Syllabus Point
Significant developments that followed the end of the Cold War in 1989, including the break-up of the Soviet Union and the resultant changes in the politics and economics of the Soviet Union; the reunification of Germany (the Two Plus Four Treaty 1990); the break-up of the former Yugoslavia; and the changing role of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) from Cold War Alliance to the NATO-Russia Council.
Articles
Videos
Videos
Audio
In January 1989, East German leader Erich Honecker declared that the Berlin Wall would still be standing in 50 or even 100 years.
By November that same year the Wall was down and the Cold War was over. 1989 was a year that no-one saw coming.
Head back to 1989 and learn about the luck that led to the collapse of the Soviet empire.
The Berlin Wall began as rolls of barbed wire but the final version was made up of 45,000 separate sections of reinforced concrete, each three and a half meters high and just over a meter wide.
On the eastern side of this wall was the ‘death strip’, a cleared area bounded by another barricade, with dozens of watchtowers and hundreds of guards.
On the thirtieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Rear Vision looks at why it was built, how it affected the lives of Berliners on both sides and how it came to be brought down.
Why the Cold War Still Matters Podcast
The most familiar story of the Cold War is that of the superpower rivalry between the US and the USSR—two armed camps, teetering on the precipice of nuclear war.
Find out how the standoff played out, whether America really won the Cold War and why personalities matter in politics.
Presenter: Sarah Percy, Associate Professor of International Relations, University of Queensland
Producer: Edwina Stott
Duration: 35min 23sec
Broadcast:
The Cold War is often referred to as the 'War of Words'. Meet the people who tore down the Iron Curtain from within the Soviet Union through protest and dissent.
Hear the stories of a Romanian radio repairman and his buried typewriter and the Polish scientist who swam for freedom.
Presenter: Sarah Percy, Associate Professor of International Relations, University of Queensland
Producer: Edwina Stott
Duration: 38min 12sec
Broadcast:
How did a committed communist become an accidentally revolutionary Soviet leader?
Take a closer look at the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev and discover how his approach to economic and political reform opened up a Pandora's box of free speech and criticism.
Find out how Gorbachev earned himself a seat at the negotiating table with the West and learn why he was no longer willing to hold on to empire by force
Presenter: Sarah Percy, Associate Professor of International Relations, University of Queensland
Producer: Edwina Stott
Duration: 39min 7sec
Broadcast:
In January 1989, East German leader Erich Honecker declared that the Berlin Wall would still be standing in 50 or even 100 years. By November that same year the Wall was down and the Cold War was over. 1989 was a year that no-one saw coming.
Head back to 1989 and learn about the luck that led to the collapse of the Soviet empire.
Presenter: Sarah Percy, Associate Professor of International Relations, University of Queensland
Producer: Edwina Stott
Duration: 36min 3sec
Broadcast:
