanese colony of Taiwan, also known as Formosa. One of Taiwan's four largest urban areas, the city spread over an area of 66.99 square kilometers and was populated by - [Holiday Books for Cold War Enthusiasts: 2023](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/12/05/holiday-books-for-cold-war-enthusiasts-2023/) - Here’s a longer than usual list of books for holiday gift giving or your own personal pleasure. Most descriptions are drawn from Amazon. As you know, Cold War Studies is an Amazon Affiliate and we receive a small commission from each book you purchase using our links. Regardless, you never pay more by purchasing on - [Israel-Palestine Timelines: 65 BC - 2012](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/10/08/israel-palestine-timelines-65-bc-2012/) - Almost 11 years ago, Cold War Studies published a 9 part series focused on the Israeli-Palestinian relationship from 65 BC through 2012. The posts have been quite popular over the years but, since yesterday and the Hamas invasion of Israel, it's been referred to even more. So I thought it would be a good idea - [Santa Meets Ded Maroz](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/12/07/santa-meets-ded-maroz/) - Did America's Cold War Foes Celebrate Christmas? Most Americans during the Cold War so demonized the Soviets that it was hard for them to visualize Russian families around a Christmas tree opening presents just like in the US. This was a big mistake because, according to Chinese propaganda, even Lenin celebrated Christmas. What Was Christmas - [IRAN: MOSADDEQ, THE CIA COUP, AND THE CONSTITUTION](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/04/13/cold-war-iran-mosaddeq-the-cia-coup-and-the-constitution-1906-1979/) - Iran's 1906 constitution, based on the Belgian model, called for a parliamentary system of government. The finished document, the Supplementary Fundamental Laws, contained two main sections. First was a "bill of rights" guaranteeing each citizen equality before the law, protection of life, property, and honor, safeguards from arbitrary arrest, and freedom to publish newspapers and - [11 Cold War Events: What Is It About October?](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/10/17/11-cold-war-events-what-is-it-about-october/) - 1. October 1945: The first Chinese Nationalist soldiers arrived in Keelung on the northern tip of Taiwan. The troops (from Mainland China) anticipated a short stay on Taiwan. At that time, the island was occupied by the Japanese, and the sole purpose of the Chinese Nationalist troops was to accept the Japanese surrender, disarm the - [WHAT WAS THE COLD WAR?](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/03/10/what-was-the-cold-war/) - From the end of World War II in 1945 until the ultimate collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, the world was polarized by a global conflict between two wartime allies, the Soviet Union and the United States. The Cold War's impact was global in scope and created political divisions based on free world orientation, - [PALESTINE-ISRAEL TIMELINE: 1977-1990](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/12/10/palestine-israel-timeline-1977-1990/) - NOTE: THIS IS THE SEVENTH IN A SERIES OF POSTS PROVIDING A COMPREHENSIVE PALESTINE-ISRAEL TIMELINE. Late 1970s: The Sephardic community grows to over half the population of Israel. Late 1970s: Links are forged between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)and the inhabitants of the occupied territories. Yasir Arafat is accepted as the spokesman for the Palestinians of the - [PALESTINE-ISRAEL TIMELINE: 1948-1967](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/12/05/palestine-israel-timeline-1948-1967/) - NOTE: THIS IS THE FIFTH IN A SERIES OF POSTS PROVIDING A COMPREHENSIVE PALESTINE-ISRAEL TIMELINE. PALESTINE-ISRAEL TIMELINE: 1948-1967 1948-1951: Israel’s population increases from about 650,000 to slightly over 1.3 million, the result of an influx of some 684,000 immigrants. About half of the new immigrants are Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe. Others come from long-established Jewish communities - [PALESTINE-ISRAEL TIMELINE: 1942-1948](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/12/04/palestine-israel-timeline-1942-1948/) - NOTE: THIS IS THE FOURTH IN A SERIES OF POSTS PROVIDING A COMPREHENSIVE PALESTINE-ISRAEL TIMELINE. British wartime policy in Palestine was intended to keep the mandate tranquil. The British administration placed restrictions on Arab political activity and refused to allow exiled Arab leaders to return. The Yishuv committed itself to the British war effort against Hitler; - [PALESTINE-ISRAEL TIMELINE: 1917-1929](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/11/30/palestine-israel-timeline-1917-1929/) - Photograph from the League of Nations of prayers at the Western or Wailing Wall in Jerusalem in 1929. This image is from the collections of The British National Archives. NOTE: THIS IS THE SECOND IN A SERIES OF POSTS PROVIDING A COMPREHENSIVE PALESTINE-ISRAEL TIMELINE. With the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World - [PALESTINE-ISRAEL TIMELINE: THE BEGINNING](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/11/29/palestine-israel-timeline-the-beginning/) - NOTE: THIS IS THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF POSTS PROVIDING A COMPREHENSIVE PALESTINE-ISRAEL TIMELINE. The Palestine-Israel Conflict has been in the news again and there's plenty of blame to go around. Peace negotiations have been at an impasse since 2008. Today (November 29, 2012), the Palestinians, frustrated by slow or no progress toward the establishment - [PALESTINE-ISRAEL TIMELINE: 1930-1939](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/12/03/palestine-israel-timeline-1930-1939/) - NOTE: THIS IS THE THIRD IN A SERIES OF POSTS PROVIDING A COMPREHENSIVE PALESTINE-ISRAEL TIMELINE. The last post (Palestine-Israel Timeline: 1917-1929) ended as Britain was sending another commission of inquiry to Palestine. Today we’ll pick up where we left off at the end of 1929. PALESTINE-ISRAEL TIMELINE:1930-1939 1930: The Hope-Simpson Commission conducts its investigation and publishes a - [Atomic Fever Goes Viral](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/06/29/atomic-fever-goes-viral/) - Background On 6 and 9 August 1945, the United States detonated two atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively. The aerial bombings together killed between 129,000 and 226,000 people, most of whom were civilians. These events remain the only use of nuclear weapons in an armed conflict. Everything Atomic Goes Viral - [GOAL!!!!! The Future is Women](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/07/20/goal-the-future-is-women/) - The future is women, said FIFA president Gianni Infantino on his Instagram, And thanks to the fans for supporting what will be the greatest FIFA Women’s World Cup ever! The FIFA World Cup, the world’s most prestigious international soccer tournament, has served as a platform for countries to showcase their athletic prowess, national pride, and - [ChatGPT and IA: A New Frontier in Cold War Research?](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/06/08/chatgpt-and-ia-a-new-frontier-in-cold-war-research/) - Full disclosure. I was going to write about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its offshoots like ChatGPT at some point later this summer, but not now. I changed my mind yesterday when I got this email. In case you don’t know, Jetpack is a plugin that bloggers use to protect their website and provide statistics - [Cold War Attributes and Career Success](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/05/25/cold-war-attributes-and-career-success/) - In today’s world more and more people are beginning to think that doing a deep dive into history is useless, a waste of time. And forget politics -- there's way too much vitriol and hot air floating around that topic to discover anything of value. Still, despite the naysayers, I thought it could be interesting - [FIFA WORLD CUP SOCCER: COLD WAR GOALLLLLLLLL](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/11/18/fifa-world-cup-soccer-cold-war-goalllllllll/) - Interested in the 2023 Women's World Cup? Click Here. The 2022 FIFA World Cup begins soon with Qatar as host, and it's full of controversy -- Qatar faces Ecuador in the opening game. So, once again, Cold War Studies is turning its focus to The Beautiful Game in the context of the Cold War. Background - [America Eats: Tech, Supermarkets, Big-Box Stores](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/01/04/america-eats-agriculture-technology-supermarkets-and-big-box-stores/) - The Farms Race The decades-long Cold War between the United States and the USSR featured a space race, an arms race, and . . . a farms race. This farms race – which involved substantial government policies to deliver high-volume and standardized agriculture – was about more than just food; it was a battle over - [ASTEROIDS AND SCARCE RESOURCES: EXPLORE AND EXPLOIT](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/05/23/asteroids-and-scarce-resources-explore-and-exploit/) - Over the last several months, I've been reading a book by Michael T. Klare called The Race for What's Left: The Global Scramble for the World's Last Resources. Klare argues: The pursuit of untapped oil and mineral reserves in remote and hazardous locations is part of a larger, more significant phenomenon: a concerted drive by - [The Cold War and Climate Change: Fast Forward to August 2022](https://coldwarstudies.com/2019/04/09/the-cold-war-and-climate-change-could-it-have-been-any-other-way/) - An Introduction Toward the end of the Cold War, from 1979 to 1989, the general public first came to a broad understanding of the causes and dangers of climate change. Scientists and government officials had been aware of the problem for many years. Now we know that the world has warmed more than one degree - [The Environmental Impact of War](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/05/05/the-environmental-impact-of-war/) - Earth Month 2022 ended just a couple of days ago, so I decided to give it a late sendoff by talking a little bit about the environmental impact of war and its associated activities. I mentioned this briefly at the end of the post on The Lorax: Ted and the Truffula Trees, but it definitely - [COP-27 and The Lorax](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/11/03/the-lorax-ted-and-the-truffula-trees/) - It’s been a year since the last UN Climate Summit (COP-26) in Glasgow. COP-27, will begin this coming Sunday, November 6, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. This year the United Nation’s flagship climate conference will take place against the backdrop of the climate, energy and food crises, and will place special emphasis on addressing the damage - [The Nylon War: Soft Power in Action](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/02/23/the-nylon-war-soft-power-in-action/) - Earlier this month we celebrated Valentine’s Day, a holiday when "love is in the air,” spurring spending binges and rampant consumerism. But if you’re on a budget, tough love might actually carry the day. What does this have to do with the Cold War, you might ask. Well, think about the two kinds of POWER - [The American Way of Life: Splitnik vs. Sputnik](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/03/09/the-american-way-of-life-splitnik-vs-sputnik/) - A display celebrating The American Way of Life opened at the American National Exhibition in Moscow in the late summer of 1959, giving Russians their first real taste of the American consumer goods promoted by David Reisman in his parody The Nylon War. Llewelln Thompson, the US ambassador to Russia said the display . . - [The End of the Hollywood Black List: Exodus or Spartacus?](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/03/30/the-end-of-the-hollywood-black-list-exodus-or-spartacus/) - Exodus may be a film that you forgot about a long time ago – or that you haven’t even heard about. If either is the case, you might want to take another look. The film has more socio-political significance than simply the establishment of Israel narrative or its darker and more critical discourse about the - [INTRODUCING ISLAM](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/04/06/introducing-islam-2/) - According to the Saudi Embassy website, "Sawm, fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, is the fourth pillar of Islam. Ordained in the Holy Qur'an, the fast is an act of deep personal worship in which Muslims seek a richer perception of God." The Metropolitan Museum of Art goes on to say : "During the - [Dr. Seuss and the Cold War](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/03/02/dr-seuss-and-the-cold-war/) - Do you know that today is a special day? I didn't. But then my granddaughters sent selfies of the Dr. Seuss costumes they're wearing to school this morning. So I looked up Dr. Seuss Day and found that each year, National Read Across America Day is celebrated on March 2nd, the birthday of Dr. Seuss. - [ST. PATRICK'S DAY 1948](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/03/17/st-patricks-day-1948/) - It's St. Patrick's Day today and in New York, where I live, everybody is smiling and wearing green. Since I'm a Finnegan, I'm smiling too. But President Harry S. Truman wasn't smiling on March 17, 1948, when he spoke before a hastily convened Joint Session of Congress. (The Truman Presidential Library has a copy of - [Havana: Ruralization, Militarization, and the 10 Million Ton Sugar Crop](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/07/19/cold-war-havana-havanas-ruralization-militarization-and-the-10-million-ton-sugar-crop/) - Cuba's Population Mobilizes for Agricultural Work Cuba's effort to harvest 10 million tons of sugar required a full-fledged military campaign, necessitating the mobilization of Cuba's entire population for agricultural work. Since the harvest was considered vital to the island's "civil defense," factory workers from the city volunteered to go to the countryside for a period - [CUBA, HISTORY, AND THE SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS: PART II](https://coldwarstudies.com/2015/04/09/cuba-history-and-the-summit-of-the-americas-2015-1990-2011/) - The video below is the second in a two part series that takes you quickly through the last 50 or so years of Cuba’s political and economic history. Here are the salient points: By 1990, when the Russians were gone, things were really tough. It was becoming very clear that the Cuban people could not - [CUBA, HISTORY, AND THE SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS: PART I](https://coldwarstudies.com/2015/04/09/cuba-history-and-the-summit-of-the-americas-2015-1959-1990/) - As most of you probably know, this week Panama will host the summit of the Americas, an important meeting of heads of state from our Western Hemisphere. The summit, inaugurated by President Bill Clinton in 1992, is a historic happening this year because it is the first time that both Cuba and the United States - [TAIPEI TAIWAN: US ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/04/08/taipei-taiwan-us-economic-assistance-in-the-early-cold-war-years/) - American resources were critically important to Taipei's early Cold War economic and military restructuring. Over the period 1949-1967, total US assistance amounted to $4.2 billion. Per capita, Taiwan received US $425 for each civilian over the 1949-1967 timeframe. During this period, Taiwan's army of 600,000 soldiers was one of the world's largest, again on a - [THE AMERICAN MILITARY AND THE CUBAN REVOLUTION](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/03/19/cold-war-cuba-the-american-military-and-the-revolution/) - Havana's pre-revolutionary militarization occurred with the installation of Batista as dictator. It intensified throughout the ensuing struggle of resistance because “the guerilla struggles which overthrew the Batista regime were above all military or paramilitary in nature.” However, the city’s form and organization did not mirror the forces of Cold War militarism so obvious in other - [TAIWAN: SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED ENTERPRISES (SMEs)](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/11/05/cold-war-taiwan-small-and-medium-sized-enterprises-smes/) - Guerilla Capitalism During the 1950s, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) were so dominant that SMEs operated only at the margin. Their role was transformed in the 1960s when they began to serve as suppliers of multinational firms. Over time, as SMEs branched out, they became Taiwan's engine of growth, dominating the export manufacturing sector. Agressive entrepreneurship, flexibility, - [CLIENT STATES? THE ARAB WORLD AND THE UNITED STATES](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/02/07/client-states-just-how-dependent-is-the-arab-world-on-the-united-states/) - I just read an article claiming that Egypt, Kuwait, and Jordan -- even Saudi Arabia and Palestine -- are clients of the US. I'm not sure what this means. In my work on Cold War Cities, I've argued that in the Cold War, client cities of either the US or the Soviets had four clearly - [CUBA: The Triumph of the Revolution](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/01/03/the-triumph-of-the-revolution-sixty-years-on/) - Over the course of New Year’s Eve on Dec. 31, 1958 and January 1, 1959, the reigning Cuban dictator, Fulgencio Batista, abdicated his position as a result of the growing revolution led by Che Guevara and Fidel Castro, who replaced the government with a revolutionary socialist state. Fidel Castro -- popularly named "Savior of the - [Cold War Basics: H is for HUAC](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/10/25/cold-war-basics-h-is-for-house-un-american-activities-committee/) - In June 1930, the US House of Representatives created a special committee to police Communist activities in the United States. On January 3, 1945, the opening day of the 79th Congress, John E. Rankin (D-Mississippi), the Chairman of the powerful Veterans Committee, proposed that the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) be reactivated as a standing committee - [COLD WAR CUBA: THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/07/01/cubathe-non-aligned-movement-and-the-end-of-soviet-boldness/) - As chair of the Non-Aligned Movement from 1979 to 1983, Castro came close to gaining a seat for Cuba on the UN Security Council. He lost the bid when his Soviet supporters invaded Afghanistan. Because of Cuba's sensitive economic situation, Castro had no choice but to fall in line behind the Soviets, a position which - [COLD WAR: EARLY US ASSISTANCE TO IRAN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/06/13/cold-warearly-military-and-economic-assistance-to-iran/) - Before 1947, all American military aid to Iran had been of a technical and advisory nature. There had been two major missions: the US Mission to the Iranian Gendarmerie (GENMISH) the US Mission to the Iranian Army (ARMISH). Of the two, GENMISH was the more important since it allowed its head, Brigadier General H. Norman - [COLD WAR TAIPEI: A QUASI-LENINIST PARTNERSHIP](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/09/28/cold-war-taipei-the-party-and-the-military-form-a-quasi-leninist-partnership/) - As we have seen, postcolonial Taipei was soon dominated by the Nationalist or Kuomingtang (KMT) regime brought over from the Chinese mainland. The structure of the KMT had been established by its founder, Sun Yat-sen, in 1924. Sun's objective was to create a power behind the state which would implement what he called Three Principles - [LET"S CONGRATULATE THE EGYPTIAN PEOPLE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/02/11/cold-war-studies-congratulates-the-egyptian-people/) - Cold War Studies sends its heartfelt congratulations to the Egyptian people! You have done what many said was impossible. With grace and dignity -- and peaceful protest -- you have brought down a corrupt and authoritarian regime. Your military also deserves kudos for its restraint under trying circumstances. More later. But for now: LET'S CELEBRATE - [THE BAY OF PIGS AND THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/11/02/the-bay-of-pigs-and-the-cuban-missile-crisis-superpower-involvement-cements-the-cuban-revolution/) - The Bay of Pigs Crystallizes Popular Support for the Cuban Revolution At the same time that Castro was consolidating and radicalizing the Cuban revolution on the homefront, the Central Intelligence Agency was organizing Cuban exiles in the US for an invasion of the island. An easy victory was expected. However: when the Cuban exiles of - [Protest and Resistance: The Lead Up To The 1968 Election](https://coldwarstudies.com/2018/10/15/protest-and-resistance-the-lead-up-to-the-1968-election/) - The 1960s: Protest and Resistance Happenings That Frame The 1960s The civil rights movement, assassinations, Bob Dylan, the Vietnam War, hippies, America’s first real antiwar movement, organic food, the Beatles, massive riots in several cities, the first riots on college campuses, Woodstock, Black Power, bombings in the name of the peace movement, Hair (Broadway’s first - [WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM COLD WAR CITIES?](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/09/10/cold-war-studies-what-can-we-learn-from-cold-war-cities/) - From the end of World War II in 1945 until the ultimate collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, strategically located cities throughout the Third World were unintentionally molded by Cold War competitive grand strategy. In the context of the American-Soviet competition for global prestige and influence, many cities in the developing world received large - [COLD WAR TAIPEI: MIGRANTS AND COMMUTERS](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/05/20/cold-war-taipei-migrants-and-commuters-a-special-case/) - Migration to Cold War Taipei Despite the popularity of commuting to work in Cold War Taipei, there were also a large number of migrants. Many of these individuals were well educated young women who found ample opportunity for legitimate employment in companies associated with the manufacture of products for export, particularly textiles and electronics. These - [URBAN COLD WAR PROBLEMS: 1970-1990](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/12/04/cold-war-cities-problems-of-the-later-cold-war-period-1970-1990/) - Changing Issues With the emerging emphasis on the city's role as part of the global economy came a realization that urban issues were now more complicated than before. Many experts found that it was no longer enough to focus on population growth, rural-urban migration, jobs, and housing. Rather, it