Cold War

Kazakhstan’s Nuclear Nightmare

During the Cold War, nearly a quarter of all the world’s nuclear testing took place in Kazakhstan, in secret. In 1986, a high-profile disaster in Ukraine changed that.

When the World Went Cold

Just two years after victory in the most murderous war in history, the divisions between the Soviet Union and the Western powers became unbridgeable.

‘Ellsberg: Wouldn't you go to jail if it would help end the war?’, c. 1917. Yanker poster collection. Library of Congress. Public Domain.

‘The Doomsday Machine’ by Daniel Ellsberg review

Revelations about the US nuclear codes during the Cold War from the man who helped draft the policy.

A May Day Parade in Prague led by Alexander Dubček (third from the right), First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, 5 May 1968. Nationaal Archief. Public Domain.

Why the Prague Spring was Doomed to Failure

‘Socialism with a human face’ came head to head with the realities of Soviet communism during the Prague Spring of 1968.

The Nuclear Confrontation

An invigorating take on the Cold War reveals the views of Russian scientists, politicians and senior military figures.

British Indian army soldiers march through the gates of the Iranian Oil Company, 25 March 1946. Nationaal Archief. Public Domain.

Iran: Britain’s Cold War Crucible

During the Second World War, Britain and the Soviet Union worked together in oil-rich Iran. Cooperation was to degenerate into suspicion at the dawn of the Cold War.

Soviet Spy Swap

Gerald Brooke’s time in a Soviet prison was a pivotal moment in Cold War espionage.

Yugoslavia’s Very Secret Service

The UDBA is probably the least known major espionage agency of the Cold War. It remains influential, despite the break-up of the country it was formed to defend.

Israeli tanks in the Negev desert on Day Six of the Six Day War, by Dan Hadani, 1967. National Library of Israel (CC BY).

The Iron Curtain Torn By Israel

The Six Day War of 1967, in which Israel devastated its Arab neighbours, also struck a blow against the military prowess of the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact satellites.