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This program
is rated 14 ,
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and contains scenes of
violence, coarse language,
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and mature subject matter.
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Viewer discretion is advised.
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September, 1945.
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Germany and Japan have
surrendered unconditionally.
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The destruction and death of
the Second World War is over.
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There is jubilation
around the world.
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The United States and
the Soviet Union emerged
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from the conflict as the globe's
two dominant superpowers.
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They fought side by side when
they shared a common enemy.
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But now that that enemy
has been defeated,
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an American-Soviet rivalry
appears unavoidable.
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All wars changed the world,
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but none of them
changed the world like
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the Second World War did.
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Japan's on the march.
Germany's on the march.
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No one can imagine the nightmare
they're about to unleash.
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The most destructive
war in human history.
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Suddenly the world
is turned upside down
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and all hell is let loose.
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The West is stunned by
the speed of the advance.
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You get the Allies led
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by the Big Three: Roosevelt,
Churchill, Stalin.
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Men who are dealing
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with immensely
complicated questions.
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It's the biggest
military operation
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of human history.
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The Allies have
to come together,
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not just militarily,
but industrial scale.
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It's a global perspective.
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They have to fight
in every climate
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from the Arctic to the
jungles of the Pacific
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to the deserts of Africa
and the depths of the ocean.
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But there was no
certainty of victory.
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It was going to be a
horrific bloodbath.
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We see humans at
their absolute worst,
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how they treat
other human beings.
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And we see them at
their absolute best,
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willing to give their lives
that others might live.
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World War II was a struggle
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in which there could be one
victor and one vanquished.
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It's official.
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It's all over.
It's total victory.
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The day of days for
America and her allies.
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Peace,
it's wonderful.
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The war is over.
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The entire world begins
to breathe and live again.
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The Allies won
this war in the cause
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of freedom and the
ideals of anti-fascism,
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the ideals of democracy.
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One of the great legacies
of the Second World War
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is that a disputatious,
complicated,
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often wrong
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nation like
the United States
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can in extremis marshal
significant force
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to do the right thing.
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It took us a long time.
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As Churchill is
alleged to have said,
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you can always count
on the Americans to do
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the right thing once
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we've exhausted every
other possibility.
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We spent blood and
treasure to defeat fascism.
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The United States had
fulfilled Roosevelt's ambitions
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to be the arsenal of
democracy to orders
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of magnitude no one
could have predicted.
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In New York,
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hundreds of thousands
lined the docks
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to greet America's ships
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and welcome home their
sons and daughters.
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President Harry
Truman is honored
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with a ticker tape parade
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through the city's
Canyon of Heroes.
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Speaking in Central Park,
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the President
addresses the nation.
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The world cannot afford to let
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the cooperative
spirit of the Allies
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in this war disintegrate.
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The world simply cannot
allow this to happen.
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In Red Square,
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thousands celebrate and honor
Generalissimo Joseph Stalin.
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He's dressed in a white
Marshal's summer uniform
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with shoulder boards like
a Russian Romanov emperor.
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Stalin emerges from
the Second World War
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with astonishing, almost
religious prestige
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in the Soviet Union.
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Stalin and the
United States have made
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an alliance that ultimately
brings Hitler and then Japan
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to its knees.
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The spirit of
cooperation is so high
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that Dwight Eisenhower,
the Supreme Allied Command
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in Europe, probably one
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of the future staunchest
anti-communists
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in American history, stands
right next to Stalin.
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The bloodshed and horror
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of the Second World War is
unprecedented in human history.
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Nearly 70 million people are
killed, the majority civilians.
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An estimated 27 million Soviets.
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20 million Chinese.
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10 million Germans and Japanese.
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1 million British and Americans.
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And 6 million Jews.
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Europe is destroyed.
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The Brits are bankrupt.
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The Americans and the
Soviets, they're demobilizing.
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What's really clear coming out
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of World War II is
that the United States
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has an incredibly important
role to play in the world.
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She hasn't been physically
touched by the war other
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than Pearl Harbor.
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America is the superpower.
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There's every
expectation
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that some kind of peaceful
coexistence will emerge.
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When the Americans talk
about the way they want
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the international system to be,
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they talk about
the United Nations.
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The United Nations,
in many ways,
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is Franklin Roosevelt's
dream come true.
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During the war, it's
Roosevelt who says we must
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have this international body.
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It's a very hopeful group.
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Lots of ideals, the UN Charter,
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all of this comes
into being in 1945.
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Here, leaders
of the United Nations,
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representing all but a fraction
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of the earth's population,
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are laying the foundations
of international security
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in the post-war world.
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Out of the fires of war,
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they wanted for there
to be an organization
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where we don't have 1939 again.
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The United Nations
combines two ideas.
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The first is the
General Assembly,
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where equal states can meet and
confer and make resolutions.
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There is also the
wartime military alliance
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between the Soviets,
the British, France,
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and the United States,
as well as China.
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And that's the Security
Council that will be
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the cornerstone
to ensuring peace.
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Because it's not
just winning the battle
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of the day, it's trying
to prevent the next one.
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One of the first
challenges is to determine
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how Germany will fit
into the post-war world.
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We can't today
perhaps understand just
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how threatening and
powerful Germany seemed
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to the Allied
leadership in 1945.
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They had just fought
two world wars,
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the greatest enemy of which
of theirs was Germany.
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Ultimately, they realized the
control of Germany is going
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to play a huge role
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in determining the
future of Europe.
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The American view is
just like the Soviet one
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at the beginning in the
sense that we've got
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to divide Germany.
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We've got to make sure that
it can never rise up again.
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That's the first urgent thing.
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The Allies split Germany
into four occupation zones.
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The British, Americans,
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and French will govern
Western Germany.
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The Soviets will
govern the East.
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Berlin, deep within
the Soviet zone,
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is divided between
all four nations.
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The wartime Allies have
very different plans
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for the new Germany.
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What Stalin is doing is
taking as much of the wealth,
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as much of the factories,
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as much of the productive
capacity and stockpiles
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from occupied Germany
back to the Soviet Union.
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Stalin would say
he was only taking
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what the Germans owed him
for the horrible suffering
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during the war.
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Conversely, the Western Allies
want Germany rehabilitated.
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The Western idea is not
to devastate Germany
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economically through
reparations,
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but bring them into
global markets,
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connect Germany to the world,
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and through that you'll
get German people
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who are incentivized
to do things
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that are constructive
instead of destructive.
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So it's gonna need
industrialists, middle managers,
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local governance, that
many of these people would
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have been members
of the Nazi party.
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The crimes of
the Nazi Third Reich
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are so horrific
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that the wartime Allies
determine there must be
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an attempt to achieve justice.
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Nuremberg is highly
symbolic
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as the spiritual
heart of Nazi Germany
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and as the place where
hopefully the demons
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of Nazism can be purged.
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Everyone in court stands up
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as the tribunal enters.