was considered necessary to examine the - [COLD WAR TAIWAN: GEOGRAPHY, POLICY, AND MIGRATION](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/03/11/cold-war-taiwan-geography-government-policy-and-migration/) - Geography Constrains Taipei's Urban Growth Because geographic barriers separate the east and west coasts of the island of Taiwan, urban expansion has been restricted to the western plains areas and the low hills around Taipei in the north of the country. The capital itself has been limited in its potential growth because it is bounded - [COLD WAR CITIES: ECONOMIC STABILIZATION](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/01/07/cold-war-cities-export-oriented-manufacturing-and-the-permanent-informal-sector/) - Structural Adjustment and Stabilization Policies The introduction of structural adjustment and stabilization policies (SAPs) led to new strategies for development which many argued disproportionately affected urban dwellers, particularly women. Some have asserted that the changes in labor practices and the erosion of real wages which accompanied SAPs initiated a substitution of women for men workers. - [SUPERPOWER INTERESTS: THE ONSET OF THE COLD WAR](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/04/19/russian-and-american-interests-the-onset-of-the-cold-war/) - Stalin believed that the agreement he signed with Churchill, and Roosevelt at the Crimean port of Yalta on February 11, 1945, resolved "Far Eastern questions' and promoted the expansion of Soviet supremacy in Asia. Consequently, the signing set the stage for Russia's entrance into the war against Japan. Later that same year, on August 14, - [IRAN: THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS CORPS](https://coldwarstudies.com/2020/01/06/cold-war-iran-the-rise-of-irans-islamic-revolutionary-guards-corps-irgc/) - This post was originally published in 2015. In light of recent events, I think it's worth taking another look. One of the first challenges faced by Iran's new regime was to gain control of weapons that had been captured by individuals and groups involved in the attacks on military arms depots in the last days - [CUBAN REVOLUTION: A NEW ECONOMY](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/05/13/cuban-revolution-a-new-economy-and-a-new-consciousness/) - By the mid 1960s, Cubans realized that the strategies of the early 1960s had failed to meet even their most modest objectives. Instead, efforts at import substitution and industrialization had resulted in widespread social distress and economic dislocation. New strategies after 1968 involved increased emphasis on all aspects of agricultural production, with a renewed prominence - [The U.S. Defense Contractor: A Different Kind of MNC](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/08/05/the-american-defense-contractor-a-different-kind-of-mnc/) - The American multinational corporation played a much different role in Iran in the 1970s than it had in Taiwan in the 1960s. In the case of Taiwan, the prosperous MNC was widening horizons, searching for both cheap labor and new markets. In the case of Iran, the American defense contractor was concerned with salvaging the - [CUBAN COLD WAR EMIGRANTS AND CUBA'S EMBRACE OF SOCIALISM](https://coldwarstudies.com/2015/04/27/cuban-cold-war-emigrants-and-cubas-embrace-of-socialism/) - From 1965-1974, the United States and Cuban governments administered the Vuelos de la Libertad or Freedom Flights. The two governments jointly determined who would migrate and, as a result, emigration during this period was coordinated, orderly, and focused on family networks. The immediate family of exiles already in the United States received priority. Certain categories of - [Brazil: Democracy in the Cross Hairs](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/01/10/brazil-democracy-in-the-cross-hairs/) - In Brazil, the path to democracy has not been smooth. Here’s a short history, taking us from the European arrival at the end of the 15th century to later periods of authoritarian rule, and then to the present day. Outsiders Claim Sovereignty Over Indigenous Lands When the Europeans arrived, they claimed sovereignty over Indigenous lands. - [The Top Five Most Read Posts Published By Cold War Studies in 2022](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/12/29/the-top-five-most-read-posts-published-by-cold-war-studies-in-2022/) - It's that time of year again -- a time to look back at what was good about the year that's coming to an end. Here are the five most read posts published by Cold War Studies in 2022. #1: The Rise of Fast Fashion: Globalization and Waste In today's world, most of our clothing purchases - [Cold War Cities Redux: Isfahan, Taipei, and Havana](https://coldwarstudies.com/2023/02/02/cold-war-cities-redux-isfahan-taipei-and-havana/) - I don’t spend a lot of time looking back, but this week I’ve been thinking a great deal about my dissertation which was published almost twenty-five years ago. Triggered by recent headlines detailing a drone strike in the middle of Isfahan, Iran, the royal city of Shah Abbas the Great, I’ve been looking at what - [Iran, Russia, and the Politics of Expediency](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/10/20/iran-russia-and-the-politics-of-expediency/) - How did the headlines change from “Arming the Shah” to “Iran Sends Drone Trainers to Crimea to Aid Russian Military”? It’s perplexing, isn’t it? The relationship between Russia and Iran has been turbulent and fraught with controversy - even conflict. Stalin refused to withdraw Soviet troops from the country after World War II, leading to - [Cuban Migration to the US: 2022](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/09/22/cuban-migration-to-the-us-2022/) - If you keep up with the news, I’m sure you’re aware of the global movement of displaced people fleeing their home countries. But did you know that, according to the United Nations, in June of 2022, one in 78 people across the world were considered displaced? According to the New York Times, Syrians are the - [The End Of The Cold War: A Cold War Timeline](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/03/29/the-end-of-the-cold-war-a-cold-war-timeline/) - In today's world, the years leading up to the end of the Cold War and the years following the destruction of the Berlin Wall have taken on renewed importance. How did the Cold War end? This timeline provides insight. Note: This timeline is based primarily on two sources: CNN’s series The Cold War (specifically Episode - [The Hijab Controversy](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/09/29/the-hijab-controversy/) - The hijab controversy surrounding the death of Masha Amina while in the custody of Iran's Morality Police has spurred debate and protest, not just in Iran, but all over the world. I’m certainly not an expert on the ins and outs of Islamic dress, especially when it comes to legalities surrounding veiling or head covering - [Cuban Missile Crisis](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/10/13/cuban-missile-crisis/) - Why did the Soviet Union place missiles in Cuba? And why didn’t they hide them? They were well aware of U-2 reconnaissance flights over the island. Like many of you, I still am wondering why on earth Nikita Khruschev thought it would be a good idea to put missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles away - [Pope Francis and the Cold War in Latin America](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/03/14/pope-francis-and-the-cold-war-in-latin-america/) - Today, March 14, 2013, the world is celebrating the election of Latin America's first pope, Pope Francis. But all is not rosy. Despite worldwide celebration, snide newspaper headlines are emerging. Here's a sample. It popped up yesterday in The Guardian. In fact, almost as soon as Jorge Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires (Argentina), was elected, The Guardian blustered: Pope - [BUREAUCRATIC AUTHORITARIANISM](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/03/21/bureaucratic-authoritarianism/) - In the 1960s, the US initiated a new aid policy for Latin America in response to the Cuban Revolution. The plan was called the Alliance for Progress and was announced by President Kennedy in 1961. Based on the Marshall Plan, the Alliance was designed to reduce revolutionary pressures by stimulating economic development and political reform. - [MILITARY RULE IN COLD WAR BRAZIL](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/03/28/military-rule-in-cold-war-brazil/) - Brazilian military leaders fought alongside American forces in World War II, enjoying warm ties with the United States. So when the US responded with alarm to the Cuban Revolution, the Brazilian military saw danger everywhere. In a very real sense, they went on “red alert.” The military was especially distressed by their government's civilian leadership - [COLD WAR MILITARY REPRESSION IN URUGUAY](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/04/04/cold-war-military-repression-in-uruguay/) - Compared with Argentina, Uruguay had been remarkably calm since World War II. Between 1951 and 1966, Uruguayans implemented an executive committee instead of a one-man presidency. Despite economic problems, Uruguayan standards of living remained the envy of the hemisphere. Then a group called the Tupamaros tried to foment revolution, just as Che attempted to do - [PERU, CUBA, MEXICO AND THE LAST COLD WAR BATTLES](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/04/17/peru-cuba-mexico-and-the-last-cold-war-battles-in-latin-america/) - Peru's military government (1968 to 1980) is hard to categorize in Cold War terms. It was a dictatorship, yet not guilty of severe human rights violations. Peruvian officers announced revolutionary intentions that were explicitly "not communist." They were also "not capitalist." Instead, the military showed a sincere desire to serve Peru's poor majority. Their policy was driven - [Brazil's Military: Repression to Ruin](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/09/15/brazils-cold-war-military-from-repression-to-economic-miracle-to-ruin/) - Brazilian military leaders fought alongside American forces in World War II, enjoying warm ties with the United States. So when the US responded with alarm to the Cuban Revolution, the Brazilian military saw danger everywhere. In a very real sense, they went on “Red Alert.” At about the same time, the US initiated a new - [Military Juntas in the Southern Cone During the Cold War](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/05/12/military-juntas-in-the-southern-cone-during-the-cold-war/) - I’ve just finished reading Missing by Thomas Hauser. First published in 1978, the book tells the gripping story of Charles Horman, a young American who disappeared shortly after Chile’s successful military coup on September 11, 1973. With CIA involvement, General Augusto Pinochet came to power, soon ordering the mass arrest of thousands of leftist dissidents - [THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/06/02/the-cuban-missile-crisis/) - The Cuban Missile Crisis, to some the most intense confrontation of the Cold War, developed shortly after the discovery that Soviet missiles were on the ground in Cuba. While Khruschev insisted that there were no offensive intentions against the United States, the Kennedy administration demanded that the missiles be dismantled and removed. This despite the - [Run, Swim or Walk the Berlin Wall (Virtual) Trail](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/08/04/run-swim-or-walk-the-berlin-wall-virtual-trail/) - Travel isn’t in the cards for me this summer, so I’m doing a Berlin Wall Trail Virtual (Walking) Challenge as my staycation getaway. I’ll give you all the details a bit later in case some of you need a 'staycation' activity too. In short, though, if you finish the challenge you'll get a finisher's medal - [It's Time For A Cold War Roadtrip: Let's Go](https://coldwarstudies.com/2026/07/30/its-time-for-a-cold-war-roadtrip-lets-go/) - It’s finally summer and for at least some of us that means it’s a chance to get away. Why not jump start your adventures with a Cold War roadtrip? From missile sites and atomic tourism to the hippie trail, here are five ideas, three in the United States and two abroad. The Minuteman Missile National - [Cold War Beach Reads 2022](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/06/30/cold-war-beach-reads-2022/) - With a holiday weekend heading our way, it's time to think about beach reading. This summer I'm looking at books that inspired recent streaming shows, oldies but goodies, and fiction work that provides some insight into current issues. Below are some ideas. Do you like to watch or do you prefer to read? Several excellent - [O is for Olympic Boycott 1980](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/02/02/o-is-for-olympic-boycott-1980/) - The 2022 Olympics will officially begin in Beijing on Friday, February 4. Interestingly, China's record on human rights has led to calls for countries and sponsors to boycott the games. Such abuses as the repression of Uyghur Muslims in the nation's Xinjiang region and the suppression of pro democracy protests in Hong Kong have, in - [The End of the Cold War (1990): The Last Days of the USSR](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/05/24/the-end-of-the-cold-war-1990-the-last-days-of-the-ussr/) - 1990 was an event filled year, culminating in the unification of East and West Germany, and the eastward expansion of NATO. Some of you may have been following the debate between those who feel Putin was threatened by NATO's expansion and those who say the enlargement of NATO served as a deterrence to Putin's ambitions. - [The End of the Cold War: 1991-Gorbachev Resigns](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/06/07/the-end-of-the-cold-war-1991-gorbachev-resigns/) - Late 1990 and early 1991: Washington turns its focus toward the Gulf after Iraq invades Kuwait. Gorbachev becomes increasingly concerned about separatist movements and gives the head of the KGB permission to proceed violently. 1991: Gorbachev asks capitalist countries for huge loans. They say no. January 12-13, 1991: Soviet troops enter Lithuania to take back - [Biden and The Middle East: Black Gold Or Other National Security Concerns?](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/07/14/biden-and-the-middle-east-black-gold-or-other-national-security-concerns/) - Is President Biden's trip to the Middle East all about oil or is it about other national security considerations? After reading many analyses, I've concluded that at least four issues (probably five) are at play. I'll discuss those shortly. But first, let me just say that I'm very aware of the elephants in the room - [From The End of History to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/03/03/from-the-end-of-history-to-the-russian-invasion-of-ukraine/) - Somebody please tell me: Whatever happened to "The End of History"? As you may remember, in 1989, amidst the optimism spilling over from Gorbachev's reforms in the Soviet Union – and even before the fall of the Berlin Wall – Francis Fukuyama’s essay announcing "The End of History" was published in the National Interest (Summer - [Ukraine Redux](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/04/05/ukraine-redux/) - NOTE: This post was written when the Ukraine and Russia clashed in 2014. I'm publishing it again because the information remains useful. I don't often post about current events, so I haven't mentioned the stand-off in the Ukraine. But I thought some factoids might be enlightening. Since I don't write much about the Ukraine or - [COLD WAR: THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR AND THE CONTRA AFFAIR](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/08/02/cold-war-the-iran-iraq-war-and-the-contra-affair/) - During the first years of the Iran-Iraq War both superpowers attempted to keep some distance from the conflict. Both the United States and the Soviet Union abandoned neutrality, however, when they deduced that the war was uniting Iranians behind the Khomeini government and that a victory for Iran was possible. The Soviets resumed arms shipments - [P is for Pact Building](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/10/17/p-is-for-pact-building/) - Perhaps the most famous pact, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Pact, was signed on April 4, 1949. Its underlying premise was that European defense could not be entrusted to the United Nations. NATO, therefore, was designed to “create not merely a balance of power, but a preponderance of power” to deal with the Russians - [Chess and the Cold War](https://coldwarstudies.com/2021/01/14/chess-and-the-cold-war/) - How many of you play chess or at least watched The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix? Do you wonder if chess actually played an important role in the Cold War or do you think it’s just suggestive of the American-Russian rivalry? Well, if you’re sick of being mired in bad news and want a little entertainment, - [Free for All in the Ukraine](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/03/05/free-for-all-in-the-ukraine-a-cold-war-residual/) - I rarely post about current events, so I haven't mentioned the stand-off in the Ukraine. But I thought some factoids might be enlightening. Since I don't write much about the Ukraine or Russia, I've drawn heavily from newspaper articles published in previously "nonaligned" nations. Feel free to post your comments. That said, let's get started. - [Crossword: Cold War Essentials](https://coldwarstudies.com/2022/03/08/crossword-cold-war-essentials/) - Do you enjoy solving crossword puzzles? If so this week's post should be right up your alley. It's my first attempt to create a puzzle for you. Here's just a taste of the clues. Just click on the link below to start the puzzle. You'll find the clues below the puzzle. Or you can download - [ROUND ONE: IRAN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/10/11/cold-war-containment-first-iran/) - Unlike the case of Manchuria, the United States and the Soviet Union had no longstanding rivalry in Iran. Instead, the Russians had long battled the British for concessions and influence in that country. Although there had been an extensive foreign presence in Persia, in contrast to Manchuria, Iran had never been "officially" colonized. Formal occupation - [Cold War Studies: Book Picks for Holiday Gift Giving](https://coldwarstudies.com/2021/12/07/cold-war-studies-book-picks-for-holiday-gift-giving/) - Maybe you’ve already finished most of your holiday shopping. But in case you haven't, here's a selection of books focused on the Cold War timeframe, most drawn from various end of the year ‘best book lists.’ Just click the link on the title to buy on Amazon and, of course, many will be available at - [THE FOREIGN POLICY ESTABLISHMENT: WISE MEN OR BLOB?](https://coldwarstudies.com/2021/10/14/the-foreign-policy-establishment-wise-men-or-blob/) - Recently, I’ve been seeing lots of news headlines like this one from the New York Times: "For some, Afghanistan Outcome Affirms a Warning: Beware the Blob." At first read, I didn’t know what they were talking about because the only BLOB I could think of was a 1958 film where an alien lifeform consumes everything - [CHINA and the US-SOVIET RIVALRY](https://coldwarstudies.com/2020/08/27/china-and-the-us-soviet-rivalry/) - As I think everyone knows, China played a major role in the US-Soviet rivalry during the Cold War, especially impacting the superpowers' presence in the Third World. And, it’s playing a major role today as this year’s American presidential election gets closer. What do the American people think of China today? . . . a - [EGYPT, SUEZ, AND THE DYNAMICS OF SUPERPOWER INTERVENTION IN THE MIDDLE EAST](https://coldwarstudies.com/2021/05/04/egypt-suez-and-the-dynamics-of-superpower-intervention-in-the-middle-east/) - The first Soviet bloc military aid agreement with a developing country involved $250 million in arms aid credits to Egypt dating back to September 1955. Although the agreement was signed by Czechoslovakia, it was actually negotiated with the Soviets and involved a massive supply of arms to a region vitally strategic to the West. Arms - [The Superpowers in the Third World](https://coldwarstudies.com/2019/11/05/the-superpowers-in-the-third-world/) - Background Nikita Khrushchev, the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 -1964, was responsible for the launching of a bold political offensive against the West in the Third World. At the time of Stalin’s death in 1953, Soviet foreign policy had run out of steam. Instead of applying pressure, the - [1968: 50 Years Later](https://coldwarstudies.com/2018/01/10/1968-50-years-later/) - This year, 2018, marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most turbulent years in recent American history: 1968. Here is a selected listing of that year's most talked about happenings. January 1: The New Year's Day Battle of 1968, a military engagement during the Vietnam War involving units assigned to the US 25th Infantry - [1968 Turning Point: Binding Primaries and the End of Gatekeeping](https://coldwarstudies.com/2020/07/28/1968-turning-point-binding-primaries-and-the-end-of-gatekeeping/) - It’s hard to believe that we still have one more primary to go before the 2020 Democratic Convention the week of August 17. The Connecticut primary, originally scheduled for April 28, will now be held on August 11. Although 60 delegates are at stake, the contest is anticlimactic. The Connecticut vote will not be a - [Oslo: The 1993 Peace Accords](https://coldwarstudies.com/2021/06/29/oslo-the-1993-peace-accords/) - I recently watched Oslo, a made for TV drama about the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords, now showing on HBO MAX. The film, based on the 2017 Tony Award-winning play by J.T. Rogers (who adapted his script), tells the story of a Norwegian couple who bypass the traditional diplomatic process and open up secret backchannels for - [10 Cold War Books for Fall Reading](https://coldwarstudies.com/2020/11/12/10-cold-war-books-for-fall-reading/) - Are you as sick of Zoom as I am? If so, you might want to pick out a good read, grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, and decompress. Here are 10 recently released books to choose from. All the books can be purchased on Amazon, and many -- if not all - [CUBA IN A NUTSHELL: PART TWO (1959-2011)](https://coldwarstudies.com/2020/09/29/cuba-in-a-nutshell-part-two-1959-2011/) - The video below is the second in a two part series that takes you quickly through the last 50 or so years of Cuba’s political and economic history. Here are the salient points: By 1990, when the Russians were gone, things were really tough. It was