USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War: Crash Course World History #39

In which John Green teaches you about the Cold War, which was occasionally hot, but on average, it was just cool. In the sense of its temperature. It was by no means cool, man. After World War II, there were basically two big geopolitical powers left to divide up the world. And divide they did. The United States and the Soviet Union divvied up Europe in the aftermath of the war and then proceeded to spend the next 45 years fighting over the rest of the world. It was a great ideological struggle, with the US on the side of capitalism and profit, and the USSR pushing Communism, so-called. While both sides presented themselves as the good guy in this situation, the COLD reality is that there are no good guys. Both parties to the Cold War engaged in forcible regime changes, built up vast nuclear arsenals, and basically got up to dirty tricks. If you had to pick a bad guy though, we would point out that the USSR had no intention of bringing Laika the Cosmonaut Dog home alive. That poor dog never had a shot.
Thanks to Raoul Meyer for the YUGOGAL photo.
Chapters:
Introduction: The Cold War 00:00
The conflict between the USA and USSR 0:51
Soviet Sphere of Influence post-WWII 2:00
An Open Letter to Joseph Stalin 3:00
The Marshall Plan, the Berlin Wall, and NATO 4:04
The Nuclear Arms Race 5:16
The Hot Parts of the Cold War 6:00
The Lukewarm Parts of the Cold War 7:10
First-World, Second-World, and Third-World Divisions 7:46
The Failures of Soviet Socialism 9:06
The End of the Cold War 9:27
Credits 11:44
Want to learn more about the Cold War? Check out these other Crash Course videos:
The Cold War: Crash Course US History #37 • The Cold War: Crash Co...
The Cold War in Asia: Crash Course US History #38 • The Cold War in Asia: ...
George HW Bush and the End of the Cold War: Crash Course US History #44
• George HW Bush and the...
The Cold War and Consumerism: Crash Course Computer Science #24
• The Cold War and Consu...
Post-War Rebuilding and the Cold War: Crash Course European History #41
• Post-War Rebuilding an...
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CC Kids: / crashcoursekids

[@brandonmalley7981]

how i learn about history 1% school 49% Crash course 50% my dad talking during long car rides

[@clov3r903]

Can't even shoot straight What a savage

[@jasongrayson2101]

Chandler Armstrong lol

[@hcb3150]

+Chandler Armstrong one time someone wrote to Stalin begging him to let his family out of the gulag. Stalin replied "what do you want me to do? My whole family are in the Gulag too."

[@Pedrosa2541]

Stalin is the kind of person who deserves a cold grey lonely cell, not a country to run.

[@thisisaname5589]

Communists generally are like that.

[@golammorshed9082]

Chandler Armstrong be lucky Stalin was an idiot or the soviet would invade Germany.

[@MultiNaruto900]

"You're boring. Cue the intro." has never been so true of a statement regarding the interaction between the person in the present and the same person from the past.

[@jonathanford7845]

Souma Spiritus lmfao I can’t relate anymore 😂

[@trevinbeattie4888]

Today I learned what “1st world”, “2nd world”, and “3rd world” actually mean. I’d heard the 1st and 3rd terms before and kind of understood them from context, but didn’t have a clear definition until now. Thanks, John!

[@AtulyaPaul]

@Charlie W isn't India a third world country because it didn't align with either of the two power blocs?

[@alalalala57]

@@AtulyaPaul Back then, with the original definition of the word, yes. Third world meant non-aligned. It was broadly assumed that these countries were also small, poor, and/or oppressed. By modern definition, no, India is not considered third world. It's pretty economically/politically significant

[@NeroVuk]

@Charlie W I have to disagree, I knew the etymological origin of the terms since I was in middle school, but even then I could see that people simply use the term first world countries to mean rich, stable countries, and third world countries to mean (what is perceived as) poor countries. @ Al As 57 And India is definitely a third world country in most peoples eyes, because most people (in the west) think that India has not yet figured out toilets. It doesn't matter that they are a productive country and an economical powerhouse, due to the standard of living there it is very much still considered a third world country.

[@cawocayniUmal]

@Charlie W ouhdgdhdodjsifďźkfiufhdhdpdf9e

[@luvlowkeyvlogsss6654]

who tf is John

[@lynndai3494]

I never thought that the guy teaching us history would also give us The Fault In Our Stars...

[@doransoran]

WHAT

[@MrBander1]

"The past feels distant even when It's near And the future seems assured even though It isn't " John Green

[@nekotamo5154]

As far as his half assed attempts at sounding deep go it was one of the best.

[@christopheralvarado4544]

@@nekotamo5154 To be fair the show is, of course, writtem by his high school history teacher

[@salomonlevin8288]

I saw what u did there. "Our" bad. Haha keep it up comrade

[@thefroggo1898]

I am true leader. СССР вас сбьет.

[@simplymarshal1167]

Either way you were cruel to poor Yaakov

[@user-ys3qs9pb8l]

@@sobakaman9848 какой транслетор ты хоть переводчик на английском правильно напиши умник блять

[@nataliebasin5966]

Почему ты говоришь что ты Сталин?

[@user-tp5bu5gh6m]

Why are Russians here

[@AidanAce22]

So this what my teacher making us watch since school got cancelled...

