Nixon goes to China and in a masterstroke of diplomacy turns a two-power Cold War into three-power triangular diplomacy, giving the United States the leverage for Détente, a chance for a soft landing for the Cold War in the 1970s. But Watergate destroys not only the Nixon administration; it reduces American morale and determination to its lowest point during the entire conflict. The Soviet perception of American weakness leads to their invasion of Afghanistan, and the likelihood of nuclear Armageddon unleashed in a picturesque German town named Fulda.
And then, seemingly overnight, the situation reverses itself: engaged in their own quagmire in Afghanistan, mired in the Brezhnev Stagnation, and plagued by an embarrassing series of fossilized leaders, the Soviets fall ever farther behind. And across the Atlantic, America’s oldest President brings youthful vigor, renewed optimism and unprecedented resolve to a dying national identity, and decides on a plan to resolve the forty-year running stalemate and end the Cold War with a win.
10 replies on “The Cold War: What We Saw | A Pizza Hut Parade – Episode 13”
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’m telling everyone to listen to this series.
Definitely teared up over the postscript, Bill. A seemingly small injustice compared to all the oceans of blood shed along the way, but still. He held the entire world in his hands and made the right call–how sad that the system he served deprived him of beauty and love in the end.
The only Cold War history I’ve encountered with this rich, relevant perspective. You put me right back in it, Bill. Agree with Troy that this series could/should be continued, ad-infinitum, albeit with more depth on the myriad Cold War issues and personalities that are studiously papered-over and/or ignored by leftist revisionism. I’d start with Belenko, Pachepa, or Sheymov…
Added comment – Publish such an expanded version as an audio book!
That ending brought a tear to my eye, thank you Bill!
Having lived through many of these events, having them told again thru your hindsight perspective was very moving emotionally. Brought back many memories, from Nixon’s resignation to Reagan’s firing of the ATC’s.
Thanks Bill… truly masterful and an excellent overview of the period I lived through but with a wealth of details and anecdotes I could never have known… riveting throughout…
Bill, as usual, a masterful production. And, as usual, I listened to it in its entirety, uninterrupted. Thank you ever so much for putting this all together!
Bill, this has been a superb and deeply educational series, but is one that should be continued. For much of my life, I believed this all ended in clear-cut victory when the Berlin Wall fell. I now see the Cold War as ongoing, and maybe without end. Collectivism has not yet been fully defeated. It lives on as a persistent and determined cancer in our own culture and institutions, as well as in many nations including our current resurgent nemesis, China, and the lessons of the Cold War’s past must, now as much as ever, illuminate and inform our way through the ongoing slog. Please consider extending this series further, into the present — to help us keep our sights on what still needs to be done. Thank you.
This series was great. Any chance to get it in a written form? My Mom would love it and she has a hearing problem
What a truly Outstanding Show Bill! Brought back many memories!
Another masterpiece, Bill. I await your next series with great anticipation.