becoming very clear that the Cuban people could not - [IRANIAN MILITARY (1978) EGYPTIAN MILITARY (2011)](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/02/11/the-iranian-military-1978-and-the-egyptian-military-2011/) - Today is the 32nd anniversary of the Iranian Revolution. That anniversary is overshadowed, though, by the jubilant celebration in Egypt. Notably, the Egyptian military played a central role in the successful culmination of 18 days of mostly peaceful demonstrations by the Egyptian people. Here's hoping that 32 years from now Egypt has much to be - [SAVING THE CUBAN REVOLUTION](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/06/15/saving-the-revolution-cubas-debt-to-the-socialist-bloc-deepens/) - Cuban efforts to consolidate the revolution were challenged early on. Within four years, the government's approach to industrialization and agricultural diversification were abandoned. Failures were apparent everywhere. Agricultural yield declined, especially in the output of sugar, with production dropping from 6.7 million tons in 1961 to 4.8 million tons in 1962 and then to 3.8 - [CUBA: SUGAR AND AMERICAN COVERT ACTION](https://coldwarstudies.com/2015/02/23/cold-war-discontent-in-cuba-sugar-nationalization-and-american-covert-action/) - The Sugar Campaign directly impacts Havana. In 1968, in conjunction with the campaign to achieve a record breaking sugar harvest, the revolutionary regime mounted a final assault against private enterprise in Cuba's capital city, Havana. The remaining 57,000 private businesses -- principally small retail shops, handicraft stores, service and repair centers, bars and cafes - [Institutional Changes in the Cuban Military (# 2)](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/02/22/cold-war-cuba-institutional-changes-in-the-cuban-military-part-2/) - As we learned in Cold War Cuba: Institutional Changes in the Cuban Military (Part 1), the military was increasingly professionalized. After the military's reorganization in 1972, only individuals with good military qualifications were allowed to remain in the structure of the regular Armed Forces (FAR). Greater emphasis was put on professional military education, and many - [A Cold War Halloween](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/10/26/a-cold-war-halloween/) - Unfortunately, this issue of Cold War Magazine is no longer available. The article 9 Commie Mummies is available on the blog. Read it here. The latest issue of Cold War Magazine has just been published. Highlights include: Cold War Halloween by Sally Edelstein: Traipsing from house to house, we fell in with a coterie of trick or - [US MILITARY INFLUENCES IN PRE-REVOLUTIONARY CUBA](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/11/12/cold-war-cuba-us-military-involvement-influences-the-cuban-revolution/) - By the late 1950s, the US was ambivalent in its support for Batista. The governments of Cuba and the US had signed a military assistance pact 72 hours before Batista’s coup on March 10, 1952. Article 2 of the pact stated that the US would supply the Cuban government with arms for the purpose of - [COLD WAR CUBA: SUGAR, ECONOMICS, AND THE SOVIETS](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/06/28/cuba-sugar-campaign-economic-woes-and-soviet-assistance/) - In 1968, in conjunction with the campaign to steadily increase the sugar harvest, Fidel Castro's regime mounted a final assault against private enterprise in Havana. The remaining 57,000 private businesses -- principally small retail shops, handicraft stores, service and repair centers, bars and cafes -- were nationalized. At the same time, efforts were also made - [PALESTINE-ISRAEL TIMELINE: 1967- 1978](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/12/06/palestine-israel-timeline-1967-1978/) - NOTE: THIS IS THE SIXTH IN A SERIES OF POSTS PROVIDING A COMPREHENSIVE PALESTINE-ISRAEL TIMELINE. PALESTINE-ISRAEL TIMELINE: 1967 - 1978 [At times today's timeline skirts the civil war in Lebanon. This war won't be covered in-depth, and the timeline relating to this long conflict is purposely superficial.] 1967-1975: The Suez Canal remains closed to shipping. 1967-1977: Successive - [PALESTINE-ISRAEL TIMELINE: 1990-1996](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/12/11/palestine-israel-timeline-1990-1996/) - PALESTINE-ISRAEL TIMELINE: 1990 - 1996 Early 1990s: Hamas emerges as a viable political alternative to the local Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). 1990: When a splinter group within the PLO tries to mount a raid into Israel in summer 1990, the US breaks off negotiations with the PLO. Having recognized Israel’s right to exist without receiving any concessions - [Immigration to the US During the Cold War](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/09/22/immigration-to-the-us-during-the-cold-war/) -  Lately, migrants and refugees have been in the forefront of our headline news. The fact that so many people have been forced to leave their homes because of conflict, natural disaster, or economic circumstance has had a devastating effect on the global community, creating complex humanitarian and development difficulties. Many are wondering, "What is - [COLD WAR TIMELINE: PAKISTAN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/05/02/cold-war-timeline-pakistan/) - Given the death of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, yesterday, it's safe to say that Pakistan will be in the headlines for days to come. A Cold War timeline gives us a quick picture of Pakistan's -- often stormy -- relationship with the US. 1945: PAKISTAN was an idea, not a state. The original - [BLACK LIVES MATTER](https://coldwarstudies.com/2020/06/10/black-lives-matter/) - Like many of you I’ve been disgusted and appalled by the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. They're just the latest in a long string of racist incidents in the United States. As an individual, I feel powerless, and I’ve struggled with how we in the Cold War Studies community can - [Cold War-Style Preparedness Could Help Fight Future Pandemics](https://coldwarstudies.com/2020/04/15/cold-war-style-preparedness-could-help-fight-future-pandemics/) - Alex Bitterman, Alfred State College of Technology, The State University of New York and Daniel Baldwin Hess, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York A key group of allies is missing in the U.S. effort to face the coronavirus pandemic: the American people. In the wake of World War II and during the - [Cold War Basics: B is for Brinkmanship](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/09/13/cold-war-basics-b-is-for-brinkmanship/) - Many scholars argue that there were two distinct phases of the Cold War. The first was bipolar brinkmanship. The second was multilateral permanent truce. During the first part of the Cold War, brinkmanship was a policy tool used by the United States to coerce the Soviet Union into backing down militarily. This phase of the - [Cold War Basics: C is for Containment](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/09/20/cold-war-basics-c-is-for-containment/) - The idea of containment came to the fore with the publication of George Kennan’s “Long Telegram” in the July 1947 issue of Foreign Affairs. Kennan, writing as Mr. X, was Washington’s most respected expert on Soviet affairs. Throughout the early 1940s, he’d warned against any hope of close postwar cooperation with Stalin. Kennan suggested that - [Cold War Basics: D is for Detente](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/09/27/cold-war-basics-d-is-for-detente/) - Detente was a strategy to “tame the bear,” to shape the environment in which the Soviet superpower would have to operate. Kissinger said: In the nuclear era . . . it is our responsibility to contain Soviet power without global war . . . The policies pursued by this administration have been designed to - [Is There Hope for a Hong Kong Revolution?](https://coldwarstudies.com/2020/05/26/is-there-hope-for-a-hong-kong-revolution/) - Hong Kong protesters shelter behind a thin barrier – and umbrellas – as police fire tear gas and encircle a group of demonstrators. AP Photo/Vincent Yu Paul Monod, Middlebury Hong Kong may seem like an unlikely place for a revolution. In this relatively affluent and privileged city, young people might be expected to be more - [NSC-68 (1948-1950): A PODCAST](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/04/18/nsc-68-1948-1950-a-podcast/) - LISTEN TO OUR NEW PODCAST: NSC-68 (1948-1950) HERE Cold War Studies is excited to bring you our most recent podcast, the fourth in a series based on AMERICA, RUSSIA, AND THE COLD WAR by Walter LaFeber. Our last podcast ended with Truman arguing that the Marshall Plan was not enough to prevent Europe from sliding into - [Foreign Aid: The Cold War and Now](https://coldwarstudies.com/2019/12/03/foreign-aid-the-cold-war-and-now/) - Today, just as in 1947, American foreign aid is a very contentious topic. So contentious, in fact, that the handling of military assistance to the Ukrainian nation in the summer of 2019 is at the core of an ongoing impeachment debate in the United States Congress. At first, though, when the Truman Doctrine of 1947 “put - [The War in the Third World Begins](https://coldwarstudies.com/2019/10/29/the-war-in-the-third-world-begins/) - Soon after World War II ended, American and Russia took center stage in world affairs. Both of them declared war on the colonial system, and soon the Third World was caught up in a new ideological struggle. The Third World was to be torn apart by its own dogmatic civil wars, mirroring the contest of - [Havana: The Special Period](https://coldwarstudies.com/2019/10/23/havana-the-special-period/) - The Special Period (of War) in Time of Peace began in Cuba with the end of the Cold War in 1990. At that time, the nation was abandoned by the Soviet Union. Dire economic circumstances were further complicated by a tightening of US sanctions against the island nation. In the absence of the Cold War - [FDR and The Colonial Question](https://coldwarstudies.com/2019/09/24/fdr-and-the-colonial-question/) - Under Herbert Hoover, America's president from 1929-1933, the U.S. was converted to the view that intervention in other nation's affairs was no longer respectable. He said: True democracy is not and cannot be imperialistic. However, a decisive shift in American colonial policy came with his successor, Franklin D. Roosevelt. In a 1928 article in Foreign Affairs - [COLD WAR SPYING YEAR BY YEAR: 1958](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/04/04/cold-war-spying-year-by-year-1958/) - [This post draws directly from Tim Wiener's compelling book Legacy of Ashes, published by Doubleday in 2007. It is highly recommended. Many thanks to Tim for allowing the use of his material.] If you'll remember, on September 25, 1957, President Eisenhower orders the CIA to overthrow Indonesia. He sets out 3 missions: to provide “arms - [Jimmy Carter's Lasting Cold War Legacy](https://coldwarstudies.com/2019/05/02/8906/) - (This post is by Robert C. Donnelly) Former President Jimmy Carter. AP Robert C. Donnelly, Gonzaga University Jimmy Carter was a dark horse Democratic presidential candidate with little national recognition when he beat Republican incumbent Gerald Ford in 1976. The introspective former peanut farmer pledged a new era of honesty and forthrightness at home and - [1946: The Cold War Accelerates](https://coldwarstudies.com/2019/04/23/1946-the-cold-war-accelerates/) - In a previous post, I mentioned that America had just dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and that the Soviets were responding by pushing forward with an effort to produce their own atomic weapon. In other words, the arms race was on. In this post we'll be focusing more on the threat of conventional military - [The Truman Doctrine and The Marshall Plan: A Podcast](https://coldwarstudies.com/2019/10/01/the-truman-doctrine-and-the-marshall-plan-a-podcast-2/) - LISTEN TO OUR NEW PODCAST: THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE AND THE MARSHALL PLAN (TWO HALVES OF THE SAME WALNUT) Cold War Studies is excited to bring you our most recent podcast, the third in a series based on AMERICA, RUSSIA, AND THE COLD WAR by Walter LaFeber. The podcast begins on March 12, 1947, when US - [Havana (Cuba): A Cold War City No More](https://coldwarstudies.com/2019/05/21/havana-cuba-a-cold-war-city-no-more/) - Note: This will be our last regular post until fall. Over the summer, you can follow @coldwarstudies on Twitter. You can also join the Cold War Studies Facebook community. We'd love to have you. Meanwhile, have a wonderful summer and we'll see you in September. By the mid 1980s, Havana was receiving more military assistance from - [Z is for Zdanov Doctrine](https://coldwarstudies.com/2019/05/14/z-is-for-zdanov-doctrine/) - At the first Cominform conference in September 1947, Andrei Zdanov, Stalin’s Politburo colleague, articulated the Soviet response to Mr. X. He surveyed the Russian view of the global situation as it had emerged from World War II. In what has become known as the Two Camp Speech, Zdanov announced that American economic power was organizing - [Slow Growth in a Cold War City](https://coldwarstudies.com/2019/04/16/slow-growth-in-a-cold-war-city/) - Migration from the countryside of Cuba to the nation's capital, Havana, was extremely sluggish during much of the 1970s. This, along with other factors, contributed to the capital's low population increase. Havana's percentage increase remained low compared to that of other Latin American cities throughout the decade. The capital's rate of growth increased over the - [Y is for Yalta](https://coldwarstudies.com/2019/05/07/y-is-for-yalta/) - The “Big Three” — Britain, Russia, and the United States — met at Yalta, a resort on the Russian Black Sea, in February 1945. Their purpose was to shape the post World War II world. During the conference, the Western Allies (to their regret) acknowledged that the enormous Soviet sacrifices and successes in the war - [Cold War Cuba: Institutional Changes in the Cuban Military (Part I)](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/02/15/cold-war-cuba-institutional-changes-in-the-cuban-military-part-i/) - The 1960s It was logical for the military to play a guiding role in the new revolutionary government because, ever since the 1960s, the army was the only government entity that "grew increasingly professionalized, institutionalized, and efficient." In fact, the army expanded its responsibilities over the decade, absorbing many nonmilitary functions such as the organization - [America, Russia, and the Cold War: A Pre Cold War Timeline and Podcast](https://coldwarstudies.com/2019/04/02/america-russia-and-the-cold-war-a-pre-cold-war-timeline-and-podcast/) - The Cold War has dominated the international scene since 1945, and the causes of the Cold War are still relevant in today’s 21st century. Understanding this half century conflict and recognizing its legacy may help us avoid some conflict in the future. So let’s take a look at history and see what we can discover. - [W is for the War Powers Act of 1973](https://coldwarstudies.com/2019/03/26/w-is-for-the-war-powers-act-of-1973/) - Enacted over President Nixon’s veto in November 1973, the War Powers Act (Resolution) of 1973 required that “in every possible instance” the President must consult with Congress before sending troops into hostilities. The law also required that, when the President commits forces, he must send a full explanation to Congress within two days. He must - [The Shah Celebrates](https://coldwarstudies.com/2019/03/07/the-shah-celebrates/) - Last month on February 11, Iran celebrated the 40th anniversary of the day the Ayatollah Khomeini returned from exile to herald the new Islamic Republic of Iran. Aljeerza reports that Iranians poured into the streets across the country, "renewing their allegiance to the country's Islamic principles at a time of rising economic and political pressure amid the resumption of - [V is for VIETNAMIZATION](https://coldwarstudies.com/2019/02/14/v-is-for-vietnamization/) - Vietnamization involved the gradual unilateral withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam. The policy, initiated by President Eisenhower, was coupled with stepped-up training and equipping of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. Ike’s intention was to give the South Vietnamese the maximum chance for survival after the departure of the Americans. At a minimum, it - [WHAT RED SCARE?](https://coldwarstudies.com/2019/01/22/what-red-scare/) - Sandwiched between the Great Depression and the US entry into World War II, the 1939 World’s Fair opened in Queens, New York, on April 30, 1939. The celebration was so ambitious that a new bridge -- the Bronx-Whitestone -- and a new subway line were added to New York City’s infrastructure. Opening day was full - [U is for U-2](https://coldwarstudies.com/2018/11/15/u-is-for-u-2/) - In 1956, the US Air Force bought 48 single-seater models of Lockheed’s U-2 spy plane, and five 2-seater models. The planes flew too high for Soviet anti-aircraft missiles or fighters, and had free reign after 1957. They flew from bases in Japan, Turkey, and Britain, staying in the air for 12 hours, and mapping and - [Cold War Cuba: Labor Migration](https://coldwarstudies.com/2018/11/27/cold-war-cuba-labor-migration/) - Export of Labor Flows The outflow of Cuban labor associated with the country's military activity overseas is well documented. However, Cuba's export of labor flows for revenue and training purposes is less discussed. Still, these programs affected Havana during the 1970s and 1980s because they targeted the most desirable members of the city's labor force, - [Bob Dylan in Russia](https://coldwarstudies.com/2018/09/11/dylan-in-russia/) - Hard to believe, but a January 1975 memo published by Wikileaks reveals that the United States government considered sending Bob Dylan to Moscow to undermine communism. Well, not just Dylan, but Joni Mitchell, Don McLean, James Taylor, Neil Young, Carly Simon, and Carole King among others. The Memo* The actual text of the document reads - [August 1964: The Gulf of Tonkin Incident](https://coldwarstudies.com/2018/09/19/august-1964-the-gulf-of-tonkin-incident/) - A Little Background In early August 1964, what became known as the Gulf of Tonkin incident hit the news. At the time, most Americans were aware that there was a growing conflict in Vietnam, but they’d been told that the US presence was limited to a small number of military advisers. In the context of - [T is for Truman Doctrine](https://coldwarstudies.com/2018/05/24/t-is-for-truman-doctrine/) - President Truman made a dramatic address on March 12, 1947, to both Houses of the US Congress. In the speech (known as Truman’s Declaration of Cold War), the president asked Americans to join in a global commitment against communism. He asked for $400 million in emergency aid and for the right to send US troops - [Cuban Internationalism](https://coldwarstudies.com/2018/06/27/cuban-internationalism/) - During the 1970s, Cuba expanded its involvement overseas, initially volunteering, but soon selling its military and civilian services to other nations of the Third World. Some argue that Cuba was merely a puppet with the Soviet Union pulling the strings. However, many believe that Cuba had its own reasons for international opportunism. In fact, as - [My Lai: What Do We Know?](https://coldwarstudies.com/2018/03/19/my-lai-what-do-we-know/) - What is the legacy of the My Lai Massacre as we mark the 50th anniversary of that tragic event? I'm certainly not an expert on war crimes but recently I attended an all day conference on the slaughter at My Lai (Vietnam) that left me shaken. I knew about the massacre, of course, having lived - [Cuba Without the Castros: What's Next?](https://coldwarstudies.com/2018/04/19/cuba-without-the-castros-whats-next/) - Havana: A Cold War City? In today's environment, the fact that Havana was once a Cold War city is important only in terms of the Cold War's legacy which is quite clear. In the Cuban case, large infusions of Soviet military and economic assistance, weapons, and technology ensured the continuance of the Cuban Revolution of - [S is for Sputnik](https://coldwarstudies.com/2018/04/04/s-is-for-sputnik/) - On the morning of October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union successfully launched the world’s first artificial satellite named Sputnik (Russian for “travelling companion”). Weighing 184 pounds, the satellite orbited the earth at 18,000 miles per hour. The booster launching demonstrated the skill of Soviet missile science. Americans were extremely disturbed. Strategic air force units were - [The 1960s: Spies and Spying](https://coldwarstudies.com/2018/03/27/the-1960s-spies-and-spying/) - The 1960s begin with attention centered on the U-2 spy incident. You can read all about that here. 1961 is also busy. President Eisenhower leaves office with a memorable speech, and JFK takes office. One of his first actions was the disastrous Bay of Pigs. You can read about these events here. 1962 Oct. 16, - [Cold War Cuba: Demographic Change (Part 2)](https://coldwarstudies.com/2018/02/27/cold-war-cuba-demographic-change-part-2/) - As previously stated [see Cold War Cuba: Demographic Change (Part 1)], the policy of full-employment had been maintained at the cost of labor productivity leading to the new emphasis on material incentives (brigade housing units, for example) at the expense of conciencia. Conciencia, as you'll recall, was the creation of a fresh mindfulness that would lead - [Cold War Cuba: Demographic Change (Part I)](https://coldwarstudies.com/2018/02/20/cold-war-cuba-demographic-change-part-i/) - Cuba's declining birthrate after 1978 is often portrayed as a gain related to an increasing level of modernization. However, some argue that despite the emphasis on health, educational reform, and changes in women's roles and status, the 'modernization' explanation of Cuban fertility decline is, at best, incomplete. Indeed, Diaz-Briquets and Perez argue that: The key - [R is for Red Scare](https://coldwarstudies.com/2018/03/15/r-is-for-red-scare/) - The Red Scare was the name for the anti-communist militancy that swept the US in the years after World War II. Postwar rhetoric about Godless Communism infused all media and invaded Americans’ everyday lives. Fear of spies, threats of a communist takeover, and paranoia about nuclear war were exploited as reality as well as fantasy, - [COLD WAR SPYING YEAR BY YEAR: 1961](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/04/25/cold-war-spying-year-by-year-1961/) - January 20, 1961: President-elect John F. Kennedy is inaugurated. President Eisenhower's departing speech centers on the growing danger of the US