[@rubythefangirlsmol8392]

same

[@SaraAguilar-zf7vm]

ya c;

[@skelteen]

same

[@sophie3869]

same

[@jozijoseph]

same

[@rohinimorey1115]

That ending line was lovely "The past seems distant even though it's near, and the future seems assured even though it isn't."

[@kitarencibia-rue6177]

Meredith going from Intern to Script Supervisor is the kind of glow up in searching for in 2019

[@jackmcgranahan4929]

To all the people complaining about bias you have to realize that all history being told by a human (which is all history) is coming from their perceived point of view and biases. Instead, of complaining about them get your history from multiple sources and put together yourself what you believe to be the most accurate portrayal of history. As Captain Price once said, "History is written by the victor."

[@nayandusoruth2468]

Following up on that quote you used, churchill also said something like "History will be kind to me for I intend to write it."

[@lzhiwei]

Captain Price wasn't the first to say that.

[@grilledchicken5301]

Yes but that doesn’t mean they can leave out important facts like how the Cuban missile crisis was caused by America putting nukes into greece so your own research is important but if you go to a place like this you expect a representation from both sides and yes they did do this but saying it’s ok to be bias as a historian is completely false

[@Udontkno7]

@@grilledchicken5301 turkey* not greece

[@KarlUrbahn]

That's right. History doesn't write itself

[@indeterminant]

In Soviet Russia, you don't write DBQs. DBQs write you.

[@alexdixon5683]

KiEDE UNOFFICIAL In Soviet Russia, son don't abandon u. You abandon son.

[@vainavichilukuri5547]

some wise words have been said

[@fortnite_kid-oo6dp]

@@xreallegendx4712 shut up trent, no one asked

[@frivasto]

No my friends in the comment section. I'm not here because I have an exam. Am I the only one watching these videos for pleasure?

[@chairwood]

Felix Rivas yes

[@michaelwang4828]

Felix Rivas no...

[@rednovember8599]

Felix Rivas Nope. I'm watching it for fun. Why more people don't do this is a mystery.

[@linouchette6691]

Felix Rivas no you're not the only one

[@MrGermansheppard]

Felix Rivas nope

[@GrilledSoap]

Credit where credit is due, Stalin did turn an agricultural state into a world industrial power that fought off the Nazis. And the reason he didn't trade his son was because the person he would have traded was a German commander. It wouldn't make military sense to trade basically a civilian for a leader of the enemy army. And he also didn't trade his so to prevent all of his officers and soldiers angry who also had captive family members who couldn't be traded for.

[@xenia7530]

I’m Russian and live in the UK now but my parents lived in the USSR and told me how at school they were taught how to shoot guns and set off grenades

[@namelessname3260]

WTH our American laws don't even allow kids to have guns. No offense to your culture though

[@bl__do]

@@namelessname3260 school shooting intensifies

[@namelessname3260]

Lol oh my

[@namelessname3260]

Well damn. In what country?

[@pavel7074]

But how many terrorist attacks was in USSR and in USA? For example, in ussr - nearly 0, don't u think it shows that the cituation is not as ordinary as you think

[@mandala3ffect]

me from the past: i won't just watch a bunch of crash course videos before my ap exam me now: i won't comment about just watching crash course videos for the ap exam me now now: i am such a disappointment

[@xolylox6230]

Amanda McLellan ME TOO I HAVE A TEST TMRW ;-;

[@necrobiome6527]

Sameee

[@randomdude9135]

What's ap exam?

[@katarzynawadyszewska3149]

Random Dude AP exam is the exam you need to take at the end of AP (Advanced Placement) class

[@katarzynawadyszewska3149]

I think

[@AkashKumar-iq8wg]

I really like you as a person Mr. John Green

[@jmc.e.o.cuevas7334]

Akash Kumar like me .

[@leo-vcx-1337]

as what else would you like him if not a person

[@derekpierce2280]

For real, he's hilarious!

[@user-nq6cd8wb7f]

In fact, Stalin said: "I never exchange a soldier (his son) for a general!"

[@thearmada6248]

Stalin said I wont trade a Marshal for a lieutenant(his son)

[@oscarfellows6709]

As much as I dislike Stalin, I do admire his putting the needs of his nation above his own personal desires.

[@arnav9192]

pretty sure genocide of ukranians and gulags and wasting of resources where he lived like an emperor and his people lived like shite isnt putting the needs of his nation above his own personal desires

[@ascendedbro1828]

Arnav Genocide of ukranians was never commited. But genocide of native americans in America and genocide of indians in India was commited lots of times.

[@n4humyt948]

who else is here because due to Corona you have Online classes

[@dlone_04]

N4hum YT sadly yes

[@mystic6970]

Lol I don't do history

[@n4humyt948]

@Plo Koon oh haha 😅

[@n4humyt948]

@@dlone_04 yeah i felt that 😅😂

[@alexisquero5074]

Right here :(

[@s0m3thing87]

"The past feels distant even when it's near, and the future seems assured - even though it isn't"

[@squigglylines420]

i feel sorry for stalins son :'(

[@thefishoftruth235]

Stalin made the right choice and didn't make deals with Nazis

[@bijendrasingh7435]

It weirdly also fits the Communist narrative though, that everyone should be equal in your eyes. This was, as terrible as it was, the right decision imo. However, I hate Stalin with a passion and hope anyone who is any way like him dies a painful death.