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Four judges and alternate
members: French, American,
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British, and Russian.
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The defendants are to
plead guilty or not guilty
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for charges against them.
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Rudolf Hess.
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Nein!
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22 Nazi leaders
are put on trial.
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The next defendant
called was Ribbentrop.
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Sich nicht schuldig.
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Robert Jackson,
chief prosecutor
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of the Nuremberg tribunals,
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announces that history
will judge the fairness
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of the trial not
by the convictions
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and the executions it obtains,
but by the acquittals.
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But the Soviets
are expecting these
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to be good old-fashioned
show trials.
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Wilhelm Keitel.
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Sich nicht schuldig.
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Stalin had seen how
effective show trials could be
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in his own consolidation
of power in the 1930s.
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Nicht schuldig.
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And was happy
to give the Germans a trial.
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Hermann Wilhelm Göring.
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Nicht schuldig.
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And then hang them.
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12 of the
defendants receive
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the death sentence.
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Hermann Göring avoids the
gallows by committing suicide.
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Seven are given
lengthy prison terms.
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Although the Soviets
object, three are acquitted.
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From '45 onwards,
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you just have this
constant growing tension
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between the United States
and Britain on one hand
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and the Soviet
Union on the other.
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And Stalin has to play
quite a careful game.
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He wants to keep what he has.
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But he doesn't want
to directly antagonize
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the United States.
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Because the United States
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is still much more
powerful economically.
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It has complete air
and sea control.
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And it has the atom bomb.
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World War II
devastated the Soviet Union.
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Joseph Stalin must rebuild his
country, ensure its security,
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and consolidate his power.
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But some of Stalin's
ambitions will conflict
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with the post-war plans
of his Western allies.
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Stalin saw the
wartime alliance as a way
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to defeat Nazi Germany.
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But never something that
would permanently reshape
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the globe or that
would make capitalism
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and communism friends.
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Stalin is an ideologue.
That can never be forgotten.
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He believes that communism and
capitalism are incompatible.
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That they will actually at
some point wage a great fight
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for the future and he
believes communism will win.
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Stalin is in an
extraordinary position.
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There's a moment when he
reviews what they've conquered
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in World War II.
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And he looks at the map of
Europe and Russia and he says,
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00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:07,866
we really haven't done badly,
and it's an understatement.
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00:14:07,867 --> 00:14:11,366
The Red Army is in
Berlin and most countries
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00:14:11,367 --> 00:14:12,999
to the east: Poland,
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00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:16,199
the Baltics, Hungary,
Romania, Bulgaria.
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00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:19,866
The Soviet wave broke
right around Berlin
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and they just never receded.
259
00:14:21,867 --> 00:14:23,699
Stalin has done
better than any
260
00:14:23,700 --> 00:14:25,866
of the greatest czars in Russian
history, Peter the Great,
261
00:14:25,867 --> 00:14:27,366
Catherine the Great.
262
00:14:27,367 --> 00:14:30,100
He's created the biggest
Russian empire in history.
263
00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:32,699
Stalin intends
to create a buffer
264
00:14:32,700 --> 00:14:37,133
against the West, militarily
and ideologically.
265
00:14:38,300 --> 00:14:40,966
He would say, we
have now had two world wars
266
00:14:40,967 --> 00:14:43,299
where first Imperial Russia
and then the Soviet Union
267
00:14:43,300 --> 00:14:46,165
have been invaded through
Eastern and Central Europe.
268
00:14:46,166 --> 00:14:48,299
I am gonna make sure that
they are never a threat
269
00:14:48,300 --> 00:14:49,800
to the Soviet Union again.
270
00:14:50,867 --> 00:14:52,799
For Stalin, the
key thing for Eastern
271
00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:54,866
and Central Europe is
that it must be loyal
272
00:14:54,867 --> 00:14:56,000
to the Soviet Union.
273
00:14:56,133 --> 00:14:58,799
That's non-negotiable
and the recipe for doing
274
00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:00,166
that is communism.
275
00:15:01,266 --> 00:15:02,699
He starts to
create
276
00:15:02,700 --> 00:15:05,733
a new economic centralized
system in Central
277
00:15:05,734 --> 00:15:07,332
and Eastern Europe.
278
00:15:07,333 --> 00:15:10,766
Controlled governments, armies,
secret police, factories,
279
00:15:10,767 --> 00:15:12,933
agricultural systems, with all
280
00:15:12,934 --> 00:15:15,199
of the decisions effectively
for the economies
281
00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:17,599
of those countries
being made in Moscow.
282
00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:19,432
The Europe that the
United States wants
283
00:15:19,433 --> 00:15:22,366
to build does not look
very much like the Europe
284
00:15:22,367 --> 00:15:24,432
that the Soviets wanna build.
285
00:15:29,100 --> 00:15:31,699
The United States
has an enormous advantage
286
00:15:31,700 --> 00:15:35,367
over the Soviet Union,
the atomic bomb.
287
00:15:39,533 --> 00:15:42,866
The Soviets construct
numerous sites across the USSR
288
00:15:42,867 --> 00:15:45,967
in order to accomplish
task number one.
289
00:15:47,100 --> 00:15:50,599
Task number one is to
create a nuclear weapon
290
00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:53,199
at breakneck speed.
291
00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:56,032
No resources are too much.
292
00:15:56,033 --> 00:15:57,699
The nuclear
program is what the Soviet Union
293
00:15:57,700 --> 00:15:59,199
was almost designed to do.
294
00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:01,666
It's a big country with
lots of natural resources.
295
00:16:01,667 --> 00:16:04,933
It can marshal and mobilize
for the nuclear project.
296
00:16:04,934 --> 00:16:06,833
It's not completely unlike
the Manhattan Project,
297
00:16:06,834 --> 00:16:10,833
which was also top-down,
secretive and resource-heavy.
298
00:16:10,834 --> 00:16:12,933
And the Soviet Union
puts the full weight
299
00:16:12,934 --> 00:16:15,033
of its coercive power
behind this project.
300
00:16:15,934 --> 00:16:17,132
Stalin puts one
301
00:16:17,133 --> 00:16:20,165
of his most ruthless
lieutenants in charge,
302
00:16:20,166 --> 00:16:22,666
the chief of his secret police.
303
00:16:22,667 --> 00:16:24,666
Lavrentiy Beria is a
man
304
00:16:24,667 --> 00:16:27,165
of brutal ruthlessness
and sadism.
305
00:16:27,166 --> 00:16:30,432
One of the great monsters
of the Soviet story.
306
00:16:30,433 --> 00:16:35,165
He rapes women, he
tortures victims himself.
307
00:16:35,166 --> 00:16:37,833
But he's also as efficient
as a Swiss clock,
308
00:16:37,834 --> 00:16:39,833
and he uses everything.
309
00:16:39,834 --> 00:16:41,833
He happily turns off power
310
00:16:41,834 --> 00:16:44,999
in several cities just
to power a project.