military-industrial complex. February 14, 1961: Jim Webb is appointed by JFK to take over NASA. He vows to push America ahead of Russia in the Space Race. April 12, 1961: Yuri Gagarin, son of a Russian - [COLD WAR SPYING YEAR BY YEAR: 1960 AND THE U-2 INCIDENT](https://coldwarstudies.com/2015/10/15/cold-war-spying-year-by-year-1960-and-the-u-2-incident/) - February 1960: The US Olympic hockey team upsets the Russian team, the defending medal winners from 1956, in Sun Valley, California. May 1, 1960: The Soviets shoot down the U-2 reconaissance plane piloted by US pilot Gary Powers over the Urals. The embarrassed US first tries to pass off the plane as "weather observation." But, caught red-handed, Powers admits - [Vietnam War and Protest Movement Timeline](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/02/01/vietnam-war-and-protest-movement-timeline/) - The Vietnam Protest Movement began slowly, grounded in the Cold War scare itself. The protesters believed the war was wrong and they thought that the United States shouldn’t be involved. They were countered by those who supported the war and saw the protesters as unruly and disruptive. It goes without saying that to understand the - [Q is for Quemoy](https://coldwarstudies.com/2018/01/31/q-is-for-quemoy/) - A challenge that would trigger action by the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization was successfully blunted in 1954 and 1955 when the Chinese Communists threatened the offshore islands of Quemoy, Matsu, and the Tachens, islands which lay between Mainland China and Taiwan. As the communists shelled the islands and then announced the imminent “liberation” of Taiwan, - [The Pueblo Incident: Factoids](https://coldwarstudies.com/2018/01/24/the-pueblo-incident-factoids/) - Background In December 1967, the Pueblo, an American Navy vessel, leaves Pearl Harbor, heading for Yokosuka, Japan. In January 1968, the Pueblo begins its first mission, conducting electronic intelligence operations off the coast of North Korea. It is one of 800 international surveillance missions then being carried out by the United States. On January 21, - [Cold War Cuba: Mariel](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/11/07/cold-war-cuba-mariel/) - One hundred twenty-five thousand Cubans left the island on a flotilla of privately chartered vessels from May to September 1980. Emigration, which had been quite low since the early 1970s, was spurred by both socioeconomic and political discontent. Certainly the housing crisis was a major contributor since, by 1980, the housing deficit nationwide stood at - [Russia vs. America](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/09/27/russia-vs-america/) - RUSSIA vs AMERICA Stalin’s compulsion to protect Russian interests dictated his actions. He was determined to prevent foreign domination of territories contiguous to his nation's borders. Stalin’s obsession is not difficult to understand given Soviet losses in World War II.According to Bruce R. Kuniholm, the United States suffered 291,557 battle deaths and the British 373,372. - [Cold War Basics: A is for Arms Race](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/09/06/cold-war-basics-a-is-for-arms-race/) - The first A-bomb — code named Trinity — was tested at Alamogordo (New Mexico) on July 16, 1945. On his way home from Potsdam less than a month later, President Harry Truman received news that the atomic bomb had obliterated Hiroshima (Japan). Initially, Truman thought that he could figure out how to use the bomb - [COLD WAR E-BOOK](https://coldwarstudies.com/2015/05/01/cold-war-e-book/) - (CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD COLD WAR UNVEILED! IT'S FREE!!) COLD WAR UNVEILED lets you learn about the Cold War while you’re on the go! Ever wished you had an easy and FUN way to learn about Cold War History and Politics? Are you a student? A history buff? An erudite conversationalist? Do you want to WOW your friends - [The Soviet Challenge](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/09/19/the-soviet-challenge/) - With the death of Stalin in March 1953, the Soviets renewed their long dormant interest in the revolutionary potential of the less developed world. Khruschev resolutely determined to mobilize the newly emerging and decolonializing nations against the West, intending to exploit the end of colonial empires to promote his own interests. The issue took on - [Superpower Conflict in the Third World](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/09/12/superpower-conflict-in-the-third-world/) - Was the Cold War a direct result of the breakdown of World War II alliances? Not really. In actuality, it took form in the late 19th century on the plains of Northern China and Manchuria. Conflict arose when the American emphasis on business, markets, and profits clashed with the czarist emphasis on expansion and empire. - [KOREAN WAR TIMELINE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/09/05/korean-war-timeline/) - As the American conflict with North Korea gains intensity, there seem to be few good options for those opposed to the nuclear build-up of Kim Jung-un's regime. Some foreign policy wonks think deterrence is the answer. It worked during the Cold War. But can it work with Kim, an arguably less rational leader than the - [Cold War Havana: UNESCO World Heritage](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/10/03/cold-war-havana-unesco-world-heritage/) - As we saw in our post on Havana's Urban Slum Areas, substandard housing and shantytowns were of great concern to the Cuban government. Budgets for maintenance and repair of housing and community facilities increased dramatically as a result of complaints expressed in meeting help periodically between local People's Power delegates and their constituents, challenging the - [THE LEGACY OF AMERICAN CLIENTELISM IN COLD WAR TAIWAN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2015/09/30/the-legacy-of-american-clientelism-in-cold-war-taiwan/) - America's influence on Taipei's successful economic development is generally accepted. However, there is much discussion about the relative contributions of endogenous and exogenous factors. While the contest will not be settled here, the differing positions of scholars Amsden and Cumings shed light on varying interpretations of the American legacy. Alice Amsden argues, "U.S. aid kept - [The Second Cold War in a Nutshell](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/07/18/the-second-cold-war-in-a-nutshell/) - The Second Cold War: Part I By the mid 1970s, the world had entered a Second Cold War. This coincided with a major change in the world economy. Two inter-related developments now seemed to impact the influence of the two superpowers. First, Vietnam. Second, the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Through OPEC, the Arab states of - [CUBA 1959: COLD WAR COMES TO THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/06/19/cuba-1959-cold-war-comes-to-the-western-hemisphere/) - 2017 Given President Trump's partial rollback of engagement with Cuba, it seems worthwhile to look back on the schism between the island and its superpower neighbor. But, first, here are a few highlights of the new policy: Americans may still travel to Cuba in coming months, but only in groups with travel providers. Individual people-to-people - [THE RED SCARE INTENSIFIES AND THE COLD WAR BEGINS: A TIMELINE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2015/10/21/the-red-scare-intensifies-and-the-cold-war-begins-a-timeline/) - THE RED SCARE: 1944-1947 1944: Sam Wood, a prominent Hollywood director and producer, founds the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals to confront what he saw as a Communist takeover of Hollywood. (Sam was best known for directing such Hollywood hits as A Night at the Opera, A Day at the Races, Goodbye, - [Take a Look at The Red Scare Issue of Cold War Magazine](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/07/07/take-a-look-at-the-red-scare-issue-of-cold-war-magazine/) - Our new issue of Cold War Magazine is all about the Red Scare -- America's fear of communism run rampant! Americans were afraid. And there were lots of scare tactics! Click here to go straight to the magazine. During the First Red Scare, after the Russian Revolution of 1917, Americans were so frightened of "commies" that President Wilson committed arms and troops to - [The Split: Sunni and Shi'a](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/06/07/the-split-sunni-and-shia/) - I've decided to publish a post or two from the Cold War Studies e-mail course on Islam, since tensions in the Middle East highlighting the Sunni-Shi'a split are increasingly in the news. I'm thinking especially of the rhetoric surrounding President Trump's recent visit to Saudi Arabia. I'm also reacting to this morning's terrorist attack in - [Cold War Havana: Urban Slum Areas](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/08/02/cold-war-havana-urban-slum-areas/) - The attention of Havana's planners in the early 1970s turned to urban slum areas. The inner city had suffered considerable decay in the 1960s and much of Havana's housing stock was in substandard condition. One such area was Cayo Hueso, a neighborhood bordering the downtown commercial area of Centro Havana where Cuba's first major urban - [The Early Cold War in a Nutshell](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/07/05/the-early-cold-war-in-a-nutshell/) - HOW DID THE COLD WAR START? Lines of demarcation between the Soviets and the West were drawn at Yalta. Animosity escalated with the partition of Germany, the withdrawal of all ex-belligerents from Austria, and the unilateral US occupation of Japan. More friction surrounded the new post colonial states in what was then called The Third - [AT THE MOVIES: NORTH KOREA](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/04/12/at-the-movies-north-korea/) - Everybody and their brother is writing about North Korea, so I didn't think that Cold War Studies had much to add to the mix. We published our Korean War Timeline in 2011, and I updated it about a week ago. But when I was playing around with some work I'm doing on Havana Film Festivals, - [Cold War Terms: What You Need to Know](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/06/28/cold-war-terms-what-you-need-to-know/) - Want to be a good conversationalist when people start talking about the Cold War? Here are the terms you need to know. Appeasement: a diplomatic policy aimed at granting concessions to potential enemies to avoid war; generally considered a synonym for weakness. Article 51 of the UN Charter: allows for collective self-defense through regional organizations - [N is for Nonaligned Movement](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/05/23/n-is-for-nonaligned-movement/) - Nations who refused to closely associate themselves with either the Soviets or the US were known as neutral or nonaligned. The very concept of nonalignment was a problem for US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles. At the same time, he acknowledged the vitality of nationalism in the Third World. He also understood the moral - [Political Films of the Cold War: Emile de Antonio](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/05/17/political-films-of-the-cold-war-emile-de-antonio/) - Emile de Antonio (1919-1989) was a radical American documentary filmmaker during the Cold War years, specializing in political documentaries that cobbled together television footage, interviews, and other audio-visual material to argue his point. In a career spanning more than three decades, he covered such subjects as the McCarthy hearings, the assassination of JFK, the Vietnam - [Read About Cold War Spies for Free Online](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/06/06/read-about-cold-war-spies-for-free-online/) - Many sites offer free Cold War Spy Books for download. Here are a few in no particular order: Spy Wise offers a previously unpublished revision of O.F. Snelling's 1964 best-seller then known as James Bond: A Report. It's in PDF format and is called "James Bond Under the Microscope." http://spywise.net/wbf/microscope.pdf Download the free e-book by - [Cold War Taiwan: Democracy or Soft Authoritarianism?](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/04/19/cold-war-taiwan-democracy-or-soft-authoritarianism/) - Even those arguing that Taiwan has not undergone a true democratic transformation admit that rapid and substantial progress has been achieved. The electoral process is now open to a wide variety of parties, including communists, and the social status and civil rights of almost all former dissidents have been restored. As the 1998 Taipei mayoral - [IRAN-IRAQ WAR, OIL, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2015/09/09/iran-iraq-war-oil-and-social-justice/) - The Pasdaran Gain Control Over Iran's Military Operations During the first half of the Cold War, the shah of Iran was determined to employ military-led industrialization as his country's development strategy. All changed, though, after the revolution when the Pasdaran -- the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution -- gained control over Iran's - [Cold War Cuba: Microbrigades](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/03/29/cold-war-cuba-microbrigades/) - Just as the organization of work within the armed forces was restructured so that military units might function more efficiently, the organization of work in various sectors directly affecting the provision of urban services for the residents of Havana required change. The housing sector, in particular, cried out for attention. A New Framework As a - [Democratic Elections Come to Taiwan](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/02/21/democratic-elections-come-to-taiwan/) - At the national level, elections in 1991 and 1992 featured full-scale electoral and party competition for the first time. In 1991, in Taiwan's first multiparty popular election, voters elected 325 representatives of a new 405 seat National Assembly. Members previously serving life terms were forced to give up their seats. In 1992, in the first - [Start of the Cold War: A Timeline](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/04/07/start-of-the-cold-war-a-timeline/) - Was the Cold War a direct result of the breakdown of World War II alliances? Not really. In actuality, it took form in the late 19th century on the plains of Northern China and Manchuria. Conflict arose when the American emphasis on business, markets, and profits clashed with the czarist emphasis on expansion and empire. - [IRAN: REGIONAL WARFARE OR COLD WAR PAWN?](https://coldwarstudies.com/2015/06/01/iran-regional-warfare-or-cold-war-pawn/) - Iran's constitution, foreign policy, and armed forces changed in the first year after the revolution. The country's traditional view of warfare changed in the wake of the Iraq invasion. Rather than the high technology deterrence that the shah's arms procurement program had been geared toward providing, Iraq's invasion of Iran called for other tactics. - [10 LITTLE KNOWN FACTS ABOUT THE PEACE SIGN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2015/08/24/10-little-known-facts-about-the-peace-sign/) - 1. Some people think it's a Satanic symbol. 2. It started out as the logo of the British Group named the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). 3. The symbol incorporated the semaphore letters N(uclear) and D(isarmament). 4. Bayard Rustin, a close associate of Martin Luther King, brought the symbol back to the United States after a trip - [POST COLD WAR CUBA: RELIGION](https://coldwarstudies.com/2015/09/23/post-cold-war-cuba-religion/) - This post was originally published in March of 2012 as part of a series of posts on "Religion in Cuba." I'm republishing it today in honor of Pope Francis' visit to Cuba. Links to the other posts follow. I hope you'll take the time to read them all. Many of you are aware that Pope - [M is for Marshall Plan](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/04/03/m-is-for-marshall-plan/) - The Marshall Plan for the recovery of Europe was formally unveiled in a speech given by US Secretary of State, General George C. Marshall, at Harvard University on June 5, 1947. The speech was a natural outgrowth of the Truman Doctrine. Suffice it to say, the Truman administration used the American fear of communism both - [L is for Linkage](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/03/27/l-is-for-linkage/) - Cold War linkage theorized that the various issues on which the United States and the Soviet Union interacted should be viewed as interconnected. For example, Nixon and Kissinger did not believe that arms control negotiations could or should be able to proceed in isolation from other issues reflecting political sources of tension such as Berlin - [K is for Kent State](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/01/23/k-is-for-kent-state/) - In 1969, President Nixon announced that US troops would leave Vietnam in a phased withdrawal. His goal was to wind down the war in Southeast Asia and end the antiwar protests in the United States. But, despite the drawdown, the president had no intention of becoming isolationist. As Nixon pulled out troops, he secretly escalated - [J is for Johnson Doctrine](https://coldwarstudies.com/2017/01/03/j-is-for-johnson-doctrine/) - The Johnson Doctrine evolved from activities occurring in the Dominican Republic on April 24, 1965. On this date, a civilian government (headed by Donald Reid Cabral) was attacked by liberal and radical followers of Juan Bosch. By April 28, the military seemed to have the upper hand, but uninformed Washington officials hastily concluded that marines - [History of Taiwan: Cold War Activism](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/12/06/history-of-taiwan-cold-war-activism/) - From 1979 to the present, citizen groups have emerged in Taiwan. They actively promote their particular interests and concerns. One of their objectives has been to obtain some measure of autonomy from the KMT authoritarian state. In 2016 they reached a major milestone when Tsai Ing-wen, the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) candidate for President received 56.1% of the - [Cold War Basics: I is for Iron Curtain](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/11/10/cold-war-basics-i-is-for-iron-curtain/) - The term Iron Curtain symbolizes the ideological conflict and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1990. The term represents efforts by the Soviet Union to block itself and its dependent and central European allies off from - [Cold War Basics: G is for Grand Strategy](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/10/18/cold-war-basics-g-is-for-grand-strategy/) - The term competitive grand strategy refers to the rivalry between the individual grand strategies of the two superpowers as they competed for power and influence in the less developed world. American grand strategy can be defined as an integration of military and economic objectives in the war against communism. The military component of grand strategy - [People's Power in Cold War Cuba](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/10/27/peoples-power-in-cold-war-cuba/) - The establishment of the Organs of People's Power (OPP) and countrywide geographic and political reorganization were especially important to Havana's future development. Organs of People's Power (OPP) were created at three levels: municipal, provincial, and national. Popularly known as Poder Popular or Popular Power, OPP were an attempt to decentralize decision-making and advance the process of - [Cold War Magazine Goes Back to School](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/10/12/cold-war-magazine-goes-back-to-school/) - DON'T BE A DUNCE! Get your copy of the latest issue of Cold War Magazine. Our Back to School Issue -- is now available on iTunes for all you iPad and iPhone users. And it's free! Just click here for more information. COLD WAR MAGAZINE is proud to bring you in-depth articles on Cold War history, - [Cold War Basics: F is for Free World Orientation](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/10/11/cold-war-basics-f-is-for-free-world-orientation/) - From the end of World War II in 1945 until the ultimate collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, the world was polarized by a global conflict between two wartime allies, the Soviet Union and the United States. The Cold War was global in scope and created political divisions based on free world orientation, socialist - [Cold War Basics: E is for Encirclement](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/10/04/cold-war-basics-e-is-for-encirclement/) - Both the United States and the Soviet Union were consumed with the idea of encirclement. The Americans focused on “a global battle against communism.” They saw Russia’s goal as the control of the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. This control was part of a communist plan to encircle and capture Germany and Europe. America’s - [The Sixties: Factoids from 1963](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/07/14/the-sixties-factoids-from-1963/) - I'm reading Charles Murray's latest book now. It's titled Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1060-2010 and you can buy it on Amazon right here. The book argues that President Kennedy's assassination on November, 21, 1963, marked the end of an era. The next day, November 22, was symbolic, the first day of what - [Cold War Cuba: The Communist Party and Urbanism in Havana](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/06/27/cold-war-cuba-the-communist-party-and-urbanism-in-havana/) - The Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) emerged in the 1970s as the country's governing institution at the same time that the weight of the military in its Central Committee moved toward the Soviet pattern. At this time, Castro asserted: The party today is the soul of the Cuban revolution . . . . The - [Democratization in Cold War Taipei](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/06/16/democratization-in-cold-war-taipei/) - During the years when the Americans had a strong presence and influence in Taipei, democracy was in scarce supply. As previously discussed, a quasi-Leninist party and its supporting military deeply penetrated the city's political environment, controlling all political activity and prohibiting competitive elections for the top city official. Beginning with Taipei's designation as a special - [CUBA ISSUES OF COLD WAR MAGAZINE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/03/22/cuba-issues-of-cold-war-magazine/) - To honor President Obama's historic visit to the island of Cuba, Cold War Magazine has published two special issues. They are both in the iTunes store