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 examines the dramatic events that occurred during the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. Soviet Premier Gorbachev's efforts at economic and political reform, which won him the Nobel Peace Prize, actually had the ironic result of breaking up his nation. The program details the freedom surges in Poland, Hungary, and East Germany during this time, culiminating in the 1989 tearing down of the Berlin Wall, the ultimate symbol of Soviet tyranny.