Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev made a surprising and historic announcement on December 25, 1991. Effective immediately, he resigned as president and essentially dissolved the entire Soviet Union. The Christmas day speech is seen by many, along with the fall of the Berlin Wall, as the moment that the Cold War … Continue reading
On December 11, 1964, Che Guevara addressed the United Nations General Assembly as head of the Cuban delegation. In expressing Cuba’s frustration with the actions of the United States, he says: “The United States, furthermore, tried to get the UN to inspect our territory. But we emphatically refuse, since Cuba … Continue reading
Alger Hiss was an American lawyer who was accused of being a member of the Communist Party by the House Un-American Activities Committee(HUAC). On August 3, 1948, a man named Whittaker Chambers testified before the committee that he and Hiss had both been secret communists for years. Despite questions over … Continue reading
Professor Bernard B. Fall, who wrote the first Western biography on the notorious Vietnamese communist revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh, discusses Ho’s effective application of public relations strategies: “He is extremely response-conscious…The uncle idea is his idea.” Ho Chi Minh is referred to by the Vietnamese people as “Uncle Ho” … Continue reading
Author: Megan O’Toole In the golden age of Hollywood, many film industry employees fueled a stable “studio system” by signing contracts with a select number of major studios. Between the years 1927 to 1963, five large studios including Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Paramount Pictures controlled the film industry–creating thousands of efficiently-made movies. … Continue reading
Svetlana Alliuyeva, the youngest child and only daughter of Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin, addresses the press concerning her 1967 immigration to the United States. Svetlana, who changed her named to Lana Peters after moving to America, sparked international scandal with her defection from the Soviet Union becoming a naturalized … Continue reading
Robert Meeropol discusses the execution of his parents, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, the only U.S. citizens to be executed under the Espionage Act of 1917. As one of the most contested death sentences in history, the Rosenberg case has inspired continued debate over the constitutionality of the Espionage Act. In … Continue reading
A significant moment in Cold War history: U.S. President Ronald Reagan on June 12, 1987 issued a challenge to Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down” the Berlin Wall, which the Communist state of East Germany erected in 1961 as a barrier between West Berlin and the socialist state … Continue reading
Beijing University students struggle to identify the iconic “Tank Man” image that captures an unidentified protester standing before a row of tanks the morning after the Tiananmen Square Massacre of 1989. Although the Tiananmen Square Protests were primarily led by Beijing University students, the muddled facts on this historical event … Continue reading
Wu Dingfu and Song Xiuling lament the death of their son, Wu Guofeng, a 20-year-old Chinese student who was among the first victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. On June 4, 1989, Wu Guofeng set out to document the student-led protests in Beijing with his camera, but instead was shot … Continue reading