[@maczetamaczeta189]

@@thefishoftruth235 He made A LOT of deals with Nazis.

[@thefishoftruth235]

@@maczetamaczeta189 he signed a non aggresion pact and a technology sharing treaty fine but only after the allies refused a formal alliance against hitler in early '39

[@thefishoftruth235]

@Stephen Jenkins they agreed not to go to war (which germany broke), to divide poland (the ussr took back what it lost in the polish soviet war of 1920) and a trade for grain and oil in exchange for german technology. Yes they made a few deals, however they are being taken out of context. The Nazis and Soviets were not allies by any stretch - they deeply mistrusted each other and Stalin only negotiated after britain and france rejected an alliance. These measures were to offput the inevitable Nazi invasion by a few years -buying the USSR time to prepare as it could not rely on the allies for help.

[@jenniethomas9945]

How I learn history: .1 School 99.9 crash course

[@Paulilyful]

.01

[@funmitalabi9607]

@@Paulilyful 99.9 is 99.90 .1 is .10 .90+.10 is 1 + 99 is 100. Bottom line is he is correct Lmao

[@Paulilyful]

@@funmitalabi9607 shhhhh. This is history. ;)

[@funmitalabi9607]

@@Paulilyful lmao right ;)

[@amrenthedemon2707]

I wish I had more time to watch these but this is how learn history. Class you ask? Well I zone out and do whatever and then watch the crash course of that topic once I get home. I take the test and I end up aceing it with more knowledge than needed.

[@Abigail.05]

3:30 My brother: that's mean, what if he sees this video? Me: I'm pretty sure he won't My brother: Why not? Doesn't he have technology? Me: No, he doesn't have a pulse.

[@johnanderson6690]

I enjoyed this series many years ago. Now, in the face of a cold war 2.0 your last words ring truer than ever.

[@kevinperri93]

11:15 best noise ever

[@xiv1496]

putini?

[@botdance9]

+kevinperri93 Ah! *PUTIN*

[@parthdhawale]

ahh! powtin

[@conan_chen]

kevinperri93 a

[@Dyllbill_]

kevinperri93 i

[@Guccius_Maximus]

My history teacher this year used crash course videos to help us review for our test. I liked to thank him for introducing me to John Green, lol now I watch these videos for fun.

[@michaelm3327]

Same this is how my history teacher has us remember the things we need to learn so he can reveiw with us

[@Dhalgrim]

as an upcoming english/ history teacher in germany i would love to use videos like these, but most german students are reluctant to learn english to the point of understanding these, which as you might imagine is saddening because of the english teacher part. i even got asked if i think i'm cool, because i can watch stuff in english (i.e. have more information available to me...). damn you movie and television dubbing instead of subbing like they do in the netherlands, scandinavia and so on. no wonder germany, france and the other countries who dub are in general less proficient in english.

[@tmaster7331]

Dhalgrim Aren't we actually pretty good in english compared to most other countries?

[@Dhalgrim]

tmaster7331 compared to non western europeans, maybe. but compared to the countries who use subs instead of dubs (scandinavia, baltics, netherlands) we as in the general population are not that proficient as to be able to watch an episode of anything in english and understand it. i can safely say that in my time in the bundeswehr i was the most proficient in my rank and down (sergeant) not including the half-americans of course and that was 2-3 years ago and i really started watching english stuff 4 years ago. the good thing germans have going for them compared to for example the french is that our accent is easy to understand. i have no problem with a southern drool or scots, but a french speaking english with a heavy accent is really really hard to understand.

[@tmaster7331]

Dhalgrim I would prefer no to compare the German population to some soldiers. Nor your personal experiences. I know that we aren't that good, but we could be worse. I use to work with children in the scouts and we travel to many countries in the holidays. They don't have problems to communicate with foreigners. I wouldn't necessarily say that we need to talk perfect english. We need to be able to communicate with it when we need it.

[@bankruptPHARMACIST]

"School desks are super good at repelling radiations"

[@ishashah5734]

They also repel bullets

[@user-tp5bu5gh6m]

adeel ahmad straight facts

[@christopherwallace1744]

Mad underrated acting skills "Mr. Green/Me from the past"

[@bucca2]

Who does your captions? I like their sense of humor: I find it _captivating_. OK SORRY BUT I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW

[@bucca2]

And also: China. China is still communist. *flails* U FORGOT US U FORGOT CHYNAAAA

[@makstracy]

+bucca2 Isn't China opening itself up to Capitalism?

[@matthewleemle]

+bucca2 China is currently an authoritarian country with a communist party dictatorship with a socialist/capitalist mixed economy. Whether that's considered communist go figure that out, but the current apparent slowdown of the Chinese economy is somehow also related to its socialist policies

[@fuzzballfoxonionring6729]

+Matthew Lee It also has pretty shitty human rights problems. But not nearly as bad as North Korea so I guess nobody cares?