now, and I hope you'll take a look. The issues are free, and are easy to read on your iPad or iPhone. Follow this link to find out more about - [Cold War Music = War Songs](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/02/11/cold-war-music-war-songs/) - Welcome to the Music Issue of Cold War Magazine. CLICK HERE TO READ THE MAGAZINE This month’s issue covers the popular music of the Cold War, starting with the war in Korea and ending with the fall of the Soviet Union and the collapse of the Berlin Wall. There’s lots to listen to, so be sure - [COLD WAR UNVEILED](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/10/27/cold-war-unveiled/) - Cold War Studies is proud to announce the publication of our new e-book titled COLD WAR UNVEILED: ARMS RACE TO ZDANOV DOCTRINE. Subscribe to Cold War Studies to get your FREE COPY. Just use the sign-up form in the sidebar or at the end of this post. COLD WAR UNVEILED: ARMS RACE to ZDANOV DOCTRINE is meant - [COLD WAR IRAN IN THE 1980s: A HIERARCHY OF CITIES](https://coldwarstudies.com/2016/01/18/cold-war-iran-in-the-1980s-a-hierarchy-of-cities/) - Post-revolutionary urban development reflects important shifts in the urban hierarchy of Iranian cities with new elements shaping their formation. During the Cold War, Isfahan's central location contributed to its growth as an industrial center, and the city's military facilities were prime beneficiaries of the shah's defense expenditures. In the post-revolutionary period, despite early protestations, militarization - [SOCIAL JUSTICE AND THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR IN COLD WAR IRAN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2015/10/07/social-justice-and-the-iran-iraq-war-in-cold-war-iran/) - Revolutionary leadership convinced many Iranians that their demands for democracy, national independence, and social justice would be realized with the adoption of a new Islamic form of government. This became difficult as the struggle for independence from the American superpower played out in the context of the war against Iraq. The impact of the Iraq - [Cold War Conspiracies and Suspect Polio Prevention](https://coldwarstudies.com/2015/09/16/cold-war-conspiracies-and-suspect-polio-prevention/) - Many American scientists distrusted the Russian field trials. Russian colleagues responded with a sentiment similar to Sting’s Cold War hit: the Russians love their children too. Suspicions and conspiracy theories regarding vaccines have been around as long as vaccines themselves. Vaccines are a powerful and frankly, a scary technology. They are based on placing a - [CASTRO'S URBAN POLICY: AN ASSESSMENT](https://coldwarstudies.com/2015/05/20/castros-urban-policy-an-assessment/) - Fidel Castro and the rebeldes met with a fair amount of early success in their drive to improve the quality of life in urban areas of Cuba -- especially in Havana. Rural-urban imbalances diminished a great deal during the decade of the 1960s, although the demographic growth of Greater Havana continued until 1963. Improvement occurred mainly because - [COLD WAR TAIWAN: THE UNITED STATES PULLS OUT](https://coldwarstudies.com/2015/05/12/cold-war-taiwan-the-united-states-pulls-out/) - The 'economic miracle' of the 1960s led the United States to re-evaluate Taiwan's need for continued economic and military assistance. Reassessment was logical because, in reality, multinational corporations, the World Bank, and the IMF had replaced US missions as Taiwan's conduit to the world economy, and the island had become a supplier of labor - [CAUSES OF THE COLD WAR: A PODCAST](https://coldwarstudies.com/2015/04/01/causes-of-the-cold-war-a-podcast/) - To listen to the Causes of the Cold War podcast, click here. The Cold War has dominated the international scene since 1945, and the causes of the Cold War are still relevant in today's 21st century. This podcast will help us understand the Cold War's legacy and its residuals. This understanding may help us avoid - [COLD WAR TAIWAN: FEMALE LABOR IN TAIPEI](https://coldwarstudies.com/2015/03/30/cold-war-taiwan-female-labor-in-taipei/) - Many of Taipei's industries had a policy of hiring only unmarried women. Female employees were prevalent in the food processing industry, in textile and garment factories, and in the electronics industry where they constituted 59.4%, 79%, and 65.6% of direct production workers respectively. The proportion of women of labor force age who were employed jumped - [COLD WAR IRAN: US PERCEPTIONS OF IRAN'S SECURITY NEEDS](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/05/06/cold-war-iran-us-perceptions-of-irans-security-needs/) - There was a general recognition in the US that the shah's perception of threat was real and diverse. The monarch's interpretation of Iran's security issues coincided with those concerns which the United States understood to be critical in the Cold War environment. As the staff report concluded : It is . . . not - [COLD WAR TAIPEI: INDUSTRIAL FORM AND LOCATION](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/04/08/cold-war-taipei-industrial-form-and-location/) - In 1966, industry was located mostly in Old Taipei where the districts of Tatong, Lungshan, Yengping and Shuangyuan contained 44.7% of all factories. Overall, the Old City locations had benefits (access to rail and road transportation along with availability of water, markets, and employees) which allowed them to retain their advantage and their large manufacturing - [CUBAN REVOLUTION: WAR ON PROSTITUTION](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/03/30/cuban-revolution-war-on-prostitution/) - The Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) led the revolution's attack on domestic service and on prostitution. After 1959, domestic service was viewed as degrading and exploitative. Maids began to be described as slaves who were exploited by long hours of work, abusive treatment and low pay. In this context, Castro's stated objective was to get those - [COLD WAR IRAN: THREAT PERCEPTION](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/03/25/cold-war-iran-threat-perception/) - Overview: The Military Support for all of Iran's security forces increased dramatically during the Cold War period, especially after the rapid escalation in oil profits facilitated spending. According to Thomas M. Ricks, regarding the military: He [the shah] increased its size from 200,000 men in 1963 to 410,000 in 1977; the army went from 180,000 - [COLD WAR STUDIES IS NOW ON FACEBOOK](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/03/10/cold-war-studies-is-now-on-facebook/) - Finally, Cold War Studies is on Facebook. I'm really happy about this because it allows me to post more types of Cold War information: cultural, environmental, current events. I hope you'll check us out. Fancy buttons are coming soon! Meanwhile, we'd love some likes. - [COLD WAR SPYING YEAR BY YEAR: 1956](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/03/06/cold-war-spying-year-by-year-1956/) - February 25, 1956: Khruschev gives a closed-door, four hour speech to the 20th Congress of the Communist Party. The speech (later known as the Stalin speech) repudiates the actions taken by Stalin over the past 30 years. Khruschev describes Stalin as "a supreme egotist and sadist, capable of sacrificing everything and anybody for the sake of - [COLD WAR IRAN: THE MILITARY AND THE HOMAFARS](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/03/04/cold-war-iran-the-military-and-the-homafars/) - Problems with the armed forces emerged in the fall of 1978 with the first act of sabotage in the army, the explosion of a helicopter in Isfahan on October 10. Afterwards, insubordination and desertions became more common. Parsa states: A clandestine army report indicated that by December 7 -- exactly one month after the military - [SPYING YEAR BY YEAR: 1955](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/02/27/spying-year-by-year-1955/) - 1955 was a slow year for espionage activity. But because so much of what happened that year centers on Japan, it was also an extremely important year. Before I list the timeline, here's a little backstory on the year's events and their impact. As we've seen in the case of Italy, the CIA was good - [BATISTA FLEES COLD WAR CUBA](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/02/25/batista-flees-cold-war-cuba/) - By autumn of 1958, Washington was determined to see Batista out of office. However, the real problem for the US was not getting rid of Batista, but frustrating the Cuban insurrection. Batista or a military junta could now be maintained only through direct military intervention on the part of the US. The regular army of - [COLD WAR TAIPEI'S GROWTH PATTERN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/02/18/cold-war-taipeis-growth-pattern-2/) - Taipei's districts added in 1968 experienced much higher growth in the postwar period that the older districts of Taipei. Peitou and Shilin in the northern part of the city expanded particularly rapidly during the 1960s, in part, as we have seen, because of the US presence. On the other hand, in the Original City Area, - [COLD WAR CUBA: HAVANA IN CRISIS -- 1958](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/02/04/cold-war-cuba-havana-in-crisis-1958/) - Batista mounted a 1958 summer offensive which eventually ended in failure. Perceiving that the president was unable to control the situation, many members of the upper class withdrew their support from the government and tried to establish contact with the insurrectionists. Substantial donations of money also appeared. The attitude of ordinary workers began to change - [COLD WAR SPYING YEAR BY YEAR: 1952](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/01/30/cold-war-spying-year-by-year-1952/) - Cold War Spying: 1952 1952: With the war in Korea still going strong, the Joint Chiefs command Frank Wisner and the CIA to conduct “a major covert offensive against the Soviet Union, aimed at “the heartland of the communist control system.” Wisner tries using the Marshall Plan’s pact building provisions to expedite the efforts. As - [COLD WAR CITIES: CONTESTING THE GLOBAL (PART 2)](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/01/29/cold-war-cities-contesting-the-global-part-2/) - World Cities Embedded in the "world city" argument is the idea that world cities "lie at the junction between the world economy and the territorial nation state." If so, it is probable that this junction does not result in a tight and impenetrable boundary. Rather it is possible that the on-going conflict for dominance between the two - [COLD WAR TAIWAN: RESIDENTIAL TRANSFORMATION IN TAIPEI](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/01/28/cold-war-taiwan-residential-transformation-in-taipei-2/) - Old Taipei Mainlanders arriving in Taipei in 1949 became concentrated in residential areas of the city vacated by recently repatriated Japanese. During the 1950s and 1960s, this group made up 81.6 % of the population in Chengchung, 80 % in Kuting and Ta-an, and 60.1 % of the population of Chungshan. These districts were located - [COLD WAR CITIES: CONTESTING THE GLOBAL](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/01/15/cold-war-cities-contesting-the-global/) - The Nation Invades the City At the same time that the United States and the Soviet Union were competing for power and influence, scholars worldwide began to debate a contest between the global and the local that was perceived to be surfacing in metropolitan arenas throughout the less developed world. This conflict, captured by some - [HAVANA DEALS WITH A GENERAL STRIKE AND ITS AFTERMATH](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/01/08/havana-deals-with-a-general-strike-and-its-aftermath/) - Havana is deceptively calm in the 1950s video above. Urban opposition to Batista was growing. I mentioned this in an earlier post. Soon everyday life in the city would be disrupted on an everyday basis. The idea of a general strike preceded by direct action from the masses was a central tenet of the urban underground. - [COLD WAR CITIES: THE DEBT CRISIS](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/12/18/cold-war-cities-the-debt-crisis/) - The extent of the debt crisis was widespread. Over 80 countries worldwide were burdened with debts to international banks and agencies, forcing then to adopt austerity and stabilization programs. The debt was, in part, tied to aid for costly development projects common in the less developed world in the 1960s and 1970s. It was also - [COLD WAR CITIES: JOBS AND HOUSING](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/11/20/cold-war-cities-jobs-and-housing/) - Where Are the Jobs? Most migrants came to cities confident that they would find decent prospects for employment. They were disappointed when faced with a gap between reality and their expectations. In many cases, expansion in the industrialized sector of the economy was just not able to keep pace with population growth, especially when the - [COLD WAR SPYING YEAR BY YEAR: 1947](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/11/14/cold-war-spying-year-by-year-1947/) - Cold War Spying: 1947 1947: The first issue of the anti-Communist periodical Plain Talk is published under the editorial direction of Isaac Don Levine. It is financed by San Francisco businessman Alfred Kohlberg. A weekly called Counterattack follows shortly, published by the American Business Consultants -- a group founded by a trio of ex-FBI agents, dedicated to - [COLD WAR CITIES: REGIONAL IMBALANCE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/11/13/cold-war-cities-regional-imbalance/) - Pessimistic analysts of the urban scene throughout the post World War II Third World focused on growing rural-urban disparities and the stunted growth of smaller cities. They emphasized the negative consequences of primacy and overurbanization. More positive observers viewed the city as an 'engine of growth,' arguing that the metropolis provided increasing returns to scale - [COLD WAR SPYING YEAR BY YEAR: 1946](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/11/07/cold-war-spying-year-by-year-1946-2/) - Cold War Spying:1946 January 10, 1946: The first meeting of the United Nations convenes in London. January 24, 1946: By now, having dismantled the OSS, Truman sees that he has created a snafu and he decides to set it straight. He appoints Rear Admiral Sidney Souers to command a short-lived organization called the Central Intelligence Group. Souers - [COLD WAR SPYING YEAR BY YEAR: 1945](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/10/31/cold-war-spying-year-by-year-1945/) - Spying is all over the news these days, a Cold War legacy if ever there was one. Don’t know about you, but it’s hard for me to put all the happenings in perspective. We all want to do what’s right -- for ourselves and for others. So there's a conflict. We want to guard our - [COLD WAR CITIES: POPULATION GROWTH](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/10/30/cold-war-cities-population-growth/) - Socialist or Capitalist: Rapid Population Growth For the first half of the Cold War period, many Third World governments considered problems associated with rapid urban expansion -- migration trends and patterns of population distribution -- to be among their most serious concerns. Certainly the impact of population growth was lasting. By 1990, 171 cities in - [Cold War Cities: The Capitalist City](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/10/22/cold-war-cities-the-capitalist-city/) - The Capitalist City The world city is said to be a spatial representation of global capitalism, a city in which "quite a disproportionate part of the of the world's most important business is conducted." It houses the headquarters of transnational corporations, major banks, insurance companies, and investment houses, and is noted for its large population size. Since - [HAVANA: THE CAPITAL TURNS AGAINST BATISTA](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/05/28/havana-the-capital-turns-against-batista/) - While the Cuban revolution has long been considered a rural revolution, there was also a strong urban component which was centered on student activities at the University of Havana in the Vedado section of the city. Some student opposition -- primarily consisting of a series of sporadic street demonstrations -- began almost as soon as Batista took power in - [COLD WAR CUBA: AMERICAN BUSINESS EMBRACES BATISTA](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/06/04/cold-war-cuba-american-business-embraces-batista/) - Batista’s focus was on the economy, and the US--anxious to protect its business investments in Cuba--quickly proffered its support to the new regime. Batista “pledged order, stability, and labor tranquility” to the Cuban business community and respect for foreign capital to the United States. Not surprisingly, American and Cuban capitalists responded favorably. Between 1954 and - [COLD WAR TAIWAN'S ELECTRONIC INDUSTRY](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/06/10/cold-war-taiwans-electronic-industry/) - Taiwan's entry into the global economy was facilitated by a relationship between the Nationalist military and the US. Taiwan focused on direct exports, subcontracting, consignment work for foreign corporations, and joint ventures. These opportunities provided substantial employment opportunity in Taiwan where, by the mid 1960s, 150,000 additional jobs were needed each year to keep pace - [Cold War Cities: The Cold War and Urban Change](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/10/15/cold-war-cities-the-cold-war-and-urban-change/) - We've talked a lot about patron-client relationships on this blog, and about the importance of global flows associated with national security objectives. But it would be a mistake to suggest that urban expansion was in some way related to superpower patronage. (Notably, even though sub-Saharan Africa wasn't a high priority for superpower investment, that region's - [Cold War Cities: The Soviet City](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/10/17/cold-war-cities-the-soviet-city/) - The Soviet Model The "ideal type" Soviet model is reportedly characterized by massive government involvement in the economy as well as by the absence of private land ownership and free-market forces. Cities fitting the Soviet model have been identified in China, Eastern Europe, North Korea, Vietnam, and Cuba. Those who accept the relevance of an - [CUBAN COLD WAR CAPITAL: HAVANA](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/04/23/cuban-cold-war-capital-havana/) - The American made "staghound" tank occupies a place of honor on the campus of the University of Havana. Local yore says this tank was a Christmas gift from Eisenhower to Batista in 1957. The armored vehicle is one of the few remaining artifacts of the military relationship which the Cuban government had with the - [US INVESTMENT IN COLD WAR TAIWAN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/04/15/us-investment-in-cold-war-taiwan/) - America was clearly dominant in terms of the volume of economic investment in Cold War Taiwan. From 1951 to 1985, 43% of "non overseas Chinese" investment came from the United States, 28% from Japan, 13% from Europe, and 16% from other countries. In fact, the island was a "battleground of intense competition between US and - [THE NIXON DOCTRINE EMPOWERS THE SHAH OF IRAN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/04/11/the-nixon-doctrine-empowers-the-shah-of-iran/) - The Middle East war of June 1967 initiated a worldwide oil scare, driven especially by changing realities in the international petroleum market. The US was becoming increasingly dependent on oil imports, particularly from the Middle East, and oil exporting states were growing more and more empowered. The situation bolstered the shah's belief that he - [THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE AND THE MARSHALL PLAN (A PODCAST)](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/04/09/the-truman-doctrine-and-the-marshall-plan-a-podcast/) - LISTEN TO OUR NEW PODCAST: THE TRUMAN DOCTRINE AND THE MARSHALL PLAN (TWO HALVES OF THE SAME WALNUT) Cold War Studies is excited to bring you our most recent podcast, the third in a series based on AMERICA, RUSSIA, AND THE COLD WAR by Walter LaFeber. The podcast begins on March 12, 1947, when - [CAPITALISM AND GLOBALIZATION](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/01/16/capitalism-and-globalization/) - During the Cold War period, global flows associated with the move from internationalization to globalization were gaining momentum. The impact was especially strong on cities -- especially in the less developed world. Here, as a contest between the global and the local was surfacing, thought leaders began talking about social inversion, a process whereby individuals once thought - [COLD WAR CUBA: ADOPTING THE SOVIET MODEL](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/11/21/cold-war-cuba-adopting-the-soviet-model-2/) - In Cuba, the 1960s ended on an unsettled note. The island was faced with economic dislocation, widespread labor absenteeism, low worker morale, poor product quality, and the failure of the ten-million-ton-sugar crop. Castro was forced to acknowledge the inadequacy of Cuban revolutionary models of development. He was going to have to give in to Soviet - [INTRODUCING ISLAM](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/10/01/introducing-islam/) - Today Cold War Studies is introducing its first ever online minicourse. I'm really excited about this and hope that you'll want to join me in exploring Introducing Islam. Since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, Islam has been in the headlines. And, most often in the western world, the religion has not generated positive press. Still, - [ECONOMY IN TAIWAN: 1959-1979 (PART 2)](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/09/26/economy-in-taiwan-1959-1979-part-2/) - The American Role in Taiwan The American role in Taiwan was central since there was a division among the Nationalist leadership as to the advisability of undertaking radical measures which were perceived by some to pose danger to the KMT state. Regarding the impetus for reform, Ian Little says that in Taiwan pressure from the - [ECONOMY IN TAIWAN: 1959-1979](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/09/10/economy-in-taiwan-1959-1979/) - As the 1950s drew to a close, the economy in Taiwan was on the brink of tremendous change. The technocrats in Taipei's economic bureaucracy were gaining the upper hand in their association with the military, largely because of changing dynamics in the relationship between the United States and the Nationalist regime. Taipei's fate was still - [COLD WAR CITY: HAVANA CUBA](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/08/13/cold-war-city-havana-cuba/) - From 