311
00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:46,833
He gives scientists villas,
312
00:16:46,834 --> 00:16:50,265
dachas, cars, shooting
rifles, holidays.
313
00:16:50,266 --> 00:16:51,766
But at the same time,
314
00:16:51,767 --> 00:16:53,833
he threatens to kill them
and their whole families
315
00:16:53,834 --> 00:16:55,766
if they ever deceive him.
316
00:16:55,767 --> 00:16:57,767
And he drives on the project.
317
00:16:58,433 --> 00:17:00,232
It's not gonna be
quick for Stalin.
318
00:17:00,233 --> 00:17:01,899
There's no way that
he can flip a switch
319
00:17:01,900 --> 00:17:03,833
and acquire nuclear weapons.
320
00:17:03,834 --> 00:17:05,165
But the Soviet Union
simply can't sit
321
00:17:05,166 --> 00:17:07,165
on its laurels in 1946.
322
00:17:07,166 --> 00:17:09,767
It has to ready itself for
a new phase of conflict.
323
00:17:14,734 --> 00:17:17,399
After the turmoil
of the Second World War,
324
00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:19,833
the people of Great Britain
and the United States hope
325
00:17:19,834 --> 00:17:22,600
to return to a normal,
prosperous life.
326
00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:26,667
With peaceful coexistence
among nations,
327
00:17:28,333 --> 00:17:30,200
including with the Soviet Union.
328
00:17:31,233 --> 00:17:33,232
For the past five
years,
329
00:17:33,233 --> 00:17:37,165
Stalin had been your friend.
He had been Uncle Joe.
330
00:17:37,166 --> 00:17:38,833
But once again,
331
00:17:38,834 --> 00:17:40,667
a familiar voice
sounds a warning.
332
00:17:42,066 --> 00:17:43,999
Winston Churchill's
in a pretty bad mood.
333
00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:46,065
He was thrown out by
the British public
334
00:17:46,066 --> 00:17:48,999
in a dramatic election
defeat in 1945.
335
00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:51,499
His wife said it might be
a blessing in disguise.
336
00:17:51,500 --> 00:17:53,499
He said, well, I think it's
a pretty good disguise.
337
00:17:53,500 --> 00:17:56,399
He feels he won the Second
World War. He saved Britain.
338
00:17:56,400 --> 00:17:59,566
And here he is on
the speaking circuit.
339
00:18:05,467 --> 00:18:07,799
Winston Churchill
receives an invitation
340
00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:10,065
to give a speech
at a small college
341
00:18:10,066 --> 00:18:12,100
in President
Truman's home state.
342
00:18:13,233 --> 00:18:14,899
This is an opportunity
for Churchill
343
00:18:14,900 --> 00:18:17,799
to say some things that
he's got in his mind.
344
00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:19,632
It's also an opportunity
to spend some time
345
00:18:19,633 --> 00:18:21,733
with the President of the
United States of America.
346
00:18:21,734 --> 00:18:23,399
And then he's gonna
stand on that stage
347
00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:27,667
and he's gonna tell the American
people some home truths.
348
00:18:31,734 --> 00:18:36,667
From Stettin in the Baltic
to Trieste in the Adriatic,
349
00:18:37,967 --> 00:18:40,867
an iron curtain has descended
across the continent.
350
00:18:41,900 --> 00:18:44,065
The famous Iron
Curtain speech,
351
00:18:44,066 --> 00:18:49,166
where he very clearly lays out
what is happening in Europe.
352
00:18:49,967 --> 00:18:52,399
One side free, the
other side not.
353
00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:54,299
Behind that line,
354
00:18:54,300 --> 00:18:56,733
all are subject to a very high
355
00:18:56,734 --> 00:19:01,834
and in some cases increasing
measure of control from Moscow.
356
00:19:02,266 --> 00:19:05,466
Churchill sees Soviet
communism and Stalinism
357
00:19:05,467 --> 00:19:07,199
as a greater threat really,
358
00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:09,866
as Nazism was a
generation before.
359
00:19:09,867 --> 00:19:12,866
This is certainly not the
liberated Europe we fought
360
00:19:12,867 --> 00:19:13,967
to build up.
361
00:19:15,467 --> 00:19:16,734
It's dynamite.
362
00:19:17,667 --> 00:19:20,032
Because what Churchill
is doing is reframing
363
00:19:20,033 --> 00:19:21,400
the wartime alliance.
364
00:19:22,300 --> 00:19:24,366
He's casting the
Soviet empire
365
00:19:24,367 --> 00:19:26,133
as a malign force in the world.
366
00:19:26,867 --> 00:19:28,199
Truman, by the way,
367
00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:31,699
is absolutely on board
with this speech.
368
00:19:31,700 --> 00:19:33,632
But to Stalin, this is
just proof that Churchill
369
00:19:33,633 --> 00:19:35,066
is a warmonger.
370
00:19:36,300 --> 00:19:39,532
The alliance that
defeated Nazi fascism
371
00:19:39,533 --> 00:19:41,467
is beginning to fray.
372
00:19:53,567 --> 00:19:57,367
In late 1946, the French
vote to elect a new government.
373
00:19:58,734 --> 00:20:01,399
The Communist Party does well,
374
00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:05,133
winning a plurality of seats
in the French legislature.
375
00:20:05,734 --> 00:20:07,332
With the politics
of Europe in a state
376
00:20:07,333 --> 00:20:09,499
of extraordinary upheaval
because of the catastrophe
377
00:20:09,500 --> 00:20:11,833
of the war, you do have
a high degree of concern
378
00:20:11,834 --> 00:20:14,499
in Washington about countries
in Western Europe turning
379
00:20:14,500 --> 00:20:16,066
in a communist direction.
380
00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:18,666
There's a lot of
unrest.
381
00:20:18,667 --> 00:20:21,232
There are strikes starting
to take place in France.
382
00:20:21,233 --> 00:20:24,332
There's a huge pro-communist
movement in Italy.
383
00:20:24,333 --> 00:20:26,833
And Stalin thinks,
maybe he'll win some
384
00:20:26,834 --> 00:20:29,834
of these countries without
even having to send an army in.
385
00:20:33,066 --> 00:20:34,499
To the south,
386
00:20:34,500 --> 00:20:36,232
Stalin attempts
to pressure Turkey
387
00:20:36,233 --> 00:20:39,165
into giving him control
of the Turkish straits,
388
00:20:39,166 --> 00:20:41,666
which would allow access
to the Mediterranean
389
00:20:41,667 --> 00:20:42,667
and the Middle East.
390
00:20:43,834 --> 00:20:45,666
And in Greece,
communist guerrillas
391
00:20:45,667 --> 00:20:50,400
and government forces are
fighting an ongoing civil war.
392
00:20:51,700 --> 00:20:53,032
These are countries
393
00:20:53,033 --> 00:20:54,999
that have never been
viewed as essential
394
00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:56,000
to American security.
