A history podcast ONLY about the 80s and 90s. The music, the movies, the people, the politics, the culture and more. Rad history for our troubled times.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
In Part Three of The End of the Cold War, we move to the front lines—East Germany in 1989—where the system begins to crack in real time. Through the story of the Berlin Wall and the people who lived in its shadow, we trace how mass emigration, grassroots protest, and Gorbachev’s hands-off policy collided to create a revolutionary moment. From the tense streets of Leipzig to the quiet realization that the regime could no longer enforce its will, this is the turning point—the moment fear breaks, and history accelerates toward the Wall’s collapse.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
20 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT
31. The End Of The Cold War Part 2
In Part Two of The End of the Cold War, the pace accelerates as reform collides with reality. From Reagan and Gorbachev’s historic summits to the near-breakthrough at Reykjavik, détente begins to reshape the superpower rivalry. But inside the Soviet Union, perestroika and glasnost unleash forces no one can control—economic chaos, political upheaval, and rising nationalism. As Eastern Europe begins to slip from Moscow’s grasp and movements like Solidarity shatter communist authority, the old order starts to crumble in real time. The Cold War isn’t just ending—it’s unraveling. And the consequences will be irreversible.
Books I read for this series:
Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union by Vladislav M. Zubok (2021) (https://www.amazon.com/Collapse-Soviet-Vladislav-M-Zubok-ebook/dp/B09HKL3NC3/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.pqdEsKkhzWRYn_9LKA1ySJh-_IRgvLlpDk9rEOi0KfhwS5_P_KVqrYEgUUlTei0uUYXsBIjM5yg_1KrxWDRsFagH2wvES777izhi576NuWjApfpkzmRHGI_et3ennbqPTGpufKdJIzWzwDaCVbFVGfDUYE1WokbfLhTTNdSADVRIB9T2Ab6Jq20C_pJ_Zo5jknwRgKKwDIzN-moCi8JcRffqU12smBAy5wCcdGXakCo.1FTyxekAVydpOelo2BIh4FSaP4MdhyfTT6rUlmqz0ig&qid=1773857495&sr=8-1)
The Collapse: The Accidental Opening of the Berlin Wall by Mary Elise Sarotte (https://amzn.to/3NNUiDj) (2015)
Beyond the Wall: A History of East Germany by Katja Hoyer (https://amzn.to/4sLQKQO) (2023)
The Last Empire: The Final Days of the Soviet Union by Serhii Plokhy (https://www.amazon.com/Last-Empire-Final-Soviet-Union/dp/0465046711/ref=sr_1_1?crid=D4COBJHR1PB6&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fz4vjMhYl0VvZ7eFwSDzwMn6zzVCLWWvLpph0egIIENXTniVIGBMjYfqsUm4MvGP3tYbPvBPbsFtw74Y4LPyHGXtzUY5GspDwpCLicgSFLmQBT5XrgJ1ha7WvzQgODMEbqrPCijIYZkdm1R1KM7wXA.xd9HnqGynfuqtvlPNdcivcTtUclC4wBT4KtTZCm0siU&dib_tag=se&keywords=The+Last+Empire%3A+The+Final+Days+of+the+Soviet+Union+by+Serhii+Plokhy+%282014%2F2015%29&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1773857613&sprefix=the+last+empire+the+final+days+of+the+soviet+union+by+serhii+plokhy+2014%2F2015+%2Caps%2C124&sr=8-1) (2014/2015)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
18 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT
30. The End Of The Cold War Part 1
In Part One of The End of the Cold War, we begin inside a Soviet Union already in decline. From Brezhnev’s stagnation to the brief rules of Andropov and Chernenko, this episode traces how corruption, economic decay, gerontocracy, and Cold War pressure left the USSR brittle by the mid-1980s. Then enters Mikhail Gorbachev: young, energetic, idealistic, and convinced socialism could still be saved. This is the story of the crumbling inheritance he received in 1985—and the deep contradictions that made reform both necessary and potentially catastrophic. The seeds of the Soviet collapse were already planted.
Books I read for this series:
Collapse: The Fall of the Soviet Union by Vladislav M. Zubok (2021) (https://www.amazon.com/Collapse-Soviet-Vladislav-M-Zubok-ebook/dp/B09HKL3NC3/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.pqdEsKkhzWRYn_9LKA1ySJh-_IRgvLlpDk9rEOi0KfhwS5_P_KVqrYEgUUlTei0uUYXsBIjM5yg_1KrxWDRsFagH2wvES777izhi576NuWjApfpkzmRHGI_et3ennbqPTGpufKdJIzWzwDaCVbFVGfDUYE1WokbfLhTTNdSADVRIB9T2Ab6Jq20C_pJ_Zo5jknwRgKKwDIzN-moCi8JcRffqU12smBAy5wCcdGXakCo.1FTyxekAVydpOelo2BIh4FSaP4MdhyfTT6rUlmqz0ig&qid=1773857495&sr=8-1)
The Collapse: The Accidental Opening of the Berlin Wall by Mary Elise Sarotte (https://amzn.to/3NNUiDj) (2015)
Beyond the Wall: A History of East Germany by Katja Hoyer (https://amzn.to/4sLQKQO) (2023)
The Last Empire: The Final Days of the Soviet Union by Serhii Plokhy (https://www.amazon.com/Last-Empire-Final-Soviet-Union/dp/0465046711/ref=sr_1_1?crid=D4COBJHR1PB6&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fz4vjMhYl0VvZ7eFwSDzwMn6zzVCLWWvLpph0egIIENXTniVIGBMjYfqsUm4MvGP3tYbPvBPbsFtw74Y4LPyHGXtzUY5GspDwpCLicgSFLmQBT5XrgJ1ha7WvzQgODMEbqrPCijIYZkdm1R1KM7wXA.xd9HnqGynfuqtvlPNdcivcTtUclC4wBT4KtTZCm0siU&dib_tag=se&keywords=The+Last+Empire%3A+The+Final+Days+of+the+Soviet+Union+by+Serhii+Plokhy+%282014%2F2015%29&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1773857613&sprefix=the+last+empire+the+final+days+of+the+soviet+union+by+serhii+plokhy+2014%2F2015+%2Caps%2C124&sr=8-1) (2014/2015)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Inside a recent episode
32. The End Of The Cold War Part 3
Published 5 Apr 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] But the wall was just the most visible expression of a larger system of control. At its heart stood the Ministry for State Security, the STASI, which was, as a percentage of population, the largest surveillance organization in recorded history. In 1989, the STASI had more than 90,000 full-time employees and at least 100,000 undercover agents and informants. Over the lifetime of East Germany, a country of only 17 million people, something like a quarter million had served as full-time Stasi staff. Perhaps 600,000 had served as informants at one point or another. By one estimate, there was one full-time secret police officer for every 180 citizens. […]
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