[@matthewleemle]

Fuzzballfox Onionring Yeah... pretty much all authoritarian governments have shit human right records.. but NK is not only authoritarian but totalitarian, and it's just sad because the Kim family is reluctant to open up to free trade because they're scared they will lose grip on the economy thus power.. and also the tortures and concentration camps are horrendous, not to mention people starving, it's just sad that people don't care about NK isn't it? But then it's not that people don't care, it's that people can't care, because there's th efing Chinese government backing the NK government + it's considered illegal to invade another's sovereignty.. despite how horrible the rulers are

[@IceCreamMeatballs]

The real cause of the Cold War happened at the Berlin Conference in 1945, when President Truman called Stalin "Squirt". Feeling insulted, Stalin then called Truman "Foureyes", and then it escalated from there.

[@HijiriAleph]

Well that escalated quickly.

[@IceCreamMeatballs]

Aleph It's like, after calling Truman foureyes, Stalin grabbed Truman's glasses off his head, threw them on the floor, and crushed them. Truman, not really knowing what to do, grabbed Churchill's glasses and put them on, but they weren't the right lenses, so he stood up and walked all dizzy, and accidentally tackled Molotov, causing Stalin and the other Soviet officials to get pissed off, so they started beating the crap out of Truman, while US soldiers began to pull some of the Soviets away, but one of the Soviets shot a US soldier, which almost caused World War II to start up again. After the fight, everyone tried to erase the memory of the incident, but the after effects of it lasted for another 50 years.

[@intuitionbs7592]

11:15 is my FAVORITE reactions John EVER had!XD

[@JonnyDWise]

11:12 aged like a fine wine

[@silver1512]

My final is tomorrow 😅😅 last minute study 😪

[@ellerose1178]

SAME!!

[@melody120021]

Same! D':

[@filip1880]

Same tomorrow

[@cvlade12]

same. fml

[@abuhussain4111]

and did you giys pass

[@kittykatsmash]

That moment when you realize this guy wrote The Fault In Our Stars.

[@gregnicholls4214]

NO WAY! He did.

[@HeroesGetKilled]

Holy crap! :O

[@SuperSaltyFries]

Yeah, him and his brother are quite the badasses.

[@amcrazy1985]

I love it! Thank you, guys. Many information in a short, sarcastic way

[@alexandrlarson7252]

This is definitely my favorite crash course, it is funny and has a great message. Also you mention Cesko.

[@ArtGirl82]

Fun Fact: Because the Irish Republic was definitely not affiliated with the UK, stayed neural during the Cold War and wasn't communist, it was considered a third world country. The more you know...

[@lord_leprechaun2989]

ArtGirl82 Well to be honest we weren't to well off at that time

[@rawbearmeat4899]

ArtGirl82

[@TheLoneTejano]

Ar

[@NguyenMinh-vs1vm]

During Cold War, Third World is the term used for any countries that do not support either Western or Soviet, so technically, Switzerland can be called a Third World.

[@darrenpat182]

Interesting that the Celtic Tiger economic boom began in earnest in the post-1991 era isn't it?

[@idg33]

could we have had an episode on (now former) Yugoslavia?

[@juuzousuzuya5050]

I'm studying for my diplomas right now, and I just realized you are the only reason I passed my social classes, thank you Mr. John Green. I will be thanking your brother in June because I know he will help me pass biology. You guys truly made the world a better place.

[@typicaldungeonmaster2771]

Came here for school, but found myself wanting to binge this whole series. I love it

[@tommylinsley2081]

The Green brothers: the best educational team on the internet. Thanks John and Hank. Keep doing what you do.

[@TheOp0suM]

VERY nice. Love it how they don't stray to judge just one side, especially with such a sticky subject as the cold war. Even the most famous historians have their say land in one camp or the other, so it's refreshing to see some one actually recount history just that bit more impartial!

[@vaibhavtripathi4951]

Past seam distant even when it is near and the future seemed assured even though it isn't. What the quote.

[@Msthoro1]

Very wise words at the end and very true. Thank you for these uploads.

[@Phazon8058MS]

All these people being all pro US, or pro Soviet Union. Here I am... Just sitting here... The lone Canadian...

[@chrishanna2969]

Sorry, but this war is, more or less, between USA and USSR Canada rocks though.

[@dooglesmoogle6131]

I'm Canadian to :D Honestly you shouldn't show allegiance to a country. but to humanity itself, to stop these wars, people will need to throw aside these silly things like nationalism and think for themselves. And look at these conflicts of powerful people as crimes for the gain of those at top. People need to see how foolish showing allegiance to a country is, instead you should watch out for all your fellow human beeings.

[@Phazon8058MS]

Doogle Smoogle Unfortunately, the world's probably never going to drop nationalism. Different regions have so many cultural and political differences, that if a "world nation" were to be attempted, it would all just fall apart into separate nations again. Nationalism is here to stay, so we may as well embrace it.

[@impervas5801]

Как Швейцария. Нейтральный. Хорошая позиция! :)

[@tatbagmanyee8856]

:D

[@colonelquakers]

Great vid, John. Considering what's going on in Russia right now, its important to be caught up in Cold War history. Thanks.