395
00:20:56,367 --> 00:20:59,499
The United States does not
have a history of backing
396
00:20:59,500 --> 00:21:02,066
the governments of
Turkey or Greece.
397
00:21:03,166 --> 00:21:05,065
The British have
been funding the Greek army
398
00:21:05,066 --> 00:21:06,734
and sending weapons to Turkey.
399
00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:15,132
But early in 1947
in the White House,
400
00:21:15,133 --> 00:21:18,065
this document arrives,
and it's a shocker.
401
00:21:18,066 --> 00:21:20,733
It's from the British
government, and it says,
402
00:21:20,734 --> 00:21:23,399
For a long time, we've
been supporting Greece
403
00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:26,133
and Turkey, but we are broke.
404
00:21:28,233 --> 00:21:29,566
This is a really
important moment,
405
00:21:29,567 --> 00:21:31,799
the winding down of
the British Empire.
406
00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:34,799
But early 1947, they
do not wish to be
407
00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:37,466
this sort of great force
in the Eastern Mediterranean,
408
00:21:37,467 --> 00:21:39,300
which they had been
for a long time.
409
00:21:40,233 --> 00:21:41,632
[A.J.} It becomes clear to
Truman
410
00:21:41,633 --> 00:21:44,232
and the American State
Department that this issue
411
00:21:44,233 --> 00:21:45,966
in Greece and Turkey
is actually a threat
412
00:21:45,967 --> 00:21:47,733
to national security.
413
00:21:47,734 --> 00:21:49,132
They believe that if Greece
414
00:21:49,133 --> 00:21:52,399
and Turkey become Stalinized,
these are dominoes,
415
00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:55,899
and the rest of Western
Europe could possibly fall.
416
00:21:55,900 --> 00:21:57,833
And the British
say to the Americans,
417
00:21:57,834 --> 00:22:02,532
if you wanna make sure these
places remain pro-Western,
418
00:22:02,533 --> 00:22:04,032
you as the United
States are gonna
419
00:22:04,033 --> 00:22:06,632
have to use military force.
420
00:22:06,633 --> 00:22:09,633
Now that is a real put up or
shut up moment for Truman.
421
00:22:11,867 --> 00:22:13,733
Truman is a very
practical,
422
00:22:13,734 --> 00:22:16,632
plain-spoken, linear thinker.
423
00:22:16,633 --> 00:22:19,366
He doesn't come into
office with some big vision
424
00:22:19,367 --> 00:22:21,199
of what the world should be.
425
00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:23,866
He sort of picks up the
mantle of FDR and tries
426
00:22:23,867 --> 00:22:27,132
to build a post-war
order according
427
00:22:27,133 --> 00:22:29,199
to what he thought
FDR would have done.
428
00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:31,632
But really from the
moment of meeting Stalin
429
00:22:31,633 --> 00:22:35,300
at Potsdam onward, he's starting
to formulate his own views.
430
00:22:36,967 --> 00:22:38,532
And now Truman
recognizes
431
00:22:38,533 --> 00:22:40,699
that this is a turning point.
432
00:22:40,700 --> 00:22:42,632
In this new post-war world,
433
00:22:42,633 --> 00:22:44,132
what's happening on another side
434
00:22:44,133 --> 00:22:47,367
of the globe can be critical
to America's national security.
435
00:22:48,633 --> 00:22:50,366
After deliberating
with his diplomatic
436
00:22:50,367 --> 00:22:53,366
and military advisors,
President Truman addresses
437
00:22:53,367 --> 00:22:55,600
a joint session of Congress.
438
00:22:57,300 --> 00:22:59,966
I believe
that it must be the policy
439
00:22:59,967 --> 00:23:03,432
of the United States
to support free peoples
440
00:23:03,433 --> 00:23:05,933
who are resisting
attempted subjugation
441
00:23:05,934 --> 00:23:10,766
by armed minorities or
by outside pressure.
442
00:23:10,767 --> 00:23:13,032
We must assist free
peoples to work out
443
00:23:13,033 --> 00:23:15,600
their own destinies
in their own way.
444
00:23:17,266 --> 00:23:18,399
The United States
445
00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:20,433
is shifting away
from isolationism.
446
00:23:21,700 --> 00:23:24,200
The Truman Doctrine
is now U.S. policy.
447
00:23:26,767 --> 00:23:28,366
The Truman
Doctrine is the culmination,
448
00:23:28,367 --> 00:23:30,532
going all the way back
to Woodrow Wilson,
449
00:23:30,533 --> 00:23:32,599
of setting out these
American ideals,
450
00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:34,432
setting out these
American principles,
451
00:23:34,433 --> 00:23:35,532
but this time backing them
452
00:23:35,533 --> 00:23:37,466
with more power, more force,
453
00:23:37,467 --> 00:23:40,366
because Truman's vision is
that the U.S. will support
454
00:23:40,367 --> 00:23:42,699
any country that is resisting
communist aggression.
455
00:23:42,700 --> 00:23:44,032
Any country.
456
00:23:44,033 --> 00:23:45,299
It is difficult to
overstate
457
00:23:45,300 --> 00:23:48,232
what a dramatic departure
the Truman Doctrine
458
00:23:48,233 --> 00:23:50,866
is for the United States.
459
00:23:50,867 --> 00:23:52,866
In 1941, the United States
460
00:23:52,867 --> 00:23:54,432
had to be dragged into war.
461
00:23:54,433 --> 00:23:56,032
But what Truman
is saying is now,
462
00:23:56,033 --> 00:23:57,532
we're ready to take
463
00:23:57,533 --> 00:24:01,099
the fight wherever
democracy requires us.
464
00:24:01,100 --> 00:24:05,432
We must take
immediate and resolute action.
465
00:24:05,433 --> 00:24:06,999
Truman asks Congress,
466
00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:09,332
and he receives $400 million
467
00:24:09,333 --> 00:24:11,767
of military aid for
Greece and Turkey.
468
00:24:12,934 --> 00:24:14,333
This is only the beginning.
469
00:24:19,333 --> 00:24:20,833
This is a radical
shift,
470
00:24:20,834 --> 00:24:22,666
not only in the way
that America had thought
471
00:24:22,667 --> 00:24:24,332
about its place in the world,
472
00:24:24,333 --> 00:24:27,265
but a radical shift in where
Harry Truman's own line was.
473
00:24:27,266 --> 00:24:28,999
It's actually putting
American power behind
474
00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:31,766
a global ideological contest
with the Soviet Union.
475
00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:40,833
As the American-Soviet
alliance fades,
476
00:24:40,834 --> 00:24:44,667
a contest between
superpowers emerges.
477
00:24:53,700 --> 00:24:55,232
Europe is in the grip
478
00:24:55,233 --> 00:24:57,266
of one of the coldest
winters in memory.
479
00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:01,600
People have little to eat
and struggle to stay warm.
