Following our podcast on Brezhnev, we shall be looking at one of the most famous Communist leaders of all time, and almost certainly the most well-known Cuban in the world. He was also one of the longest serving leaders of the 20th Century, and somebody who inspires both fierce praise and fierce criticism, as well as somebody who was at the center of the most dangerous event of the Cold War.
Leonid Brezhnev was the dominant force in Soviet politics during the middle period of the Cold War and led his country at the same time as Nixon, our previous Cold War People subject. We have previously seen the rise and fall of detente during Brezhnev’s years in power, and how in the 1970s, under Brezhnev’s watch, the USSR became more involved in military endeavors in other countries. Today, we will see the wider changes he undertook in Soviet society, and reflect on his economic legacy, something that would be key as the 1980s wore on.
Following our look at Charles de Gaulle, this week we are looking at a very different man, a man who started his political career as an arch anti-Communist and who is remembered for many of the wrong things. But in fact, he played a crucial and constructive role in the Cold War during the Détente years, most notably for his dealings with China. In this episode, we look at Richard M Nixon’s wider life and times.
Today we look at a man who was both similar and different to the subject of our last podcast, Ho Chi Minh. De Gaulle was a strong-willed, fiery character and he was very nationalistic. And as well as leading the Free French forces during World War 2, he would later take on another very important role. He even started his own political creed, and also caused major disputes with his Cold War allies in the 1960s.
Much like the man we looked at in the last podcast, Mao Zedong, Ho was an East Asian Communist revolutionary. He was involved in the Communist movement and had wanted to create a Communist Vietnam for many years even before he got close to having his wish fulfilled. Previously, we have seen him play a key role in the Vietnam War, but in this episode we briefly look at his wider life.
Following our episode on JFK, we’re here with an episode on one of the most important people in the whole Cold War – Chairman Mao Zedong.
He was dominant for decades after taking power in Communist China. He was often more hard-line than Soviet leaders. His views caused rifts with the Soviets as well as the Americans in the Cold War. A truly unique character, his policies also caused havoc within China, and he had a long and winding life before heeven took power.
We shall be looking at one of the most iconic of US presidents, a sometimes controversial figure who inspired hope in so many. He also died inthe most tragic of circumstances.
Khrushchev played a major role in some of the most important Cold War events during his time in power in the 1950s and 1960s. The key years of the nuclear arms race, the building of the Berlin wall, and the Cuban Missile Crisis all happened during his time as Soviet leader. But, he had a bloody and intriguing past before then.
Eisenhower was so much more than a 1950s Cold War President. In spite of the fact that he led the US during the period when the Cold War was in full swing, Eisenhower had a great and long life before that. Indeed, in many respects Eisenhower’s greatest accomplishment came before his time as President.
In the latest episode of Cold War People we look
at an important and controversial figure, and the leader of East Germany for
decades after World War 2. Walter Ulbricht.
He was closely involved in the events that led to the building of the Berlin Wall, and was the dominant figure in East German life throughout the 1950s and 1960s. He became an important and influential Communist not just in East Germany, but also the wider Communist world.
