Short History Of... The Cold War
30 snips
Oct 19, 2025 
In a riveting discussion, Fredrik Logevall, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian from Harvard, delves into the complexities of the Cold War. He explains how wartime conferences sowed the seeds of mistrust that defined US-Soviet relations. The conversation covers critical events like the Berlin Blockade, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Vietnam War, illustrating the high stakes of nuclear arms and proxy wars. Logevall also highlights the cultural and economic contrasts between East and West, culminating in the USSR's eventual decline and the shaping of our modern world.
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Near-Miss On A Submarine
- A Soviet submarine crew near Cuba faced bombardment and prepared nuclear torpedoes during the 1962 crisis.
- Flotilla commander Vasily Arkhipov refused to authorize launch, likely averting nuclear war.
Allied Unity Was Fragile
- Yalta and Potsdam exposed early fractures between allies despite public unity.
- Stalin's insistence on buffers in Eastern Europe set the groundwork for Cold War division.
Use Aid As Strategic Stabilizer
- Use economic aid to stabilize vulnerable nations against hostile influence.
- Truman's Marshall Plan rebuilt Western Europe while denying Soviet leverage.