480
00:25:03,100 --> 00:25:06,433
They begin to despair at the
slow pace of post-war recovery.
481
00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:10,999
Western governments
have not been able
482
00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:12,999
to rebuild their economies.
483
00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:15,265
Agriculture has been destroyed.
484
00:25:15,266 --> 00:25:17,165
Transportation has
been destroyed.
485
00:25:17,166 --> 00:25:19,132
Manufacturing has
been destroyed.
486
00:25:19,133 --> 00:25:23,432
And there's an enormous
refugee crisis that is ongoing.
487
00:25:23,433 --> 00:25:24,999
During the war,
488
00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:26,933
there was the deliberate
forced movement of populations.
489
00:25:26,934 --> 00:25:29,766
So there are millions
and millions of refugees
490
00:25:29,767 --> 00:25:31,999
on the roads, in camps,
491
00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:35,100
in towns and cities and
villages that are not their own.
492
00:25:39,266 --> 00:25:41,833
Truman and his
advisors fear that Europe
493
00:25:41,834 --> 00:25:44,432
is on the verge of collapse.
494
00:25:44,433 --> 00:25:47,432
General George Marshall,
one of the chief architects
495
00:25:47,433 --> 00:25:50,599
of American victory in
World War II, believes,
496
00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:53,266
the whole world
hangs in the balance.
497
00:25:54,266 --> 00:25:55,833
What Truman and
George Marshall,
498
00:25:55,834 --> 00:25:57,165
his Secretary of State realize,
499
00:25:57,166 --> 00:26:00,065
is you need to
rebuild the European economy.
500
00:26:00,066 --> 00:26:02,833
It has to be not just the
militarized Truman Doctrine,
501
00:26:02,834 --> 00:26:04,899
but there needs to be
a way of getting money
502
00:26:04,900 --> 00:26:08,899
to support Western European
or capitalist states.
503
00:26:08,900 --> 00:26:10,165
The Marshall Plan
504
00:26:10,166 --> 00:26:14,899
is a $13.3 billion
essentially handout
505
00:26:14,900 --> 00:26:16,332
to foreign governments
506
00:26:16,333 --> 00:26:18,499
to help these countries
rebuild themselves,
507
00:26:18,500 --> 00:26:21,733
westernize, and
stabilize politically.
508
00:26:21,734 --> 00:26:23,899
And it would be
keeping people alive
509
00:26:23,900 --> 00:26:27,566
in places where starvation
was an actual real thing.
510
00:26:27,567 --> 00:26:30,332
So it's done for
altruistic reasons,
511
00:26:30,333 --> 00:26:32,366
but also geopolitical ones.
512
00:26:32,367 --> 00:26:34,332
President Truman and
George Marshall
513
00:26:34,333 --> 00:26:38,199
believe that the best guarantee
against communism are
514
00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:41,065
well-fed bellies, good schools,
515
00:26:41,066 --> 00:26:43,666
orderly societies,
the kind of things
516
00:26:43,667 --> 00:26:46,566
that can only happen in
a prosperous economy.
517
00:26:51,900 --> 00:26:54,833
Stalin recognizes
how Marshall's plan
518
00:26:54,834 --> 00:26:57,065
threatens his objectives.
519
00:26:57,066 --> 00:26:58,566
To him, it's
another trick.
520
00:26:58,567 --> 00:27:00,799
It's another American
way to try to undermine
521
00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:04,200
the Soviet Union and pull
Europe into the American orbit.
522
00:27:05,467 --> 00:27:09,232
It's presented as
Stalin's typical paranoia.
523
00:27:09,233 --> 00:27:12,299
Actually, he's got every
reason to distrust the West.
524
00:27:12,300 --> 00:27:13,566
He was right.
525
00:27:13,567 --> 00:27:17,232
Today, our aid to the
free nations of Europe
526
00:27:17,233 --> 00:27:20,200
is helping them to
resist dictatorship.
527
00:27:21,233 --> 00:27:23,232
Stalin understands
that Western goods
528
00:27:23,233 --> 00:27:26,632
with Western money would
lead to Western values
529
00:27:26,633 --> 00:27:29,799
of liberal democracy,
of open society,
530
00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:33,299
and also would spread the
attractions of capitalism.
531
00:27:33,300 --> 00:27:36,467
And it would undermine
Stalin's own rule.
532
00:27:37,467 --> 00:27:38,632
So for him,
533
00:27:38,633 --> 00:27:40,100
the Marshall Plan has
to be stomped out.
534
00:27:41,633 --> 00:27:43,899
Stalin directs the
countries under his command
535
00:27:43,900 --> 00:27:45,800
to reject the American offer.
536
00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:49,466
Very clearly, Stalin
has drawn a line
537
00:27:49,467 --> 00:27:53,432
and said, this is my
turf, this is your turf,
538
00:27:53,433 --> 00:27:54,400
and that's that.
539
00:27:55,734 --> 00:27:58,132
Stalin expects to
maintain complete control
540
00:27:58,133 --> 00:28:01,032
of the East European countries
liberated from Germany
541
00:28:01,033 --> 00:28:02,133
by the Red Army.
542
00:28:03,867 --> 00:28:05,700
But one nation will test him.
543
00:28:09,967 --> 00:28:11,966
Czechoslovakia is deeply connected
544
00:28:11,967 --> 00:28:13,866
to the Western European economy.
545
00:28:13,867 --> 00:28:15,466
The Czechs have
advanced industry.
546
00:28:15,467 --> 00:28:18,299
They could become wealthy
with access to Western capital
547
00:28:18,300 --> 00:28:20,466
in the form of
the Marshall Plan.
548
00:28:20,467 --> 00:28:22,366
The democratically
elected government
549
00:28:22,367 --> 00:28:26,299
in Prague is led by
President Edvard Benes.
550
00:28:26,300 --> 00:28:28,199
Several of its
ministers are members
551
00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:29,800
of the Czech Communist Party.
552
00:28:34,800 --> 00:28:37,533
Stalin pressures Benes
to reject American aid
553
00:28:38,467 --> 00:28:41,300
and compels the Czech
communists to seize control.
554
00:28:43,200 --> 00:28:44,733
Over the next few months,
555
00:28:44,734 --> 00:28:48,200
local communists stir up
unrest throughout the country.
556
00:28:49,633 --> 00:28:50,733
The citizens of
Czechoslovakia
557
00:28:50,734 --> 00:28:52,033
haven't quite gotten the memo
558
00:28:52,166 --> 00:28:54,700
that they're really the
subordinates of Soviet power.
559
00:28:58,033 --> 00:29:01,599
In 1948, there
is a communist-led coup
560
00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:04,532
in Prague that topples
the Benes government
561
00:29:04,533 --> 00:29:07,432
and places another East
European country firmly
562
00:29:07,433 --> 00:29:08,867
in Moscow's orbit.
563
00:29:10,700 --> 00:29:13,599
Now Stalin decides
to take fewer risks
564
00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:16,099
in Eastern Europe,
no risks at all.