[@shushuarabi]

You make world history so much easier to understand. Thank you Crash Course. Sincerely, My World History Grade

[@vetv_lavrovaya]

An Open letter to John Green. Dear John Green! You are awesome! I mean that your lectures help me not only to expand my history knowledge but also to enrich my vocabulary. And since I try to retell your episodes a bit from time to time, they also help me to develop my speaking abilities. I want to thank you for this great job and also for the philosopical ideas you try to convey. But there are some issues in this episode which I can’t agree with. As far as I remember, we didn’t suffer any humiliation when our grandpa was taking us to the country by his «zaporozhets». On the contrary, we were happy. And as to the collectivized agriculture, a lot of people in Russia still recall it with... tender, you know. Of course, the beginning of collectivization was awful, but the bad thing is not the goal itself but the people who brought this goal into life and their methods. People ARE different, and many of them cannot realize themselves inside the capitalist world where competition is the main way to realization. The main idea of the socialist competition, at least in the world I lived in my childhood, and I lived in the Soviet Saint-Petersburg, was PARTICIPATION, not the winning, and CARE, but not the reward. Yes, people didn’t have a lot, but all people had it. Of course, there was selfishness, deception and corruption, but we didn’t notice it. There were people, who wanted to be winners, and they suffered. And now, look around! Those, who became winners, both in the former USSR and the former USA, want to capture the rest :( And take away their freedom, happiness and even life! I don’t insist on the capitalism being correct, or the socialism being right. I just regret that the idea of winning a competition is still so powerful. And I am looking for a possibility to explain people that competion and eternity are mutually exclusive ideas. Best wishes, Irina Frolova PS I visited the USA with a delegation of teachers in 1990. I was 18 at that time and was really fascinated by Vermount, Washington DC and New York City. At the moment I live in Turkey because... well, you know why. Hope to see you some day in the renewed Russia :)

[@omirandao7958]

"And in Yugoslavia....not so great" eyy can't argue with that

[@DrWolfenstein313]

It's sad to see all the people living in free countries praising communism. I live in Venezuela, which is experiencing a "socialist revolution" (but, really, is just communism) and let me tell you, it SUCKS. We have huge lines at stores, not enough food, a crazy control over the media and all public institutions, the military owns the country and crime is out of control. Really, guys, there's a reason why people leave communist countries, at risk of their own lives. It's fucking horrible. EDIT: Thank you so much for reading my comment and give me your feedback, I value greatly the opportunity to share my views and read everyone else's, from all over the world. Why do I say Venezuela lives in communism? Because the main two elements of communism, which is an absolute control of power, from the Supreme Court to the National Election's Council (and the military singing pro-chavismo slogans, in frontal violation of the Constitution) and the State controlling the economy and the means of production, even taking private business to be managed by the State - resulting in the crazy food and medicine shortages seen in every other communist country the world has known - are clearly there. Please, PLEASE, if you want to help my people, all I ask (BEG) of you is to carry my message abroad. We are not in a democracy and taking the streets is risking your life, a hugely personal choice in front of a State that acts with impunity. Please, just talk to people about us when you get the chance. Thank you.

[@bokis194]

Oh you'll come around once you've been to indoctrination school! On a more serious note I hope that you will someday have freedom

[@DrWolfenstein313]

Haha, sadly true, you should check the new school books from "Bolivarian Collection." It's full blown 1984, makes me horribly afraid of having kids in this country.

[@dakotadenverdexter]

Please, I live in a Capitalist country and we all that as well. Plus, Chavez was loved by most in your country. Isn't it mostly white, wealthy people that hated him and fled?

[@DrWolfenstein313]

Trust me, it's not the same. Something that I was discussing recently at work illustrates the point: We've had food shortages for years, but you always find a way, you know? If you don't find X product, maybe you can do with another product or maybe you can look at another store, or you just wait until the product arrives again at stores. But now we're having medicine shortages. They're really bad, as in "I need antibiotics and I've visited three drugstores with no luck." If you don't find food, truth is that you manage, but how do you do with medicines? Even if you have insurance, what can anybody do if the medicine you need is just not available? It's the first time since maybe the 40s that Venezuela lives something like this. The thing of Chavez being loved by everyone is one of the greatest myths of these years. Consider this: The previous president of the National Elections Council was Jorge Rodriguez. Jorge Rodriguez' dad was a communist who joined the guerrilla in the 60s and got killed by the government from then. After his time on the council, he went on to be Chavez' vice-president and right now he's major of Caracas. Who is on the Council's presidency now? Tibisay Lucena, his protegé. Who was the previous president of the congress? Soto Rojas, a communist and guerrilla fighter from the 60s -right now it's Diosdado Cabello, close friend of Chavez. The Supreme Court was purged around 2006 and now they've had Chavez' people ever since. How can you trust elections in this country when the conditions are such? Hugo Chávez died last year. To this day, we've never had a report on the official cause of death. Really, look into it. The government has said nothing of what type of cancer it was and why he got so bad after they told us he was doing great. They have to play that image of "only the rich dislike us because we're a government of the poor." These guys do character assassinations to anyone who opposes them, including the arbitrary detention of Leopoldo Lopez, which was just denounced by the UN. The government's answer? "Your opinion is just that." I'm neither white nor rich. But I've read a lot. This is not a democracy in any shape or form, friend. EDIT: Correcting some spelling mistakes, as English is not my first language.