1970-1986 Havana clearly was (what I call) a Cold War City. Havana, the capital city of Cuba, held strategic and geopolitical value for the Soviets, and an inflow of resources stemming from that patron-client relationship permeated the city as a whole. Havana's economy was totally penetrated by the Soviet Union. However, while the Soviet - [IRAN'S SHAH STIFFS THE US](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/07/13/iran-cold-war/) - The protest movement in Iran in the 1960s was neither sustained nor widespread. Still, it did serve as a precursor of future Iran Cold War events. The National Front and the Tudeh Party had been basically destroyed in the 1950s, and the secular nationalists were overpowered by the religious leadership. The demonstrations clearly illuminated the - [MILITARIZATION IN COLD WAR TAIPEI](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/05/01/militarization-in-cold-war-taipei/) - During the 1950s, American economic assistance to the KMT regime equaled about 6% of Taiwan's GNP and nearly 40% of its gross investment. Military aid was even more substantial. By 1957, 10,000 Americans were present in Taiwan in "an official capacity," most of them in the capital city, Taipei. America, the world's most powerful nation, - [THE SOVIETIZATION OF CUBA](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/03/19/the-sovietization-of-cuba/) - After Cuba implemented the Soviet-directed System for Economic Planning and Management (SDPE) in 1975, Cuban scholars and Cold War ideologues began talking about the Sovietization of Cuba. Many interpreted the adoption of SDPE as a signal that Havana's fate would now be dependent on the imperatives of Soviet central planning. In its most ideal form, - [A REAL SPY CASE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/03/06/a-real-spy-case/) - This is a guest post by Lee McCaslin, Author of Secrets of the Cold War: US Army Europe's Intelligence and Counterintelligence Activities Against the Soviets During the Cold War. Names, units, and locations have been changed to protect classified information. GENERAL I knew spies were causing grave harm to USAREUR (US Army in Europe) and - [IRAN 1960: KENNEDY PUSHES LAND REFORM](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/02/25/iran-1960-kennedy-pushes-land-reform/) - In 1960, the Kennedy administration came to office determined to shift the shah's preoccupation from military security to economic progress. The Americans were even willing to limit American aid as leverage. In Iran, American influence was clearly reflected in the shah's decision to inaugurate land reform. It seemed as if the US was successfully dictating - [MOSCOW RULES](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/02/09/moscow-rules/) - I've just finished reading the Daniel Silva thriller Moscow Rules (Gabriel Allon). It stars Gabriel Allon as an Israeli spy and assassin enmeshed in the intrigue of post Cold War Russia with its corruption, drug culture, and illicit arms traffickers. What I didn't know until the book ended was that the term "Moscow Rules" relates - [HAVANA 1970 REDUX](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/02/08/havana-1970-redux/) - By the beginning of the 1970s, Soviet advisors were a common sight on the streets of Havana. Carmelo Mesa-Lago estimates the in the summer of 1971 there were approximately 3,000 Soviet technicians and military advisors in Cuba. They were particularly visible in the Vedado section of the city around the University of Havana. By 1973, 1500 - [TWEETING THE COLD WAR: @coldwarstudies](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/02/07/tweeting-the-cold-war-coldwarstudies/) - Cold War Studies is now tweeting the Cold War. I hope you'll follow us: @coldwarstudies. I have to admit that I borrowed the idea from a New York Times article called The Tweets of War: What's Past is Postable. Not everyone has time to read a blog post, but it's easy to take just a - [COLD WAR TAIWAN'S MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/02/06/cold-war-taiwans-military-industrial-complex/) - Public enterprises -- linked to the KMT Party and the military -- were particularly important in Taipei's post WWII development. Public enterprises accounted for a larger proportion of total investment in Taiwan than in 80% to 90% of other noncommunist countries. According to Robert Wade: Their continued role owes much to the importance attached to - [1960 IRANIAN ELECTIONS REFLECT US PRESSURE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/12/05/1960-iranian-elections-reflect-us-pressure/) - I hope the second part of our discussion on the Iranian Elections of 1960 provides some perspective on why the people's voice is so critical today. Wouldn't it be great if Iranians now were able to vote in free and fair elections? _______________________________________________________ In the years before the 1960 elections, the shah had relied on - [COLD WAR IRAN:(1960): FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS?](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/11/14/cold-war-iran1960-free-and-fair-elections/) - [Note from Lisa: Talk about synchronicity! While I was writing this post, I received an e-mail from the United States Institute of Peace titled: What's Parliament Got to Do with It? Elections in the Islamic Republic of Iran.] Authoritarianism and/or Reform: As American as Apple Pie? As the 1960 elections approached, Iran's democratic interlude had - [SADDAM HUSSEIN AND THE IRAQI ARCHIVES](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/10/27/saddam-hussein-and-the-iraqi-archives/) - Tired of all the "he said/she said" revolving around Saddam Hussein and his inner sanctum? Wouldn't it be great to have been a fly on the wall at Saddam's meetings? As second best, wouldn't it be nice to have access to his archive of documents? Well now both of these options are available to researchers - [COLD WAR STUDY TOOL: HINTS ON WRITING PAPERS](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/10/21/cold-war-study-tool-hints-on-writing-papers/) - General Hints on Writing Papers on the Cold War (or any other topic) 1. Develop your argument. Don’t just plunge in. Unpack the question you want to address. Ask yourself what the point of your argument really is. Make sure that you define the main point of the paper and then address it. Your argument - [IRAN TIMELINE: COLD WAR](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/10/12/iran-timeline-cold-war/) - Both Iran and "protest movements" are in the news today, so I thought it might be useful to post an Iran timeline of "the protest movement" in Isfahan, Iran, leading up to the Iranian Revolution. Selected events are listed below. June 5, 1963 Protests erupt over the arrest of Ayatollah Khomeini and other clerics. October - [1960 ISFAHAN: BAZAAR AND MOSQUE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/09/07/1960-isfahan-bazaar-and-mosque/) - As I said in my last post, Isfahan was very much a traditional city in 1960. The Main Bazaar in Isfahan The main bazaar was covered by domes and had shops on both sides. At frequent intervals, arched entrances led to caravanserais, colleges, bath houses, shrines, mosques, and stores, all tightly connected to the center, - [ISFAHAN 1960: A TRADITIONAL CITY](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/08/22/isfahan-1960-a-traditional-city/) - During the democratic interlude, Isfahan's status as a former capital, along with its unique architectural history, led to its continuing reputation as one of the world's great cities of art and culture. The Beautiful City of Shah Abbas Well over three hundred years after the death of its patron, Shah Abbas I, Isfahan was still - [CUBA'S COMMUNIST PARTY](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/08/06/cubas-communist-party/) - By mid 1961, the proliferation of mass organizations dictated the need for a central 'umbrella' organization to take over the complex task of uniting various groups and coordinating their activities. The Popular Socialist Party -- the Cuban communist party -- emerged as the only body with the necessary skills and experience to accomplish the task. - [CHINESE INFLUENCE IN EARLY COLD WAR TAIPEI](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/07/06/chinese-influence-in-early-cold-war-taipei/) - Taipei is Shaped by Chinese Decision-Making, Not American Influence Clearly, during the early Cold War period, Taipei was shaped by Chinese decision making rather than by American influence. The capital was militarized, certainly. But that militarization derived from domestic Chinese forces -- not from superpower leverage. The US had begun to sway some decisions -- - [1950s COLD WAR: US AID TO IRAN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/06/20/1950s-cold-war-us-aid-to-iran/) - United States assistance to Iran in the 1950s was quite different than the superpower's assistance to Taiwan, America's bulwark against communism in the Far East. Taipei received four times as much aid as Iran and was buffered from invasion from the mainland Chinese by the physical presence of the US Seventh Fleet. In contrast, the - [COLD WAR IRAN: THE POINT FOUR AGREEMENT](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/06/15/cold-war-iran-the-point-four-agreement/) - The primary American technical and economic aid program in Iran, the Point Four agreement, was signed in October 1950 as part of the International Cooperation Administration (ICA) or US Agency for International Development (AID). It was also administered under the titles of Technical Cooperation Administration (TCA) and United States Operation Mission (USOM). This organization focused - [COLD WAR: WHEN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/06/09/cold-war-when/) - Lots of you are asking questions about the Cold War. "WHEN" is a favorite. But the answer to when is often very convoluted. In fact, I've argued many times that "the US and Russian competition didn't begin in 1945" as is frequently asserted. No one over-arching event started the Cold War like Pearl Harbor started World - [MORE CAUSES OF THE COLD WAR](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/06/03/more-causes-of-the-cold-war/) - LISTEN TO OUR SECOND PODCAST: MORE CAUSES OF THE COLD WAR This podcast is the second in our series of podcasts on AMERICA, RUSSIA, AND THE COLD WAR by Walter LaFeber. Our first podcast focused on LaFeber’s Introduction and on Chapter One, examining the beginnings of the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. - [MAINLANDER INFLUENCE ON COLD WAR TAIWAN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/06/02/mainlander-influence-on-cold-war-taiwan/) - Most analyses of Cold War Taiwan cite the importance of the mainlander migration in 1949, emphasizing the managerial and entrepreneurial contributions of many of the exiles. Mainlander Migration to Taiwan The migration is usually presented as one of several factors that enabled Taiwan to embark on a development path marked most prominently by strong economic - [COLD WAR IRAN: CEMENTING THE US-IRANIAN ALLIANCE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/05/24/cold-war-iran-cementing-the-us-iranian-alliance/) - America's preoccupation with communism and the shah's fixation on national defense meant that Iran's decisions regarding social, political, and economic development occurred within a Cold War security framework. The US and the shah were both concerned with cementing the US-Iranian alliance. Given the emerging bipolarization of international politics (and Cold War Iran's unpleasant history with - [A COLD WAR SUMMARY - CUBA: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/05/19/a-cold-war-summary-cuba-past-present-and-future/) - http://vimeo.com/23928315 In today's environment the fact that Havana was once a Cold War city is important only in terms of its legacy which is quite clear. In the Cuban case, the large infusions of Soviet military and economic assistance, weapons, and technology ensured the continuance of the Cuban Revolution of 1959. And, in reality, it - [US INFLUENCE ON TAIPEI'S COLD WAR ECONOMY](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/05/16/us-influence-on-taipeis-cold-war-economy/) - The US exerted tremendous influence over Cold War Taipei's economy. As Bruce Cummings notes: Often it was difficult to know if natives or Americans were writing the plans and policies. Importantly, the US encouraged the Nationalist leaders to give up their ambition of taking over the mainland by force and to concentrate instead on making - [1960S CUBA: DEFENDING THE REVOLUTION](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/05/12/1960s-cuba-defending-the-revolution/) - In the 1960s, along with its effort to replace substandard housing, the Cuban government began to create new mass organizations that were designed especially to ensure civil defense and political mobilization. At the same time, they were part of a plan to combat internal subversion and sabotage. These groups were integrated into the new housing - [COLD WAR NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/05/10/cold-war-nuclear-proliferation/) - Those of you who have listened to our podcast on Causes of the Cold War will remember that Harry Truman received news that the atomic bomb had obliterated Hiroshima (Japan) on this way home from Potsdam in August 1945. At the time, Truman thought that he could figure out how to use the bomb to - [COLD WAR IRAN IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE 1953 COUP](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/05/03/cold-war-iran-in-the-aftermath-of-the-1953-coup/) - In the aftermath of the 1953 coup, America decided to increase economic and military aid as well as technical assistance to Iran. This added to the widespread belief that the US had manipulated Iran's domestic politics for its own benefit. The superpower almost immediately offered a $45 million emergency loan and, between 1953 and 1957, - [CAUSES OF THE COLD WAR](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/04/26/causes-of-the-cold-war/) - LISTEN TO OUR PODCAST ON THE CAUSES OF THE COLD WAR Cold War Studies is excited about bringing you the first in its series of podcasts on AMERICA, RUSSIA, AND THE COLD WAR by Walter LaFeber. Our first podcast focuses on LaFeber’s Introduction and on Chapter One, examining the beginnings of the rivalry between the - [LIBYA'S COLD WAR RESIDUAL: OIL OR MIGRATION?](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/03/28/libyas-cold-war-residual-oil-or-migration/) - The 1969 overthrow of King Idris and his pro American monarchy put Libya on a collision course with the United States. Libya's new ruler, Mu'ammar Qaddafi had expansionist plans. Libyan oil would provide the financing. The Libyan oil boom turned into a frenzy when the Six-Day War closed the Suez Canal in 1967. About the - [COLD WAR CUBA: EXPORTING THE COUNTER REVOLUTION](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/03/17/cold-war-cuba-exporting-the-counter-revolution/) - As we have seen in our post on Cold War Cuba: Middle Class Flight, emigration affected Havana in very personal ways. For example, a woman's access to abortion after 1959 was limited because almost all obstetricians and gynecologists were among the doctors who fled the country. Many women resorted to self-induced abortions and the maternal - [OIL, MOSADDEGH, AND CIA INTERVENTION](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/03/15/oil-mosaddegh-and-cia-intervention/) - The first actual CIA intervention in Iran took place in 1953. A coup attempt against Prime Minister Mosaddegh began on August 16, 1953, but failed when the prime minister was warned ahead of time that he was to be ousted. [As soon as the failed attempt became known, the shah rushed out of the country. - [EARLY COLD WAR YEARS: NATIONALIZING IRAN'S OIL](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/03/07/early-cold-war-years-nationalizing-irans-oil/) - As the 1940s progressed, the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC) continued to be a lightening rod for Iran's nationalist discontent. (For background see my previous post Pre Cold War Oil: The Anglo Iranian Oil Company.) In 1948, the Iranian government presented the AIOC with a document listing 25 areas of concern. In January 1949, when a - [COLD WAR TAIPEI: POST WORLD WAR II URBAN ECONOMY](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/03/01/cold-war-taipei-post-world-war-ii-urban-economy/) - By the time the KMT arrived in Taipei in 1949, the economic situation was disastrous. The city's industry and infrastructure had suffered serious damage as a result of Allied bombings during World War II. In fact: It was reported that on VJ Day in 1945 when Taiwan was retroceded to the Republic of China, about - [CAN THE 'ARAB SPRING' LEARN FROM THE COLD WAR'S PRAGUE SPRING?](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/02/24/can-the-arab-spring-learn-from-the-cold-wars-prague-spring/) - Like many of the rest of you, I'm totally ready for spring. It starts on March 20 this year by the way. So I just went to the bookstore -- Borders is in bankruptcy and is having a great sale -- and bought The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. I've actually read the book - [PRE COLD WAR OIL: THE ANGLO IRANIAN OIL COMPANY](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/02/23/pre-cold-war-oil-the-anglo-iranian-oil-company/) - A recent list compiled by the Associated Press reveals the top 20 oil-producing countries (in barrels per day). According to 2009 statistics by the U.S. Energy Information Administration Iran is #4 on that list, producing 4.0 million barrels of oil daily. Whether we like their nuclear program or not, Iran's oil is critical to meeting - [COLD WAR LEGACY: BAHRAIN - FROM PEARLS TO PETROL](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/02/17/cold-war-legacy-bahrain-from-pearls-to-petrol/) - The New York Times has just announced from Manama: The Bahrain military, backed by tanks and armored personnel carriers, took control of most of this capital on Thursday hours after hundreds of heavily armed riot police officers fired shotguns, tear gas and concussion grenades to break up a pro-democracy camp inspired by the tumult swirling - [COLD WAR IN IRAN: THE POLITICS OF OIL](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/02/15/cold-war-in-iran-the-politics-of-oil/) - One of the most important factors shaping America's post World War II interest in Iran was oil. As early as the autumn of 1944, it was rumored that a southern oil concession had been secretly offered to American and British companies. It was also rumored that a northern concession would be offered as soon as - [COLD WAR ARGUMENT 2011: POLITICAL ORDER IN A CHANGING EGYPT!](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/02/09/cold-war-argument-2011-political-order-in-a-changing-egypt/) - Can 250,000 people really speak for a nation of 80 million? What do people really want from their government? Do they want order and stability so that they can live their everyday lives without the threat of uncertainty? Or do they prefer democracy with its freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and dueling political - [HERE COMES THE COLD WAR: CRISIS IN ISFAHAN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/02/02/here-comes-the-cold-war-crisis-in-isfahan/) - In the early 1940s a crisis erupted into revolt in Isfahan. Problems In Isfahan emerged when local mill owners decided to counter the demands of radical labor groups which were supported by the Tudeh party. The British consul described the Isfahan situation "as a classic example of 'class conflict'" and reported that "the Tudeh successfully - [COLD WAR LEGACY: EGYPT'S EMERGENCY LAW 162 OF 1958](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/02/01/cold-war-legacy-egypts-emergency-law-162-of-1958/) - A major residual of Egypt's Cold War history is the country's Emergency Law. Emergency Law No. 162 of 1958 sharply circumscribes any non-governmental political activity. As seen in the video above, it was extended for two more years on May 11, 2010. It is one of the major grievances of the January 2011 protestors. (If you - [HAVANA CUBA: ENTER THE SOVIETS](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/01/24/havana-cuba-enter-the-soviets/) - Throughout 1961, Cuba continued to move against American interests. On August 5, Cuba expropriated American-owned telephone and electricity companies, 36 sugar mills, and $800 million in US petroleum assets. The US quickly pushed through a resolution by the Organization of American States (OAS) condemning extraterritorial (Soviet) intervention in the western hemisphere. Cuba responded by establishing - [COLD WAR IRAN: THE DEMOCRATIC INTERLUDE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/01/12/cold-war-iran-the-democratic-interlude/) - The 14th Majles was the first Majles elected during the era often referred to as Iran's democratic interlude. This label refers to the period from 1941 to 1953 before Mohammad Reza was able to consolidate his authority. During this period, the constitution concentrated power in the legislative branch at the expense of the executive. While - [COLD WAR: TAIWAN AND THE ARRIVING MAINLANDERS](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/01/10/cold-war-taiwan-and-the-arriving-mainlanders/) - Taiwan's citizenry had a negative perception of the mainlanders and their military that was underscored when hundreds of thousands more soldiers began to enter Taiwan in the spring of 1949. This group, defeated by the peasant soldiers of Mao Tse-Tung, came to Taiwan both individually and as part of units. They appeared downtrodden and demoralized. - [EARLY COLD WAR YEARS: TAIWAN AND THE MAINLANDERS](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/12/14/early-cold-war-years-taiwan-and-the-mainlanders/) - The first Nationalist soldiers arrived in Keelung on the northern tip of Taiwan in October 1945. Their arrival provoked mixed reactions. The Taiwanese who were already living on the island expected to be freed from strict Japanese colonial rule. The arriving Chinese also wanted freedom from Japanese exploitation. At the same time, they respected the - [COLD WAR HAVANA: PRELUDE TO AMERICAN SANCTIONS](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/12/13/cold-war-havana-prelude-to-american-sanctions/) - When Castro first gained power, the American business community had not been particularly concerned about the shifts going on in Cuba. Instead, their perception was that the Cuban economy was structurally resistant to fundamental change. This understanding was encapsulated in the comment of one New York banker who said: Anybody who gets in there rides - [COLD WAR TAIWAN: CHIANG LEAVES THE