565
00:29:16,100 --> 00:29:17,400
He doesn't believe
566
00:29:17,567 --> 00:29:21,099
that ultimately communism
will flower politically
567
00:29:21,100 --> 00:29:23,599
and economically and that
working peoples around
568
00:29:23,600 --> 00:29:26,099
the world will just embrace
it because it is the true
569
00:29:26,100 --> 00:29:29,366
and scientific approach
to human civilization.
570
00:29:29,367 --> 00:29:30,667
He believes in power.
571
00:29:38,033 --> 00:29:39,432
Across Eastern Europe,
572
00:29:39,433 --> 00:29:44,533
he crushes any hint of
liberalism, free speech.
573
00:29:44,734 --> 00:29:47,533
He doubles down on
his Soviet system.
574
00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:50,934
He arrests tens of
thousands of people.
575
00:29:52,266 --> 00:29:55,366
More people are sent to
the Gulags after the war
576
00:29:55,367 --> 00:29:58,400
than before the war in the
1930s during the Great Terror.
577
00:30:06,934 --> 00:30:09,866
Marshall aid is
an essential component
578
00:30:09,867 --> 00:30:12,934
in the American post-war
recovery plan for Europe.
579
00:30:15,033 --> 00:30:16,367
But its success widens
580
00:30:16,467 --> 00:30:20,866
the increasing divide
economically and politically
581
00:30:20,867 --> 00:30:22,900
between East and West.
582
00:30:23,867 --> 00:30:26,433
We are now in a bipolar world.
583
00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:39,366
It's a world of
rivalry
584
00:30:39,367 --> 00:30:40,900
like the world had never seen.
585
00:30:41,033 --> 00:30:43,532
The Soviet Union has
proved again and again
586
00:30:43,533 --> 00:30:45,766
that it cannot be trusted.
587
00:30:45,767 --> 00:30:47,866
And it's a race.
588
00:30:47,867 --> 00:30:50,032
It's a competition
for preeminence
589
00:30:50,033 --> 00:30:53,200
and it's ultimately going to
be a competition for security.
590
00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:55,966
And Berlin,
the former capital
591
00:30:55,967 --> 00:30:59,700
of the Third Reich, is at
the center of the conflict.
592
00:31:05,800 --> 00:31:07,899
In the summer of 1948,
593
00:31:07,900 --> 00:31:10,799
billions of Marshall aid
dollars flow into the countries
594
00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:11,900
of Western Europe.
595
00:31:13,300 --> 00:31:14,666
Europe is slowly
596
00:31:14,667 --> 00:31:17,599
but surely edging back
towards economic health.
597
00:31:17,600 --> 00:31:18,966
Careful planning for the use
598
00:31:18,967 --> 00:31:21,299
of the $324 million allotted
599
00:31:21,300 --> 00:31:25,399
has helped Western Germany
temporarily to its feet.
600
00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:27,065
Great Britain and
the United States merge
601
00:31:27,066 --> 00:31:29,632
their German occupation zones.
602
00:31:29,633 --> 00:31:31,233
The French will soon join them.
603
00:31:32,233 --> 00:31:36,632
A common currency is
introduced, the Deutschmark.
604
00:31:36,633 --> 00:31:39,299
Stalin understands that
the Western powers intend
605
00:31:39,300 --> 00:31:42,800
to establish a strong and
independent West Germany.
606
00:31:45,133 --> 00:31:48,132
Since the end of the war,
Great Britain, France,
607
00:31:48,133 --> 00:31:52,033
the United States and the Soviet
Union have occupied Berlin.
608
00:31:52,834 --> 00:31:56,400
It lies deep within Soviet
dominated Eastern Germany.
609
00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:02,866
Now imagine for
someone as paranoid as Stalin
610
00:32:02,867 --> 00:32:06,199
having these Western militaries
going back
611
00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:10,699
and forth between Berlin and
the Western occupation zones.
612
00:32:10,700 --> 00:32:13,867
This is a source of instability,
disruption, it's dangerous.
613
00:32:14,633 --> 00:32:16,966
Stalin wants
to sever direct contact
614
00:32:16,967 --> 00:32:19,700
between Berlin and the
Western half of Germany.
615
00:32:21,033 --> 00:32:22,699
He doesn't wanna
invade West Berlin
616
00:32:22,700 --> 00:32:24,199
because that's an act of war,
617
00:32:24,200 --> 00:32:27,200
but what he believes he can
do is he can blockade Berlin.
618
00:32:28,033 --> 00:32:31,132
At this time, Berlin is
still a pile of rubble.
619
00:32:31,133 --> 00:32:34,132
It has very little
tactical significance
620
00:32:34,133 --> 00:32:35,633
for the United
States government.
621
00:32:36,633 --> 00:32:38,466
So it really made no
sense
622
00:32:38,467 --> 00:32:39,632
to keep West Berlin,
623
00:32:39,633 --> 00:32:41,299
and Stalin believed
624
00:32:41,300 --> 00:32:45,333
that in the end the West
would blink and withdraw.
625
00:32:49,033 --> 00:32:52,366
On June 24th,
the Soviets cut all road,
626
00:32:52,367 --> 00:32:54,866
rail and water routes
linking West Berlin
627
00:32:54,867 --> 00:32:56,133
to Western Germany.
628
00:32:57,200 --> 00:33:00,132
Suddenly the trains stopped.
629
00:33:00,133 --> 00:33:03,100
Traffic between Berlin and
the Western zones was banned.
630
00:33:04,867 --> 00:33:07,866
The famous
autobahns were deserted,
631
00:33:07,867 --> 00:33:10,100
and even canal traffic
was at a standstill.
632
00:33:11,433 --> 00:33:13,199
The blockade
even cut electric power
633
00:33:13,200 --> 00:33:15,767
and put out 75% of the lights.
634
00:33:18,533 --> 00:33:20,766
Truman is a pragmatic
person.
635
00:33:20,767 --> 00:33:23,699
This could be a
moment where he says,
636
00:33:23,700 --> 00:33:26,532
it's not worth saving this city
637
00:33:26,533 --> 00:33:28,265
because I don't know
what Stalin's gonna do.
638
00:33:28,266 --> 00:33:30,433
I don't know how dangerous
this is gonna be.
639
00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:33,700
Instead, he says, we're
not going anywhere.
640
00:33:35,266 --> 00:33:36,367
The U.S. and Britain
realize
641
00:33:36,467 --> 00:33:39,032
that this is Stalin
testing the wire.
642
00:33:39,033 --> 00:33:41,900
It'll be Berlin first,
then it'll be elsewhere.
643
00:33:42,900 --> 00:33:46,599
And the Allies choose
to make it a red line.
644
00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:48,366
Keep in mind, it's
1948.
645
00:33:48,367 --> 00:33:50,099
For Truman, it's
an election year.