[@bokis194]

dakotadenverdexter Every one in (The peoples democratic republic of) North Korea loves their beloved leaders, just like Cuba! Why would they otherwise make up their great titles and hang pictures on their walls, and cry en-masse when they die? Because they don't want to go to concentration camps and die.

[@benitamondragon9799]

Thanks for helping me study for the Praxis (the test to become a teacher). Best history lessons ever!

[@noyoureaspoon]

this was so good! thank you for doing this!

[@AndrewGunner]

He would rather lose his son than betray his nation.

[@xiv1496]

he killed a shitload of people as well.

[@AndrewGunner]

so did everyone responsible for WWII

[@xiv1496]

Andrew Gunner well with what i read, stalin was responsible for the domestic genocide considering millions dead, while the WW2 were killed by causes of war inflicted by other nations.

[@AndrewGunner]

Jesus Orozco still killing people to me.

[@emilogostilo01]

+Andrew Gunner Sounds like you're trying to rationalize tyranni.

[@jsmith3011992]

Im no fan of the soviet union and not one to often disagree with John but I feel some things have to be addressed here. Comparing the economies of the USSR and the USA is folly, there are great historical differences, Russia in 1900 was a poor society made up mostly of illiterate peasants and farmers while the US was a rich industrial nation benefiting from massive investment from Europe, by 1950 the economies of the USA and USSR were similar in size and the USSR had put the first man in space, first satellite ect. Who in 1900 could have imagined such a thing, that a peasant society would become a world superpower, space power and military giant in just 50 years... People often compare Eastern Europe and western Europe and say "look how poor eastern Europe is, our system is so much better" but eastern Europe has always been much poorer than western Europe and in fact the gap has closed significantly under communism. If you really want to compare you have to look at a poor region where the US has greatest economic influence, namely in south america, now compare South America to Eastern Europe and ask yourself where you would rather live based on economic reasons. Would you rather be a penniless farmer under a brutal dictatorship in Chile or a somewhat well-off bureaucrat under the heel of the KGB in poland, not a very nice choice but I know which one I would choose...

[@6996yomama]

The US was never in control of South America like the Soviets were to Eastern Europe so...you can't really compare the two.

[@jsmith3011992]

6996yomama I and most south Americans beg to differ, most of the dictators there took their orders from washington and many like Pinochet were heavily influenced by free market ideologies, the so called "Chicago boys" a group of economists trained in the US as a result of the "Chile Project" organised in the 1950s by the US State Department and funded by the Ford Foundation, which aimed at influencing Chilean economic thinking imposed free market ideologies on chile with disastrous effects.

[@6996yomama]

Yet, the US never actually took you over.

[@jsmith3011992]

6996yomama It didn't need to, it learned from the mistakes of imperial powers that direct control naturally leads to resistance, one could make an argument that this is why it won the cold war. While the Soviets went bankrupt trying to impose their military power on their satellites the US just let local dictators repress the populations and sold them the weapons to do so, making a nice little profit into the bargain. Also I should say I'm not South American, I didn't mean to give that impression, I simply have listened to south americans opinions on the history of their countries.

[@squamish4244]

Odysseus Ulysses I would argue the Soviet Union also went bankrupt due to systemic issues with communism as outlined in the video. It is not as efficient at generating wealth and innovation as capitalism (and I'm well aware of the many failings of capitalism). Also, the mass communication technologies necessary to stimulate further growth in the 1970s were not imported because that would have led to a loosening of dictatorial control. There's also more specific issues like the gerontocracy that developed under Brezhnev. The fact that both his immediate successors were mortally ill from old age within months of taking office speaks to the level of stagnation in the leadership.

[@quillonri]

Wow. Your closing statement was chilling, even 3 years later.

[@michellesingleterry3608]

Great job on this one. Thank you!

[@flixeyt]

Thanks, great video. Very educational. Wish my teachers would educate me the way you do.

[@benfleming6936]

So goof for last minute revision!! thanks John!

[@ainsleysdelusions]

I just wanna say that I cannot tell you how much Crash Course has helped me. I have this thing where when I read stuff I Read it but I don't understand it and I had that with my history text book last year and when I switched to this it helped me to understand history soo much and I just wanted to say Thank You John and Stan You Guys Helped Me So Much.

[@109reaper]

That ending reminded me of terminator monologue by Sara.

[@spinningninja2]

I was literally messing with some silly putty hen he brought it out... spooky...

[@3600vegeta]

I worship these videos before exams, i have AP european history exam tomorow

[@steorra79]

3600vegeta I feel you bro

[@sran438]

4:35 wtf is that sound? A bass “wohhh wohhh”

[@mayh8673]

it was the koolaid man saying "oh no", rather than his normal catchphrase "oh yeah".

[@charleslomanto]

Wise words at the end there.

[@gsuryasharon7703]

The past feels distant even when its near and the future seems assured even tough it isn't.