MAINLAND](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/12/01/cold-war-taiwan-chiang-leaves-the-mainland/) - In December 1949, the government of the Republic of China moved to Taiwan where a force of 300,000 Nationalist troops was already stationed. Prior to Chiang's arrival, the Taiwan Garrison Command proclaimed an Emergency Decree (martial law) throughout the province. The relocated KMT government was marginalized by the United States until after the outbreak of war in Korea - [COLD WAR IRAN: INDUSTRY AND POLITICS IN ISFAHAN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/12/07/cold-war-iran-industry-and-politics-in-isfahan/) - Heard on the news this morning that "Big Business is Betting on Iran." I was surprised to hear it, and to hear that CNBC has been reporting on the country and its business potential. And watch for their special report called The Forbidden Zone. I'll keep you updated on their findings. Meanwhile, today seems like - [COLD WAR COMES TO TAIPEI: CHINESE CIVIL WAR](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/11/30/cold-war-comes-to-taipei-chinese-civil-war/) - American interest in Taipei was relatively limited at the conclusion of World War II. Instead the US was preoccupied with mainland China where the communists, under the leadership of Mao Tse-tung, controlled one-fifth of the territory (over 105 million people). The Truman administration supported the opposing Nationalist Chinese regime of Chiang Kai-shek and wanted it to stay in power - [COLD WAR HAVANA: EARLY REVOLUTIONARY REFORMS](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/11/29/cold-war-havana-early-revolutionary-reforms/) - The confiscation of the goods and property of bastistianos, landholders, industrialists, and merchants signaled that the revolutionary government would make deep structural changes ahead. According to estimates made by the US government, the value of North American properties confiscated in Cuba amounted to $1.58 billion. Of the 5,911 officially received claims made by the United - [COLD WAR ANTECEDENTS: ISFAHAN (IRAN) IN WORLD WAR II](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/11/24/cold-war-antecedents-isfahan-iran-in-world-war-ii/) - During World War II, Isfahan was a small city of less than two hundred thousand residents largely overshadowed by Iran's capital, Tehran, to the north. A primate city seven times the size of Isfahan, the capital possessed most of Iran's industrial capacity, serving also as the country's economic, educational, and cultural center. Despite societal differences, - [BEFORE THE COLD WAR: AMERICA GAINS A PRESENCE IN IRAN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/11/23/before-the-cold-war-america-gains-a-presence-in-iran/) - Iran had long distrusted the British and the Russians. However, it had confidence in the United States and looked to the Americans as a force that would help maintain the country's independence. The conviction seemed validated when President Roosevelt pressured the USSR, Britain, and Iran to sign a Tripartite Treaty of Alliance consisting of nine - [BEFORE THE COLD WAR: TAIWAN UNDER JAPANESE RULE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/11/22/before-the-cold-war-taiwan-under-japanese-rule/) - Japan's assimilationist policies created conditions which would later reinforce divisions between Chinese of local Taiwanese ancestry and more recent arrivals from the mainland. While all Chinese were, in fact, migrants, distinctions became quite meaningful. Many of Taipei’s residents were naturalized as Japanese, adopting Japanese names, acquiring Japanese style clothing, observing Japanese religious rites, and eating Japanese - [HAVANA AFTER THE REVOLUTION: INTRODUCING 1959-1970](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/11/13/havana-after-the-revolution-introducing-1959-1970/) - Two of the most significant events in Cold War history--the CIA sponsored invasion known as the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis--occurred in Cuba shortly after the “triumph of the revolution.” Yes, I know about all the Brouhaha this week over Black Ops and the Bay of Pigs. No I'm not going to - [PRE COLD WAR IRAN: THE 1940s](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/11/16/pre-cold-war-iran-the-1940s/) - The Nazis invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, placing Iran in a squeeze. The Germans wanted to use the country as a base against the Soviet Union, while the Allies needed Iran as a supply route to the Soviets. On August 25, 1941, after Reza Shah refused to dislodge the Germans, 40,000 Russian troops entered - [COLD WAR TAIPEI: URBANIZATION PRIOR TO 1945](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/11/15/cold-war-taipei-urbanization-prior-to-1945/) - Taipei’s historical development is particularly important because it eventually dictated the ethnic divisions which have characterized the city during the Cold War era. While the original occupants of the Taipei basin are thought to be the Ping-pu tribe of Taiwan aborigines, this group eventually shared its territory with Chinese settlers from the mainland of China. - [ISFAHAN BEFORE THE COLD WAR: HISTORY MATTERS](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/11/03/isfahan-before-the-cold-war-history-matters/) - Isfahan was defined by its geopolitical and strategic significance during much of the Cold War period. However, this role was not new for the city. The settlement's original name Aspadana means "troop assembly point" connoting one of its original functions. The municipality had historically endured periods of decline and manipulation due to political and economic expediency. - [COLD WAR ISFAHAN: SHAPED BY MILITARISM](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/10/26/cold-war-isfahan-shaped-by-militarism/) - Regarding Iran, post World War II US administrations were concerned with two issues: strategically, they desired an internally strong Iran that would counter any communist threat; economically, they wanted to ensure American control over the country’s oil fields and they wanted to obtain contracts for America’s defense manufacturers. These objectives overshadowed other, more lofty, ideals. - [COLD WAR COMES TO IRAN: ISFAHAN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/10/25/cold-war-comes-to-iran-isfahan/) - For over two decades following the conclusion of World War II, American presidents and the shah of Iran quarreled over Iran’s defense needs. Expert advisory missions from the US arrived as early as 1942, charged with increasing the efficiency of security forces through organizational reform. It soon became apparent, however, that the shah’s postwar objective - [TAIPEI 1959: A COLD WAR CITY](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/10/20/taipei-1959-a-cold-war-city/) - While Taipei’s militarization in the early postwar period was related to the arrival of the KMT military government from the Chinese mainland, by 1959 the capital was, indeed, a Cold War city. It remained so until the US established a formal diplomatic relationship with the People’s Republic of China on January 1, 1979. During this - [COLD WAR TAIPEI:AMERICAN MONEY SPURS URBANIZATION](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/10/18/cold-war-taipeiamerican-money-spurs-urbanization-3/) - From 1950 to the present, Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, has symbolized both the military and economic aspects of American ‘grand strategy’. [As regards the US, we're defining grand strategy as an integration of military and economic objectives in the war against communism. The military component of grand strategy was concerned with repelling the - [COLD WAR WEEKLY NEWS SUMMARY #1](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/10/16/cold-war-weekly-news-summary-1/) - From The Huffington Post: The U.S. remains entrenched in an archaic and nonsensical de facto cold war with Cuba. During the actual Cold War, the U.S. never banned its citizens from visiting the Soviet Union or China. Is Cuba such a dire threat to the U.S. and Americans that the U.S. should deprive Americans of - [COLD WAR CUBA: HAVANA](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/10/15/cold-war-cuba-havana/) - Havana, located only ninety miles off the Florida coast, had long served as an American outpost in the Caribbean. Following the country's revolution in 1959 , the Soviets became the first major extrahemispheric power in the 20th century to establish a political and military foothold in such close proximity to the United States. In July - [COLD WAR TAIPEI](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/09/30/cold-war-taipei/) - Although Taipei is situated in close proximity to mainland China, Korea, and Japan, the US did not consider the city to be of geostrategic importance in the immediate post World War II period. Not until the communist invasion of South Korea in 1950 was the area thought to be an essential link in America’s effort - [COLD WAR IRAN: AMERICANS IN ISFAHAN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/09/29/cold-war-iran-americans-in-isfahan/) - When Americans first arrived in Isfahan, the newcomers moved into luxury housing in the middle of town and local landlords earned windfall profits. The boom was short-lived, however, because the community was soon relocated to newly constructed American style subdivisions on the outskirts of the city, the result of sweetheart deals between foreign companies and - [THE COLD WAR, PRIMATE CITIES, AND THE CASE OF ISFAHAN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/09/28/the-cold-war-primate-cities-and-the-case-of-isfahan/) - At the end of World War II, Havana, the capital of Cuba, was a perfect example of what is known as a primate city. This condition develops when one city becomes so dominant that it prohibits cities in other parts of the country from developing. In contrast, Taipei was also a capital, but not strictly - [MILITARISM: THE LAST MODERN INSTITUTION](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/09/09/militarism-the-last-modern-institution/) - Taipei (Taiwan), Havana (Cuba), and Isfahan (Iran) illustrate the diverse ways in which military assistance and concerns associated with weapons acquisition contributed to an on-going reorganization of the location and distribution of various urban activities as well as to a contestation between global and local aspects of urbanization. The idea of globalization was brand new. - [COLD WAR CITIES DEFINED](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/08/24/cold-war-cities-defined/) - Cold War Cities absorbed large amounts of superpower assistance. This is because they were important to the superpowers in at least four different ways. First: the cities were located in nations that had a patron-client relationship with one of the two superpowers (the US or the Soviet Union) during at least a portion of the - [COLD WAR CITIES](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/08/05/cold-war-cities/) - Despite massive spending, neither the US nor the Soviet Union had won the battle for the hearts and minds of the Third World. The costs were, in fact, enormous. Peter Rodman says: By the time the Cold War ended ... the net [US] financial flow to aid receiving countries since the mid 1950s, both commercial - [THE COLD WAR IN THE THIRD WORLD WINDS DOWN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/08/04/the-cold-war-in-the-third-world-winds-down/) - By the second half of the 1980s, both the United States and the Soviet Union were facing broadening problems. As we have seen, the US was dealing with domestic dissension regarding Cold War strategy as well as with challenges from immigration and drugs. The Soviet economic system had become noticeably less efficient, with the growth - [COLD WAR: THE REAGAN PERIOD](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/08/03/cold-war-the-reagan-period/) - As could be expected, Moscow's reaction to the Iran Contra scandal was negative, intensifying the tension that had developed following the election of Ronald Reagan. Reagan was a leader whose vision exploited America's anti-Soviet feelings, the roots of which went back to the 1940s (if not the 1890s). Reagan couched his appeal in religious terms, - [AFGHANISTAN AND AMERICAN POLICY](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/07/27/afghanistan-and-american-policy/) - At the same time that America's strong friendship with its former client, Iran, was disintegrating, the Soviet Union was becoming mired in Afghanistan. On December 27, 1979, the Soviets invaded, killing the Marxist head of state, installing a puppet regime, and eventually committing almost 100,000 troops to fight the Muslim "guerillas." The US saw Moscow's - [IRAN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/07/26/iran/) - While arguments and analysis continue regarding the causes of the Iranian Revolution and the contribution of external forces to its development, American foreign policy decisions during the 1977 - 1979 time period show no direct causal relationship. In other words, Carter's human rights policy and the confusions of US policy making were not the determinant - [CUBA, THE SOVIETS AND THE DEVELOPING WORLD](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/07/20/cuba-the-soviets-and-the-developing-world/) - Although the period of Soviet boldness ended with the Iran hostage crisis, the US was worried that the USSR had established a broad arc of crisis from Africa to Southeast Asia. After some hesitation, the Soviets and Cuba had worked hand in hand during a good part of the 1970s. The Soviets gave strong backing - [THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS AND ITS AFTERMATH: THE KENNEDY APPROACH](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/06/03/the-cuban-missile-crisis-and-its-aftermath-the-kennedy-approach/) - In the wake of the Cuban missile crisis, the United States was determined to counter "wars of liberation" before they could be exploited by emerging nationalist leaders. Vietnam was an important supplier of rice, rubber, tungsten, and tin, and the US wanted both the Chinese and the Russians to know that America would not tolerate - [COLD WAR CUBA EXPORTS ITS REVOLUTION](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/06/30/cuba-exports-its-revolution/) - Castro's efforts in Africa proved so successful that his leverage with Moscow increased. Beginning in 1977, the Soviets sent new weapons systems and military equipment to Cuba to replace the existing obsolete and exhausted Cuban inventories. As Edward Gonzalez reports, infrastructure for "collecting intelligence, carrying out covert operations, training, guerillas, and disseminating propaganda in Latin - [COLD WAR CUBA ADOPTS SOVIET ECONOMIC MODELS](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/06/29/cuba-adopts-soviet-economic-models/) - Castro's relations with the Soviets had often been stormy, and Cuba had not been a complaisant satellite. In the mid 1960s, Castro balked at siding with the USSR in the Sino-Soviet dispute for leadership of the world communist movement and, in 1968, the Soviets were forced to withhold petroleum shipments to win Castro's approval of - [COLD WAR AND SOCCER WAR: KOMAN COULIBALY VS. USA](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/06/19/soccer-war-vs-cold-war-koman-coulibaly-vs-usa/) - A COMMENTARY: Who says the Cold War is dead? Yesterday Koman Coulibaly of Mali made a judgement call that deprived the US World Cup Soccer Team of the winning goal over Slovenia. Now, Koman isn't evil. But after Mali gained independence from France on June 20, 1960, Modibo Keïta, the country's first elected president, quickly - [COLD WAR STUDIES: CUBAN OR SOVIET MODEL OF DEVELOPMENT](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/06/17/cuban-or-soviet-model-of-development/) - Cuba's effort to produce a 10-million-ton sugar harvest required a full-fledged military campaign that included the mobilization of Cuba's entire population for agricultural work. Factory workers from the cities volunteered to go to the countryside for a period lasting from two days to six months to engage in work vital to the country's "civil defense." - [COLD WAR CUBAN AGRICULTURE: CONSOLIDATING THE REVOLUTION OR SOVIET PUPPET](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/06/14/cuba-consolidating-the-revolution-or-soviet-puppet/) - While Soviet efforts to strengthen their position in the Middle East were less than successful, the push continued in other parts of the Third World where Cuban and Soviet interests were only beginning to coalesce. As Cuba's actions in the early 1960s indicate, it would be a mistake to think of Castro as merely a - [THE NIXON APPROACH: MAINLAND CHINA](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/06/09/the-nixon-approach-mainland-china/) - Even though the isolation and containment of mainland China had been a standing principle of US foreign policy, President Nixon, with his strong anti-Communist background, felt that it was time to adopt a more conciliatory attitude. According to Hsu in The Rise of Modern China The Nixon-Kissinger world perspective was a product of Realpolitik. It - [THE NIXON COLD WAR: TAIWAN AND CHINA](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/06/08/the-nixon-cold-war-taiwan-and-china/) - In addition to the changes the Nixon Doctrine facilitated with America's Middle East partners, Nixon and Kissinger were also reshaping the American relationship with other allies, namely Taiwan. American policy toward Taiwan had a "bandwagon" effect. By October 1974, Taiwan had diplomatic relations with only thirty-two countries, as opposed to sixty-five in 1969. On January - [THE NIXON APPROACH: IRAN AND IRAQ](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/06/07/the-nixon-approach-iran-and-iraq/) - By 1969 the United States was looking for assistance in carrying out its military commitments in the Third World based, primarily, on Britain's decision to withdraw military forces from all ports east of the Suez Canal, including the Persian Gulf. (Formal confirmation of the withdrawal occurred on March 1, 1971.) Washington believed that Britain's departure - [COLD WAR BEGINNINGS: A PODCAST](https://coldwarstudies.com/2015/04/03/cold-war-beginnings-a-podcast/) - At the end of our last podcast on Causes of the Cold War, I mentioned that America had just dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and that the Soviets were responding by pushing forward with an effort to produce their own atomic weapons. In other words, the arms race was on. In this podcast -- - [SUPERPOWER INTERVENTION IN THE MIDDLE EAST](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/05/25/superpower-intervention-in-the-middle-east/) - After the debacle in Egypt, and unsettled by what it considered its greatest foreign policy error since World War II, Washington shifted more and more of its energies to fighting the Cold War in the Third World. In the Soviet Union Khruschev brought about changes that allowed his government to exploit opportunities with the newly - [SUPERPOWER COMPETITION](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/05/20/superpower-competition/) - As we saw in yesterday's post on Soviet Efforts in the Third World, in the 1950s, superpower policy toward Third World nations was recast. The Soviet Union and the United States converted their nations into national security states and were in battle for the allegiance -- and the resources -- of the less industrialized nations. - [SOVIET EFFORTS IN THE THIRD WORLD](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/05/19/soviet-efforts-in-the-third-world/) - With the death of Stalin in March 1953, the Soviets renewed their long dormant interest in the revolutionary potential of the less developed world. Khruschev resolutely determined to mobilize the newly emerging and decolonializing nations against the West, intending to exploit the end of colonial empires to promote his own interests. The issue took on - [COLD WAR IRAN: MEMORIES OF NATANZ](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/05/18/cold-war-iran-memories-of-natanz/) - It's raining in New York today, and Iran is all over the news. The Cold War's legacy is strong, even overpowering. So many experts, so many opinions. But where -- can anyone tell me -- do they get all the inside knowledge? I don't know whether Iran is evil, contentious, pragmatic, or delusional. But I - [US COVERT STRATEGY IN IRAN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/05/17/us-covert-strategy-in-iran/) - The Eisenhower administration's covert strategy was first applied in Iran where the stability of the shah's regime was deemed essential from the American national security perspective. Because Eisenhower's new emphasis on covert action proved capable of resolving potential revolutions in America's favor, the strategy came to dominate much of America's activity in the Third World - [WAR IN KOREA](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/05/12/war-in-korea/) - America's emotional approach to communism escalated when, on October 1, 1949, Mao tse-Tung declared victory over the Nationalist Army in the Chinese Civil War. Despite US financial assistance and limited troop support, Chiang Kai-Shek's Nationalist government (KMT) and its supporters were forced to leave mainland China, establishing a new government in Taipei, Taiwan. Although Taiwan - [WELCOME](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/03/10/welcome/) - Welcome to my new blog: COLD WAR STUDIES. The blog is now under development and will be released in stages over the next several months. In the meantime, I would love to get to know you. Let me know your needs, the kind of information you're looking for, and how I can help. Please send - [THE COLD WAR: IDEOLOGIES COLLIDE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/04/26/the-cold-war-ideologies-collide/) - The cases of Iran and Manchuria show us that in the first year or so of the Cold War period neither the United States or the Soviet Union emphasized differences in ideological philosophy. Although Stalin's actions were rooted in his Marxist-Leninist worldview, he was (as previously mentioned) focused primarily on the expansionist and balance of - [COLD WAR REALPOLITIK](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/04/23/cold-war-realpolitik/) - Although Stalin appeared to be resolute in his determination to protect Soviet oil revenues, in reality, he was much more concerned with dominance and prestige. As the Soviet scholar Georgiy Mirsky argues: "Oil was not so terribly vital to the interests of the Soviet Union ... The USSR had plenty of it to begin with." - [THE COLD WAR BEGINS IN MANCHURIA](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/04/13/the-cold-war-begins-in-manchuria/) - Was the Cold War a direct