646
00:33:50,100 --> 00:33:51,866
It's the first
post-war election.
647
00:33:51,867 --> 00:33:53,866
It's the first election
in the nuclear age.
648
00:33:53,867 --> 00:33:56,032
The first election in
the television age.
649
00:33:56,033 --> 00:33:59,032
He's aware that all
eyes are on him.
650
00:33:59,033 --> 00:34:00,666
The British and
Americans ask,
651
00:34:00,667 --> 00:34:02,099
what can we do short of war?
652
00:34:02,100 --> 00:34:05,666
And the answer is, they
can keep Berlin supplied.
653
00:34:05,667 --> 00:34:09,667
Not by road, not by rail,
not by canal, but by air.
654
00:34:15,166 --> 00:34:16,999
The British and
the Americans construct
655
00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:19,767
an air bridge into West Berlin.
656
00:34:20,600 --> 00:34:22,499
The plan is to
deliver it on airplanes
657
00:34:22,500 --> 00:34:25,933
everything that a
modern city needs to survive.
658
00:34:25,934 --> 00:34:28,165
Got food, got
coal, you got fuel,
659
00:34:28,166 --> 00:34:30,499
you've got medical supplies.
660
00:34:30,500 --> 00:34:32,265
It's a superb example
of an operation
661
00:34:32,266 --> 00:34:34,165
that's pulled
together very quickly.
662
00:34:34,166 --> 00:34:37,766
Huge numbers of aircraft,
planes flying around the clock.
663
00:34:37,767 --> 00:34:39,066
These British and
American officers,
664
00:34:39,200 --> 00:34:42,332
the same officers that
have organized the triumphs
665
00:34:42,333 --> 00:34:45,133
of logistics that you see
during the Second World War.
666
00:34:47,100 --> 00:34:49,666
A continuous
stream of cargo planes land
667
00:34:49,667 --> 00:34:51,500
in West Berlin
every few minutes.
668
00:34:52,600 --> 00:34:54,366
But to reach the city,
669
00:34:54,367 --> 00:34:56,666
they must fly over
hundreds of miles
670
00:34:56,667 --> 00:34:58,600
of Soviet-controlled territory.
671
00:35:00,500 --> 00:35:02,233
They're choosing
to defy Stalin.
672
00:35:04,233 --> 00:35:08,899
And if you fill the airspace
with military aircraft,
673
00:35:08,900 --> 00:35:10,833
even though they're unarmed,
674
00:35:10,834 --> 00:35:14,133
you have to assume that
Stalin might strike back.
675
00:35:15,567 --> 00:35:17,733
So you have all
this military capacity.
676
00:35:17,734 --> 00:35:22,700
You have the paranoia and fear
in Washington and in Moscow.
677
00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:25,666
You have this hall
of mirrors quality.
678
00:35:25,667 --> 00:35:26,999
The two countries are involved
679
00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:28,667
in a kind of escalatory spiral.
680
00:35:34,834 --> 00:35:37,899
Truman now
deploys dozens of B-29s
681
00:35:37,900 --> 00:35:40,399
to air bases in England,
682
00:35:40,400 --> 00:35:42,999
the same plane that
dropped the atomic bombs
683
00:35:43,000 --> 00:35:45,333
on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
684
00:35:46,567 --> 00:35:49,065
Nuclear weapons go
from being a secret weapon
685
00:35:49,066 --> 00:35:52,999
to a public strategic weapon.
686
00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:55,999
The pressure on Truman
at this point is incalculable.
687
00:35:56,000 --> 00:35:58,899
He knows that this move
could be provocative enough
688
00:35:58,900 --> 00:36:00,900
to start World War III.
689
00:36:02,567 --> 00:36:03,999
But the Americans are
hoping
690
00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:07,466
that this strong show of
resolve will encourage Stalin
691
00:36:07,467 --> 00:36:08,900
to back off.
692
00:36:09,400 --> 00:36:13,533
They are gambling that Stalin
does not want World War III.
693
00:36:19,400 --> 00:36:20,999
After nearly a year
694
00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:25,567
of daily international tension,
Stalin halts the blockade.
695
00:36:28,300 --> 00:36:29,899
Here's a glimpse
of Berlin itself
696
00:36:29,900 --> 00:36:32,567
as the first trains and
vehicles got going at night.
697
00:36:35,633 --> 00:36:36,933
All routes
698
00:36:36,934 --> 00:36:38,633
that connect Berlin to
the West are reopened.
699
00:36:43,800 --> 00:36:46,466
Restrictions within Berlin
between the Soviet zone
700
00:36:46,467 --> 00:36:50,800
and American, British, and
French zones are lifted as well.
701
00:36:51,967 --> 00:36:54,300
Stalin set up a
challenge for the West.
702
00:36:55,133 --> 00:36:56,734
He was probing the West.
703
00:36:57,967 --> 00:37:00,367
He needed to know
how far he could go.
704
00:37:01,133 --> 00:37:06,132
But in fact, Truman
rose to the challenge.
705
00:37:06,133 --> 00:37:08,867
And in the end, it was
Stalin who blinked.
706
00:37:18,567 --> 00:37:20,399
As relations
between the United States
707
00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:24,065
and the Soviet Union
continue to deteriorate,
708
00:37:24,066 --> 00:37:25,232
Western governments plan
709
00:37:25,233 --> 00:37:27,833
to provide collective security
710
00:37:27,834 --> 00:37:30,399
against possible
Soviet aggression.
711
00:37:30,400 --> 00:37:32,566
When the United
States and the Soviet Union
712
00:37:32,567 --> 00:37:35,566
look like they can be on the
verge of war,
713
00:37:35,567 --> 00:37:36,934
it became obvious
714
00:37:37,033 --> 00:37:39,232
that the United States couldn't
continue to ad hoc this,
715
00:37:39,233 --> 00:37:42,266
to lurch from crisis
to crisis to crisis.
716
00:37:43,400 --> 00:37:46,332
The post-war path
that FDR anticipated
717
00:37:46,333 --> 00:37:49,366
was one in which the
United Nations
718
00:37:49,367 --> 00:37:54,867
would help adjudicate
disputes and rule the peace.
719
00:37:55,667 --> 00:37:58,065
What he was not able
to fully anticipate
720
00:37:58,066 --> 00:38:03,366
was that a struggle against his
former ally, the Soviet Union,
721
00:38:03,367 --> 00:38:06,533
would become the defining
force of the era.
722
00:38:11,567 --> 00:38:13,566
Representatives from Europe, Canada,
723
00:38:13,567 --> 00:38:16,733
and the United States meet
in Washington to discuss
724
00:38:16,734 --> 00:38:19,566
the formation of a
new military alliance,
725
00:38:19,567 --> 00:38:23,567
the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization, NATO.
726
00:38:24,467 --> 00:38:25,766
The idea is to
create
727
00:38:25,767 --> 00:38:28,366
what military strategists
call deterrence.