[@msewell62]

Anyone else "Stalin" for time before the Ap World Exam

[@ashersligh]

+AidanandKatie S Actually, I'm russhin' ;)

[@avoo93r89]

AidanandKatie S

[@dsuess]

love this show!! There is so much to learn. Thank you for always filling in the gaps that our traditional schools leave out

[@benitosierrajr3958]

"Spy Novels and Shaken not Stirred Martinis" I actually love that James Bond reference.

[@silverfox9006]

"Third world country.....a term that is no longer used"-Says the guy living in a first world country. Comment written by a guy who lives in a third world country and has heard the term his entire life during his years of school. P.S. not intended to entice an agruement but just to point out something.

[@derektroutman4793]

The new term now used is 'less-developed'. At least in the USA

[@silverfox9006]

+Derek Troutman Fair enough.

[@juanwillis7529]

+Iron Wolfe what country do you like in

[@dinonid1234]

It's possible he made a mistake and meant to say it with second world country (which actually isn't a thing)

[@jesuslovestoastyaya]

In Canada we use the term "developing country"; Third World country is considered an outdated term and a bit impolite!

[@vaughnmcgill-adami7760]

The problem with collective agriculture was not that it was run by the state, but the fact that it was run by an authoritarian state.

[@rubythefangirlsmol8392]

Anyone else’s history teachers showing you these because school’s cancelled cuz quarantine?

[@snazzylizardz5041]

I had to watch them even before...

[@WallyD4rling406]

Yea i watched it before

[@lenam2114]

Thanks for uploading!

[@bahamankris]

Btw the C.I.A. was also involved in the assassination of Patrice Lumumba, the prime minister of the Congo right after independence (this guy would have most likely ushered in an era of progress in the Congo). He was assassinated mostly because he was a socialist,wanted to nationalize the mineral industry (Congo has most minerals in the world) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and also because he was very "pro Congo" . In place of Patrice Lumumba the U.S. "installed" some of the worst leaders to date (one of those was mobutu, the worst leader in the world)...The current corrupt leaders of Congo are basically friends/descendants of the corrupt puppet regimes installed by the U.S. after the death of Patrice Lumbumba the Congo basically fell into chaos due to the awful policies made by the puppet governments. The best part is that this continues until today...The U.S. has been trying to do this kind of thing in the middle east by supplying weapons to whichever group that will benefit the U.S. the most (whichever group will make oil easier to attain for the U.S.). Of course i will get a lot of hate comments from Americans, but this is simply the truth. -sincerely, a Nigerian

[@alqa7046]

Iraqi oil conspiracy is getting a bit old Iraq doesn't form even a single percent of the oil exported to the United States so give that a fucking rest please. Also the Oil companies that won the 2009 auctions to refine and extract Iraqi oil were mostly Angolan, Russian (LukOil), Chinese and Malaysian and the U.S. won comparatively few, if any of the smaller auction contacts.

[@bullrun2772]

Wrong

[@swordguy6368]

I'm I the only one to picture America and Russia as basically two high school people who hate each other and one day Russia is bulling Ukraine and Americas like "hey stop Russia" and Russia like "shut the fuck up America" and then they start auguring and then north Korea comes and likes "notice me mother fuckers"and russia and America are like "shut up north Korea"and then north Korea like all sad now(this does not represent my view on anything and was only made for shits and giggles).

[@NineNoRouge]

+sword guy You ever watch Hitalia?

[@swordguy6368]

Nicholas Baerwaldt ya but I never seen this type of situation before

[@masondafakest7688]

+sword guy OMG, I've always thought of it like that!

[@moi6779]

Bully.... Bruh

[@BvousBrainSystems]

+sword guy Basically the entire world, politically speaking, is a high school. Which would be hilarious if our lives didn't depend on them. You know what, make a sitcom out of this, World High or something.

[@thepriestunknown3999]

"things were getting a little bit putin-y" *bird noise* "Putin!"

[@isabelestyn-jones2916]

thanks i have my history mocks today and i’m cramming lmao

[@caramida9]

wait... did you say the cold war ended?... putin disapproves...

[@imfamousbawble2134]

The US and Russia will always wave dicks at eachother...

[@dantedebeauvoir6327]

cause Putin still lives in cold war mentality. he said that the fall of USSR is a tragedy. i am sorry but i think majority of former USSR members say otherwise.

[@phoenixrohan]

Dante de Beauvoir Once people start to realize how capitalism has destroyed the environment, everyone would start saying that USA was a tragedy.

[@actfree6897]

Phoenix But here's the problem with your awfully incorrect statement, USA is and never will be a tragedy, and neither is Capitalism.

[@phoenixrohan]

Michael T "the Future looks assured even though its not"

[@jasonmartin4775]

Also, it was stupid of the CIA to do that to Iran. All they wanted to do was to keep their oil.

[@IdanKashani]

The United States needs to learn to not meddle in true democratic changes. If the communists win seats in parliament, and the USA comes and does a Coup, then it is no longer a true, independent government

[@bademoxy]

+Jason Martin it was british agents who misled the u.s. pres

[@jasonmartin4775]

+bademoxy it was the president who let himself be talked into it.

