Q4 - Lesson #29 - The Cold War Continues

Provide the title of your episode, along with a several sentence summary of what it was about.
The episode that I watched was episode 20, Soldiers of God. This episode was about the Soviet Union entering Pakistan and Iran from Afghanistan. After WWII the to strong powers were the Americans and the Soviet Union. When the Soviet Union entered Iran they toppled the American supported government in Iran. This soon led to the Soviet Union attempting to gain control of Afghanistan, and left them opposed to the Americans control of munitions, their provision of money and the training of Muslim rebels.
Identify and key terms or people about which people should know.
Key terms and people:
Pashtuns were the largest ethnic group in the country, although consisted of multiply other groups such as Tajiks, Hazara, Aimak, Uzbeks, and Turkmen.
Mujahideen- a group of Islamic people who are apart of the Jihad. The Jihad is a religious duty of Muslims. Jihad requires Muslims to struggle in the way of god.

List the three main conclusions/points/ideas that people should take away from this episode. (We'll share these verbally in class as well.)
1. The soviets and the U.S. were in complete control because Europe and other countries were busy rebuilding their countries.
2. Osama bin Laden has benefited from the American training of the Muslim Rebels.
3. The American supported government was the kick off for the Soviets to believe they could gain control of Afghanistan.

Your reaction to the events you saw. Were there particular people or nations who acted in ways you found praiseworthy, dangerous, etc.?
My reaction to the events I saw were jaw dropping. I was very unaware of what was happening during this time. I had no idea how the Soviet Union was so much in control. It was very interesting to watch but also the training of the rebels and the amount of deaths was incredible.

Your recommendation as to whether this is a worthwhile episode for others to watch.
I would recommend watching this episode because although it is long it is informational. Many people are not familiar with what was happening in Afghanistan. It was a bit of a challenge to understand but if you watch and listen carefully you will be able to understand it.

1. SPUTNIK
a. This episode was pretty much about the technological race between the capitalistic United States and communist Russia. It started out as being about the advance from A-bombs to Hydrogen bombs, and then advanced to the space race, and touched on the spy planes over Russia. Also, there was a section about the period America went through when there were bomb practice tests and shelters in case the Soviets bombed. Lastly, the episode told about Yuri Gagarin’s space launch.
2. Key people/terms
a. Yuri Gagarin
b. Atomic bomb
c. Hydrogen bomb
d. Sputnik satellite
e. Manhattan Project
f. Robert Oppenheimer
g. Harry Truman
h. Dwight D Eisenhower
i. “Bison” Bombers
j. B52 Bomber
k. The U2 stealth plane
3. Three main points
a. There was a huge arms race going on between the U.S. and Russia from 1949-1961.
b. The United States was technologically ahead of Russia in terms of bombs, but Russia was ahead of the U.S. in the space race.
c. Communist Russia quickly recovered from the disasters of World War II and the toll it took on this country.
4. My reaction
a. I found this episode incredibly intriguing because I am fascinated by engineering and technology, especially that of space and bombs. I was very surprised by the fact that I have never heard of Yari Gagarin before, even though he was the first man in space. It is almost like America wanted to totally overlook the fact that Russia won the race of putting the first man in space, and instead advertised the fact that they had put the first man on the moon. Lastly, I was very fascinated by how fast Russia overcame the devastations of World War II.
5. Recommendation
a. I would definitely recommend this episode to anyone who enjoys bombs and spaceships along with relations between countries.

# Provide the title of your episode, along with a several sentence summary of what it was about.

The episode starts out talking about President Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev attempting to end of the cold war. It astounded the united states that Russia didn't seem to care that America was in Europe.
Prague commits the Velvet revolution. A bloodless revolution where the people jangled keys at the government to tell them that their time was up.
In Bucharest, Romania there was fighting. All the people went into the streets. 1000 people died. Ceausescu (the top guy) escapes by helicopter to be captured later, then executed on charges of genocide.
Communist Party was losing control. The economic system of the communists disallowed economic growth. However, the first McDonald's was opened. Also, the freedom to demonstrate was allowed. The communist party which had led from 1917 would have to share power.
The 15 countries under communistic control wanted to be free of russia.
1990: Gorbachev tries to keep them under control but ultimately fails. And is thrown out of power.
There was a race to end the cold war before Gorbachev was thrown out of power.
Germany begins to unite. This is considered the end of the cold war. The two sides of germany are reunited.
Gorbachev thinks that there will be a dictator in russia. He takes steps to defend russia.
Russia attacks Lithuania so it will stay in the union. 14 die. Protests in Russia about the crackdown.
Gorbachev went to London in 1991, Agreed to a deal on arms limitation. Gorbachev asks for financial aid. Gorvachev during a holiday is placed under house arrest. A coup happens unsuccessfully.
Gorbachev's successor ends the soviet union. And so, the cold war.

# Identify and key terms or people about which people should know.
George Bush
Mikhail Gorbachev
Malta
America as a European power.
Romania
Velvet Revolution
Ceausescu

# List the three main conclusions/points/ideas that people should take away from this episode. (We'll share these verbally in class as well.)
1. The cold war ended after Mikhail Gorbachev the president loses power.
2. Russia had a lot of economic troubles during the last years of the cold war.
3. The Soviet Union tried to dissolve.
# Your reaction to the events you saw. Were there particular people or nations who acted in ways you found praiseworthy, dangerous, etc.?
I thought that Gorbachev was a really good president for the Russian people. He managed to keep together a dying country and union.
I think that the contries in the Soviet Union who rebelled showed courage. The Russians have little value on life. A nation who's policy of war is to throw enough people at the enemy and hope for the best will not care about deaths. The same problem is seen in the Chinese nations.
I think that the US seemed a bit too official about the war. But, in the end did a good job.
# Your recommendation as to whether this is a worthwhile episode for others to watch.
This episode has a lot of russian parts, but puts the big picture together, and really shows what the enemy (At that time) was up to. Overall, it is okay, but not interesting.

Freeze (Number 19)

1. My movie was about the U.S. Presidency of Jimmy Carter and U.S.S.R. President Brezchev. It mostly took place during the time of the détente when the U.S. and U.S.S.R. were trying to "thaw" the cold war.
2. Jimmy Carter and Brezchev are the two main people that came out of this video. Solidarity was trying to take over the communist party.
3. a) The U.S. and the U.S.S.R. were trying to work out their differences
b) Revolts were trying to overthrow the communist party
c) Solidarity was just beginning to get popular, then many of them were killed :(
4. My first reaction to this movie was confusion. I didn't understand it the first time I watched it. The second time I watched it I was able to make more connections. In the solidarity portion of the movie the rioters were angry and impulsive. I felt like the U.S.S.R. was very dangerous and angry about the revolts.
5. I would say if you are in the mood for an action thriller don't watch this. It is a little boring... (bring some coffee) :D
But it's very informative.