728
00:38:28,367 --> 00:38:30,399
It's an alliance that
is created to make sure
729
00:38:30,400 --> 00:38:33,399
that the Russians know that
if they attack one state
730
00:38:33,400 --> 00:38:35,799
in the alliance, they could
theoretically face a war
731
00:38:35,800 --> 00:38:38,066
against all of the
states in that alliance.
732
00:38:38,967 --> 00:38:40,799
NATO is created to
keep the Americans in,
733
00:38:40,800 --> 00:38:42,900
the Russians out,
and the Germans down.
734
00:38:46,633 --> 00:38:48,399
What Harry Truman does
735
00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:51,299
with the Marshall Plan,
with the Truman Doctrine,
736
00:38:51,300 --> 00:38:57,400
with NATO, is establish an
infrastructure of deterrence
737
00:38:57,900 --> 00:39:02,599
to try to contain the
communistic influence.
738
00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:04,632
If there is
anything inevitable
739
00:39:04,633 --> 00:39:07,699
in the future, it is the will
of the people of the world
740
00:39:07,700 --> 00:39:10,467
for freedom and for peace.
741
00:39:14,200 --> 00:39:16,466
But the world is
about to cross a threshold
742
00:39:16,467 --> 00:39:19,266
from which there is no return.
743
00:39:26,200 --> 00:39:29,866
In an appropriately
desolate landscape,
744
00:39:29,867 --> 00:39:33,900
the Soviet Union prepares to
test its first atomic bomb.
745
00:39:35,467 --> 00:39:38,933
Lavrentiy Beria,
Stalin's kind of mega manager,
746
00:39:38,934 --> 00:39:41,632
arrives to supervise
in a little hut
747
00:39:41,633 --> 00:39:43,500
in the middle of nowhere.
748
00:39:45,133 --> 00:39:46,567
He's incredibly nervous.
749
00:39:47,467 --> 00:39:51,133
If it doesn't work, his
downfall is quite likely.
750
00:39:52,700 --> 00:39:55,233
He watches from a safe distance.
751
00:40:09,200 --> 00:40:10,834
The test is a success.
752
00:40:12,133 --> 00:40:15,966
Stalin's overjoyed
and relieved.
753
00:40:15,967 --> 00:40:18,866
Now he's got an equal
footing with the West,
754
00:40:18,867 --> 00:40:21,632
and they cannot push
him around any more.
755
00:40:21,633 --> 00:40:23,532
After this period
when Stalin's struggling
756
00:40:23,533 --> 00:40:25,199
to catch up with America,
757
00:40:25,200 --> 00:40:27,466
he's back in the game.
758
00:40:27,467 --> 00:40:29,299
Truman's a poker
player,
759
00:40:29,300 --> 00:40:30,966
and for these years
after the war,
760
00:40:30,967 --> 00:40:32,532
he always had an
ace in the hole.
761
00:40:32,533 --> 00:40:36,199
He had the bomb, the Soviets
didn't. That surety was gone.
762
00:40:36,200 --> 00:40:38,132
There was no turning back.
763
00:40:38,133 --> 00:40:39,866
You've got two
superpowers,
764
00:40:39,867 --> 00:40:42,966
two nuclear powers that are
facing each other across
765
00:40:42,967 --> 00:40:45,366
the world, and all
of a sudden the world
766
00:40:45,367 --> 00:40:46,800
is much less stable.
767
00:40:49,633 --> 00:40:52,799
An 18th or 19th
century scholar would say, oh,
768
00:40:52,800 --> 00:40:54,366
you're gonna have a war
between those two powers.
769
00:40:54,367 --> 00:40:55,666
It's inevitable, right?
770
00:40:55,667 --> 00:40:57,299
Because they're the
two great superpowers.
771
00:40:57,300 --> 00:41:00,699
But the atomic
weapons change things.
772
00:41:00,700 --> 00:41:03,366
If the Soviets and the
United States can't compete
773
00:41:03,367 --> 00:41:05,366
in the military sense directly
774
00:41:05,367 --> 00:41:07,199
because it's too
dangerous,
775
00:41:07,200 --> 00:41:09,367
well, then you compete
indirectly.
776
00:41:11,100 --> 00:41:12,833
After 1949,
777
00:41:12,834 --> 00:41:14,333
there'll be one war after the
other:
778
00:41:14,734 --> 00:41:18,766
big wars, small
wars, guerrilla wars,
779
00:41:18,767 --> 00:41:22,066
proxy wars between
the two superpowers.
780
00:41:23,266 --> 00:41:26,166
But what hasn't
happened is the big one.
781
00:41:27,433 --> 00:41:30,933
There has not been
a World War III,
782
00:41:30,934 --> 00:41:33,532
a general war
involving the globe
783
00:41:33,533 --> 00:41:36,199
that involves nuclear weapons.
784
00:41:36,200 --> 00:41:39,766
World War II began in
a universe that would
785
00:41:39,767 --> 00:41:42,633
have been recognizable
50 years before.
786
00:41:43,600 --> 00:41:47,766
It ends in a world that
wouldn't have been recognizable
787
00:41:47,767 --> 00:41:51,300
to anyone because of the
splitting of the atom.
788
00:41:52,767 --> 00:41:57,866
The moral and philosophical
underpinnings that enabled
789
00:41:57,867 --> 00:42:01,265
the Allies to triumph
in World War II,
790
00:42:01,266 --> 00:42:03,833
an appreciation
for the individual,
791
00:42:03,834 --> 00:42:07,265
support for the
dignity of all peoples,
792
00:42:07,266 --> 00:42:09,833
a bias for democracy,
793
00:42:09,834 --> 00:42:14,899
have for almost a century
now enabled us to live
794
00:42:14,900 --> 00:42:19,600
and thrive in a world where
Armageddon is always at hand.
795
00:42:20,767 --> 00:42:22,332
But it hasn't come,
796
00:42:22,333 --> 00:42:26,700
not least because we've
done the right thing.
797
00:42:32,433 --> 00:42:35,099
The Second World
War alters everything.
798
00:42:35,100 --> 00:42:39,265
National, political, even
moral boundaries are redrawn.
799
00:42:39,266 --> 00:42:42,265
What was inconceivable
before the war is now part
800
00:42:42,266 --> 00:42:44,499
of the fabric of life.
801
00:42:44,500 --> 00:42:47,833
The conflict that
follows, the Cold War,
802
00:42:47,834 --> 00:42:50,265
poses even graver consequence,
803
00:42:50,266 --> 00:42:52,666
because now for the first
time in human history
804
00:42:52,667 --> 00:42:56,766
the world could
literally destroy itself.
805
00:42:56,767 --> 00:43:01,767
One war replaced by another
and the world remains on edge.
806
00:43:02,567 --> 00:43:05,899
As President Dwight D.
Eisenhower observed,
807
00:43:05,900 --> 00:43:11,200
the only way to win the next
world war is to prevent it.