AllMovie

With WWII at an end, the world soon faced a new challenge widely known as the Cold War. In 24 episodes, this series chronicles this war of ideologies, from its inception in the late '40s until the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. some 40 years later. With Europe and Japan absorbed in rebuilding their cities and economies, the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as the world's superpowers and standard bearers for incompatible political philosophies. Capitalism or Communism: The line was drawn in the sand. This episode considers the policies of the superpowers vis-à-vis developing nations, as both the United States and the U.S.S.R. provided military and economic support to Third World countries in an effort to maintain ideological supremacy. The program details tensions that grew in the Middle East, South America, and Africa, as the superpowers found themselves in some strange and troubling alliances.