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Cold War era history culture and propaganda posting

[muzantropic]

Istaravshan, Tajikistan

[cold-war-freeze]

Major themes of the program "Satellite File" orchestrated by the USIA, for a renewed and orientated propaganda broadcasting to other nations.

The policy dictated was region based, with targeted themes for each international audience with key points relevant in the Cold War:

* Europe. Defensive, intermediate range nuclear weapons need to be placed in NATO countries to deter Soviet agression. Reach young people and the "successor generation", the target audiences.

* Africa. Emerging african nations have pronounced interest in american education, particularly its universal availability at all levels and in US medical and agricultural techniques and research. USIA research indicates that emerging african nations are interested in what individual americans are like and how they succeed in making things work.

*Middle East. The central reality about arab nations its dual preoccupation with tradition and technology. Energy is another concern.

*Latin America. It is believed that latins would welcome program segments demonstrating US respect for their independence and advancement. Audiences there also have a liking for american popular music.

*Brazil. This portuguese-speaking nation represents half the south american population. It is in the process of revitalizing its democratic institutions. Problems are environmental protection, labor relations, urban growth, and energy supply.

During the Reagan administration the USIA and its major broadcast the Voice of America went through an arduous period of renewal due to the obstination of the president in winning the battle against the Soviet Union on radio propaganda.

[cold-war-freeze]

The USSR, Yugoslavia and USA athletes in the opening parade for the 1980 Winter Olympics in New York.

[lilkakow]

NVA Soldiers during the 40th anniversary Parade of the German Democratic Republic on the 7th October 1989 in East Berlin

[cold-war-freeze]

Today 38 years ago... (8 December 1987)

President Ronald Reagan and First Secretary of the PCUS Mikhail Gorbachev sing the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, both parties would agree to destroy certain types of missiles for the first time.

[lilkakow]

People wearing the GDR Flag to demonstrate rejection of unification 1989-1990

[lilkakow]

Stained glass windows with Lenin, Marx and Engels on the stairwell of the main building of Humboldt University, Berlin. GDR, 1962.

[cold-war-freeze]

Europe during the Cold War (1945-1990)

[cold-war-freeze]

Map of Indochina 1945-1975

[tinyuglyworld]

Indians protesting against nuclear tests, New Delhi, India, 1998

Scanned from TIME: Year in Review (1998)

[tinyuglyworld]

Persian rug celebrating the successes of Soviet space travel, made by members of Iranian Tudeh Party, 1965

[old-vietnam]

North Vietnamese women undergo rifle training before joining Viet Cong forces in 1967. [Discovery News] 

[cold-war-freeze]

Photograph published by the U.S. Department of Defense showing the missile launching sites build in Cuba by the Soviet Union.

[cold-war-freeze]

The Tsar Bomb

On October 30th, 1961 the Soviet Union tested a 50 megaton nuclear bomb, the most powerful ever tested in history. The device was blasted on Novaya Zemlya, the flash of light from the monstrous explosion was visible at a distance of 700 miles, and a gigantic, swirling mushroom cloud rose as high as 50 miles.

[lilkakow]

"Warsaw Pact", painting by Vladimir Pereyaslavets, 1966

[cold-war-freeze]

ONE OF THE MANY INCIDENTS DURING THE COLD WAR

The day 26th of September of 1983 three signals flashed onto the computer screens of the Serpukhov-15 missile alert centre outside Moscow. Five US Minuteman missiles had been detected heading towards the Soviet Union.

The base commander, Lt Col. Stanislav Petrov broke protocol. Instead of calling General Secretary of the PCUS Yuri Andropov so he could authorize massive retaliation against the United States, Petrov decided to wait.

For two o three minutes, I didn't analyse anything. I was left with my intuition. I had two arguments. First of all, why would the US launch a rocket from a single base? They'd fire from everywhere. Secondly, the computer is an idiot. There's no telling what it might think it's a launch.

Petrov's logic told him that if the Americans were attacking the Soviet Union they would strike them with everything they had seeking for their total anhiliation.

Pretrov was right, the signals turned out to be an incident, the system had confused the sun's glare reflecting off clouds for the fire trail of rockets. Lt. Col. Stanislav Petrov had prevented the start of a nuclear war.

[gunsnrage]

ДИПЛОМАТИЯ ПО АМЕРИКАНСКИ

"Diplomacy for Americans"

Soviet propaganda poster against the american military-industrial complex.