result of the breakdown of World War II alliances? Not really. In actuality, it took form in the late 19th century on the plains of Northern China and Manchuria. Conflict arose when the American emphasis on business, markets, and profits clashed with the czarist emphasis on expansion and empire. - [COLD WAR CITIES: RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/11/06/cold-war-cities-rural-urban-migration/) - Many observers argue that the penetration of capital into the rural economy of the less developed world during the second half of the 20th century contributed to the dismantling of subsistence agriculture. At the same time, expanding industrialization and a growing gap between rural and urban wages led to increased opportunity in the cities. Consequently, - [PALESTINE-ISRAEL TIMELINE: 1997-2012](https://coldwarstudies.com/2012/12/12/palestine-israel-timeline-1997-2012/) - NOTE: THIS IS THE LAST IN A SERIES OF POSTS PROVIDING A COMPREHENSIVE PALESTINE-ISRAEL TIMELINE. PALESTINE-ISRAEL TIMELINE: 1997 - 2012 Early 1990s: Hamas emerges as a viable political alternative to the local Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Late 1990s: Palestinian economic conditions are worse than at any time during the Israeli occupation. By 1997, as many as 5,000 Israeli - [COLD WAR SPYING YEAR BY YEAR: 1948](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/11/21/cold-war-spying-year-by-year-1948/) - Cold War Spying: 1948 March 5, 1948: General Lucius D. Clay, chief of American occupation forces in Berlin, sends a cable to Washington saying he has a gut feeling that a Soviet attack on Berlin could come at any minute. The Pentagon leaks the cable. March 6, 1948: President Truman goes before Congress warning that - [COLD WAR SPYING YEAR BY YEAR: 1959](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/09/03/cold-war-spying-year-by-year-1959/) - January 2, 1959: Fidel Castro and his rebel forces, having overthrown Batista's corrupt but US friendly regime, take control of Cuba. July 1959: Vice President Richard Nixon flies into Moscow and spends the night at Premier Khruschev's dacha. The next day they engage in their impromptu "kitchen debate" at the US National Exhibition in Moscow. September 1959: A major Cold - [COLD WAR SPYING YEAR BY YEAR: 1957](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/03/13/cold-war-spying-year-by-year-1957/) - January 1957: A follow-up report by the president's intelligence board says that the CIA's operations were conducted "on an autonomous and freewheeling basis in highly critical areas involving the conduct of foreign relations . . . . In some quarters that leads to situations which are almost unbelievable." April 1957: The CIA revives their plan for - [SPYING YEAR BY YEAR: 1954](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/02/20/spying-year-by-year-1954/) - 1954: A CIA officer dispatched to Moscow is caught in the act of espionage, arrested, and deported shortly after his arrival. President Eisenhower creates a second (fact-finding) intelligence commission led by James R. Killian, the president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Eisenhower wants to prevent a surprise Soviet attack and presses for "communications and - [COLD WAR SPYING YEAR BY YEAR: 1953](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/02/06/cold-war-spying-year-by-year-1953/) - COLD WAR SPYING: 1953 1953: The FBI conducts an "internal security" investigation of Groucho Marx, the much loved host of the popular quiz show You Bet Your Life. Allen Dulles builds a public relations and propaganda machine that includes more than 50 news organizations, a dozen publishing houses, and personal pledges of support from men such - [COLD WAR SPYING YEAR BY YEAR: 1951 AND THE KOREAN WAR](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/01/09/cold-war-spying-year-by-year-1951-and-the-korean-war/) - COLD WAR SPYING:1951 January 4, 1951: Bedell Smith appoints Allen Dulles as the CIA’s Deputy Director of Plans. The title is a cover for his real job: Chief of Covert Operations. The two men are not a good match. Bedell Smith’s second in command, the Deputy Director of Central Intelligence Bill Jackson resigns in frustration. - [COLD WAR SPYING YEAR BY YEAR: 1950](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/12/19/cold-war-spying-year-by-year-1950/) - COLD WAR SPYING: 1950 Early 1950: Frank Wisner dreams up a new assault on the Iron Curtain under the leadership of Bill Coffin with the support of the Solidarists, a Russian ultra right wing group. The CIA and the Solidarists first smuggle leaflets into Soviet barracks in East Germany. Then they launch balloons bearing thousands - [COLD WAR SPYING YEAR BY YEAR: 1949](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/12/05/cold-war-spying-year-by-year-1949/) - COLD WAR SPYING: 1949 Start of 1949: The CIA lacks the legal authority to carry our covert action against any nation. It has no constitutional charter from Congress and no legally authorized funds for covert missions. When engaging in covert action, the agency is operating outside the laws of the United States. January 1949: Chinese - [COLD WAR IRAN: FOREIGN POLICY](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/12/02/cold-war-iran-foreign-policy/) - Throughout the 1970s, Iran was concerned with dangers that emanated from both the region and the Soviet Union. Engaged in a strategic, economic, and political alliance with the West, Iran was trapped in its image as a US surrogate. This impression served to thwart Iran's championship of Third World goals and objectives. At the - [COLD WAR IRAN: THE IRANIAN REVOLUTION AND INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/06/04/cold-war-iran-the-iranian-revolution-and-institutional-change/) - Iran and the US Split: Americans and Iranians Leave Isfahan and Other Iranian Cities As strikes, protests, and demonstrations became more frenzied, Isfahan began to change. Most Americans left the city by November 1978, and an estimated $2 billion in scheduled military servicing and production contracts left with them. The Western corporate presence and the - [CUBAN REVOLUTION: MODEL OF DEVELOPMENT](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/04/29/cuban-revolution-model-of-development/) - Cuba's new revolutionary government had been able to obtain outside support because of its internal strength. It had demonstrated its capacity for mass mobilization, and it had stood up to US authority and seized North American property. The Cuban revolution's domestic opponents were in disarray, and its actions had created strong incentives for Soviet involvement. - [REVOLUTIONARY HAVANA: POPULATION MOVEMENT - THE FIRST WAVE](https://coldwarstudies.com/2010/11/17/revolutionary-havana-population-movement-the-first-wave/) - Because spatial imbalance and widespread poverty affected both urban and rural areas, the new revolutionary government acted quickly to introduce corrective policy. A number of specific measures including the First Law of Agrarian Reform, the Second Law of Agrarian Reform, and various bills dealing with Cuba's housing emergency were designed to redistribute income, eliminate rural-urban - [COLD WAR CUBA:PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SOVIETS LEADS MANY CUBANS TO FLEE TO FLORIDA](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/02/03/cold-war-cubapartnership-with-the-soviets-leads-many-cubans-to-flee-to-florida/) - As the Cuban government continued expropriation activity, it was forced to assume responsibility for managing production, resources, and distribution. In the past, these duties had been handled by foreign capitalists. The state subsequently consolidated control over almost all key sectors of the Cuban economy. By late 1961, approximately 85 percent of the total productive value - [COLD WAR CUBA: MIDDLE CLASS FLIGHT](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/02/14/cold-war-cuba-middle-class-flight/) - In contrast to the 72,226 Cuban refugees arriving in Florida over the decade of the 1950s, approximately 215,000 Cubans made their way to the United States between the latter part of 1958 and the early part of 1963. Of these, almost 77 percent registered with the Refugee Center in Miami, Florida. According to Masud-Piloto Those who - [HAVANA: COLD WAR CUBA ATTEMPTS TO ERADICATE SLUMS](https://coldwarstudies.com/2011/04/18/havana-cold-war-cuba-attempts-to-eradicate-slums/) - In response to growing dissatisfaction, Castro worked diligently to broaden the social base of support for revolutionary policy. Strenuous efforts were made to incorporate and mobilize the poor, dispossessed, and unemployed. By 1960, there was a movement to eradicate slums, emphasizing self-reliance and mutual aid. New neighborhoods were constructed as replacement housing. A Department of - [HAVANA BEFORE THE COLD WAR](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/04/25/havana-before-the-cold-war/) - With a population of 935,650 inhabitants, 1945 Havana covered an area of 724 square kilometers. The city was composed of six counties or municipios: La Habana, Marianao, Regla, Guanabacoa, Santa Maria del Rosario, and Santiago de las Vegas. The six municipios had quite different characteristics. Like most cities in the developing world, post World War II Havana reflected several - [HAVANA: THE IMPORTANCE OF SUGAR ](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/05/03/havana-the-importance-of-sugar/) - The importance of sugar to the Cuban economy -- and to the capital city of Havana -- has been summed up in the widely quoted phrase sin azucar, no hay pais (without sugar, there is no nation). It is notable, then, that as World War II ended, circumstances surrounding the world market for sugar brought a period of prosperity - [HAVANA AFTER WWII: LIMITED INDUSTRIALIZATION](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/05/07/havana-after-wwii-limited-industrialization/) - The outbreak of the Korean War gave renewed life to Cuban sugar production. At the same time, Havana's other economic sectors were stunted by widespread government corruption which served to inhibit economic transformation and entrench the sugar status quo. In this environment, trade unions pursued a policy of militant reformism as a way of safeguarding - [HABANEROS TURN ON BATISTA](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/06/11/habaneros-turn-on-batista/) - Batista’s honeymoon with Havana’s inhabitants was short-lived and the capital soon harbored a modicum of discontent, “a function of deepening socio-economic frustration as well as of growing political grievances.” Despite the fact that during the 1950s, Cuba ranked among the top five countries in Latin America on a wide range of socioeconomic indicators such as - [COLD WAR CUBA: HOUSING AND THE ECONOMY](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/09/03/cold-war-cuba-housing-and-the-economy/) - In the 1950s, so far as the Cuban economy was concerned, any comparison to the Latin American regional context seemed irrelevant. While Cuban currency and wages remained comparatively stable throughout the 1950s, consumption of foreign imports, particularly North American products, increased dramatically from $515 million in 1950 to $777 million in 1958. Cubans paid North - [1958: Cuba's Economy is Approaching Collapse](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/09/18/1958-cubas-economy-is-approaching-collapse/) - By 1958, Havana's economy was approaching collapse. Public works programs such as tunnel construction came to a halt and unemployment increased. Seventy-eight thousand people in the capital were totally without employment and many of those working were receiving marginal wages. The effects of these developments were clearly visible in Havana. Urban slums ringed the capital. - [COLD WAR CUBA: CORRUPTION IN HAVANA](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/10/29/cold-war-cuba-corruption-in-havana/) - Along with the social disparity we talked about in Havana 1958: The Economy Nears Collapse, problems associated with government spending continued to surface. Deficit spending depleted the reserves accumulated during the 1940s. By 1958, Cuba had amassed a 400-million-peso deficit with the United States and monetary reserves had dwindled to 100 million pesos from 571 - [COLD WAR CUBA: BATISTA, THE REVOLUTIONARIES AND THE US ARMS EMBARGO ](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/12/17/cold-war-cuba-batista-the-revolutionaries-and-the-us-arms-embargo/) - In addition to the arms transfers and training assistance that we alluded to in our post on US Military Involvement in Cold War Cuba, Washington maintained military, naval, and air force missions. A military assistance and advisory group (MAAG) was stationed on the island for the professed purpose of equipping and training Cuba’s defense forces - [GRIEVANCES IN COLD WAR IRAN: THE BAZAARIS (1978)](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/02/11/grievances-in-cold-war-iran-the-bazaaris-1978/) - The Global Meets the Local in Iran's Bazaars Contestation between the global and the local has been a persistent theme in Iran's bazaar community since at least the beginning of the 1900s when the influx of foreign-made textiles undermined traditional handicrafts. Abrahamian notes that the tax collector of Isfahan, reporting on the weavers' guild, stated: - [COLD WAR IRAN: THE IRANIAN REVOLUTION IN ISFAHAN ](https://coldwarstudies.com/2014/01/21/cold-war-iran-the-iranian-revolution-in-isfahan/) - Contributory Factors The Iranian Revolution had multiple contributory factors and has been examined in great detail elsewhere. However, it is worth noting that many believe that the physical presence of the US community was an irritant, leading to urban unrest. Clearly, there were untoward incidents in Isfahan involving Iranians and culturally insensitive Americans. At the - [Cold War Cities in Crisis: Yesterday and Today](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/09/11/cold-war-cities-in-crisis-yesterday-and-today/) - Cold War Legacy: Cities in Crisis By the early 1990s, it was obvious to almost all observers that cities in the less developed world were in crisis. Problems included overcrowding , slums and squatter settlements, shortages of urban services, unemployment and underemployment, environmental degradation, and associated social issues. Traditional urban policy approaches hadn't provided - [Cold War Iran: Bell Helicopter and Grumman](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/08/19/cold-war-iran-bell-helicopter-and-grumman/) - The Shah's purchases from Bell Helicopter and Grumman produced two bottlenecks in the Isfahan area. The first related to an already stretched infrastructure. Neither communications nor transportation capabilities were sufficient to deal with the volume of imports or with the business and consumer demand generated by the arrival of the American community. More important, however, - [Cold War Iran's Regional Dominance](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/07/31/cold-war-irans-regional-dominance/) - Iran's transformation into a regionally dominant power, rooted in the shah's longstanding interpretation of his nation's security needs, was made possible by both phenomenal oil profits and the 1969 Nixon Doctrine. As previously discussed in The Nixon Doctrine Empowers the Shah of Iran, the Nixon-Kissinger announcement provided supporters with a new justification to buy arms - [BATISTA OUTLAWS THE COMMUNIST PARTY IN COLD WAR CUBA](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/05/21/batista-outlaws-the-communist-party-in-cold-war-cuba/) - Despite the domestic origins of the coup, the US embraced the new regime within the framework of the escalating Cold War conflict since Batista quickly ended relations with the Soviet Union -- which he himself had established in 1942 -- and then outlawed the Cuban Communist Party. The Cold War association with the US was soon overshadowed, - [COLD WAR IRAN: OIL AND WEAPONS (PART 2)](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/05/20/cold-war-iran-oil-and-weapons-part-2/) - By the 1970s Iran's rentier state had broad influence -- politically, socially, and economically. The shah had adopted a capitalistic program of industrial and economic expansion to be fueled by the regime's expenditures on industry, construction and services. The program relied on the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Development Plans (1962-1977) for implementation and planning. The - [GLOBAL THREATS: CRIME, POVERTY, TERRORISM](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/05/17/global-threats-crime-poverty-terrorism/) - Global Threats Today's global threats are, in part, rooted in the urban growth that swept both the Soviet and Western camps during the half century Cold War. Moreover, today's challenges -- crime, poverty, and terrorism -- are quite different from those faced in last century's ideological conflict with the Soviet Union. As we have seen - [HERE COMES BATISTA -- AGAIN!](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/05/14/here-comes-batista-again/) - As we observed in one of our previous posts, Havana: Post WW II and Limited Industrialization, Havana was not Cuba. The capital was quite modern and habaneros enjoyed relatively high standards of living. Still, most Cubans did not live in Havana and, by 1952, Cubans were looking for new leadership. The idea of a military coup originated - [COLD WAR IRAN: OIL AND WEAPONS (PART I)](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/05/13/cold-war-iran-oil-and-weapons-part-i/) - Cold War Iran becomes a rentier state. Iran's oil income began rising in the 1950s when the resolution of the oil crisis made increased state revenues possible. (For background on the oil crisis see Cold War Iran in the Aftermath of the 1953 Coup.) The first large jump in sales (236%) occurred between 1954 and 1955 - [TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS IN COLD WAR TAIWAN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/05/06/transnational-corporations-in-cold-war-taiwan/) - Transnational corporations during the Cold War period concentrated on three categories of manufactured products from Taiwan and other less developed countries. The first category (much smaller than the other two) was made up of capital or technology intensive goods including chemicals, iron and steel, light engineering goods, machinery, and transport equipment. In this area, the initial - [COLD WAR IRAN: 1960s ISFAHAN](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/04/22/cold-war-iran-1960s-isfahan/) - As the 1960s ended, Western influences were beginning to penetrate and erode the traditional fabric of the city of Isfahan. By the 1960s, Isfahan's builders were abandoning the courtyard plan, favoring Western style block structures instead. Proposals were in work to import a capital-intensive building technology to replace processes reliant on labor and labor-intensive building. - [RUSSIA AND THE ISFAHAN STEEL MILL](https://coldwarstudies.com/2013/03/06/russia-and-the-isfahan-steel-mill/) - In January 1966, Iran and the Soviet Union signed an agreement which provided that the USSR would advance credits of $286 million at 2.5 percent interest over a twelve year period for the construction of a steel mill, a gas pipeline to the Soviet Union, and a machine tool plant. Regarding the steel mill, it ## Pages - [Men's Soccer Events During the Cold War: A Timeline](https://coldwarstudies.com/mens-soccer-events-during-the-cold-war-a-timeline/) - November 13, 1945: Dynamo Moscow becomes the first Soviet soccer club to visit and play in England. They play their first game against Chelsea, starting a goodwill tour of the United Kingdom. 1950: The United States shocks the world by defeating England in the World Cup, a symbolic victory in the context of the Cold - [EXPLORE ESSENTIALS](https://coldwarstudies.com/explore-essentials/) - Explore the Cold War through politics, culture, espionage, film, protest, fashion, and global conflict. This guide highlights some of the most important and accessible starting points across Cold War Studies. START HERE The Early Cold War in a Nutshell Soviet Efforts in the Third World Ideologies Collide The Cultural Cold War End of the Cold - [The Red Scare](https://coldwarstudies.com/the-red-scare/) - Welcome to the Red Scare White Paper. Scare tactics have long been part of the American political scene, but they seem especially timely now that the political culture has turned extremely ugly. In fact, you might say that Past Meets Present in our current White Paper. So let's take a look back and see if - [CIA Book Group](https://coldwarstudies.com/cia-book-group/) - Intro: During the Cold War, books were weapons. Titles like 1984 and Doctor Zhivago were banned in the Soviet bloc — and secretly smuggled in by CIA couriers. Today, some of those same works appear on American school ban lists. The CIA Book Group explores these books, the worlds they disrupted, and the people who - [movieloverslanding](https://coldwarstudies.com/movieloverslanding/) - Watch Your Way Through the Cold War Watch Your Way Through the Cold War Want a comprehensive overview of the Cold War? Our list of 74 films (in 11 categories) covers every angle of the half-century conflict. You'll find intense dramas, 1950s Sci Fi, and thought provoking thrillers. They all capture the essence of the - [Movies](https://coldwarstudies.com/movies/) - [QUIZ: How Much Do You Know About The Cold War?](https://coldwarstudies.com/quiz/) - [interact id="5f511c6509860d00148aedf7" type="quiz"] - [Cold War Essentials - Crossword Puzzle Key](https://coldwarstudies.com/cold-war-essentials-crossword-puzzle-key/) - [The Stabilization of Cuban Agriculture](https://coldwarstudies.com/the-stabilization-of-cuban-agriculture/) - ABSTRACT This report centers on the following questions: How has the transformation of Cuba’s agriculture from a system based on techniques associated with the “green revolution” to an agroecological system affected food security in the island’s cities? Has the transformation been a factor in lessening the heightened rural-urban migration of the 1990s? The - [ABOUT](https://coldwarstudies.com/about-2/) - By the time I discovered that I was cut out to be a spy, the Cold War was almost over, and I had multiple responsibilities as the wife of an aero bracero and the mother of three teen-aged sons. Since I was living in the suburbs, my options were limited. But our home was within - [About](https://coldwarstudies.com/about/) - By the time I discovered that I was cut out to be a spy, the Cold War was almost over, and I had multiple responsibilities as the wife of an aero bracero and the mother of three teen-aged sons. Since I was living in the suburbs, my options were limited. But our home was within