[@bademoxy]

+Idan Kashani it works the other way too. since when does any communist party allow opposition parties(plural) to exist once they get voted in? same as islam . any majority muslim nation ends up voting for islamist parties and it becomes a fascist state

[@Mimi-nr6jx]

bademoxy America must learn to mind its business

[@robinchesterfield42]

Oho, this is getting into my lifetime too. I remember we learned all these dramatic, tragic stories of the INSANE lengths people would do to get over the Berlin Wall in school... ...and then only a few years later the Berlin wall went down and people were laughing, singing, drinking and grabbing bricks for souveneirs. That said, the Cold War informed a lot of my favourite pop culture from when I was growing up and earlier--Sean Connery's James Bond movies, the original Star Trek, and stuff from my childhood such as the wonderfully cheery-depressing song "99 Luftballoons" and the paper-and-dice RPG appropriately named..."Paranoia". Dramatic stories we heard in school, raised to believe that They were dark and evil and whatnot... I remember the 1984 summer Olympics, where all the Communist Bloc countries boycotted, so America just won and won and won gold medals all over the place, and I remember staying up late to watch a big nuclear-disarmament talk between Gorbachev and Reagan. ...and then within a relatively few years, the U.S.S.R. became just Russia again, Yugoslavia broke up into what, SEVEN countries?!, Czechoslovakia, which our teachers very carefully taught us how to spell and pronounce, became not one long word anymore, we had only one Germany again and overall it just felt...weird. When I was a kid, it felt like the Cold War was just this...state, that things were in. Felt like it was going to last a lot longer. But looking back on it now, it seems like no sooner did I learn about it than it stopped.

[@valdezserg]

Nice video, good information. Thank you.

[@kimjong-un6670]

Excited for Nuclear War... Can't wait for Fallout

[@mariahandarianaisabelol6976]

Kim Jong-un u suckkk

[@archiejmmiles6895]

Kim Jong-un how's the family? Too soon?

[@AB-eq9mm]

My grandfather was an engineer for the Americans in the cold war. He designed the device that turns waters into air and allowed the nuclear submarines to stay under water indefinitely. This greatly threatened the soviets and may have help prevent a nuclear holocaust.

[@samuelgebrehiwet1226]

These Crash Course videos don't seem like they're 12-15 minutes, they feel more like 30 minute videos to me but I get a lot of info from watching these videos before the day of most of my tests.

[@melissalevine7353]

That closing though 🙌🏻

[@czechchineseamerican]

Soviets were also the first ones to put a woman in space.

[@michaelpapadopoulos6054]

and the first ones to put 3 men in space at once. of couse, there was no room for toilets or space suits or anything else but ya gotta sacrifice safety for the records. also they killed 4 astronauts while the americans killed only 14..

[@michaelpapadopoulos6054]

Arakhion yeah. it is.

[@turtlepond104]

czechchineseamerican they were also the First Nation to give women equal rights to men

[@VertietRyper]

Vaunomax Sparta had that long before any modern nation

[@silvesby]

michael papadopoulos *cosmonauts

[@AngelMartinez-rx8yt]

I find the Cold War to be one of the most interesting periods in World History. The threat of nuclear war hanging makes for great reading.

[@jagchiran]

me 2 its even more intresting den ww1 and 2 I learned alot about it cus I plYed COD waw bo1 bo2

[@AngelMartinez-rx8yt]

Fuck you Rick Berman

[@onasisgarcia9406]

I suggest you read the book called Bombs Away

[@xiv1496]

+onasis garcia what is it about? i mean specifically, is it generally about the war or is it a fictional story placed on the cold war?

[@onasisgarcia9406]

+Jesus Orozco it is a fictional story of alternate history. What if the Cold War got hot?

[@andrewdeen1]

there were 2 in '83. Stanislav Petrov, 'the Man who saved the world' did his saving that very same year

[@kavlan453]

3:10 that moment when you’re playing with silly putty to give your hands something to do while watching this

[@SlevoGaming]

Please do something to do with Irish independence

[@Stealthycreeper860]

Technically its still not independent, Northern Ireland is still under the control of England, there are still bombings and the IRA is fighting to get the land back.

[@SlevoGaming]

+Stealthycreeper860 it's a separate country to Northern Ireland now the 26 counties make up the republic and they are completely independent of England. Everyone except the IRA have conceded to the fact that Northern Ireland will not join Ireland

[@dubsy1026]

+Stealthycreeper860 correction: the IRA is conducting terrorist attacks against the UK (not just England) because they can't accept some people WANT to be part of the UK (*GASP*).

[@dubsy1026]

Thanks.. I'm british

[@JDzshuffles]

+Dubsy 102 if i move to london with millions of irish people, can i take it and claim it as irish soil? Hah yeah, i thought so.

[@pom1489]

“Nothing refreshes you better in a hot day than a Cold War.”

[@EZnation100]

Well that end quote is relevant anew with the second cold war going on now

[@TimwiTerby]

I wonder why you historians always mention and emphasise the Berlin wall, but completely neglect or omit the wall that ran right through the entire frickin’ country.

[@Atilla_the_Fun]

haha funny right? symbolism is important, even if it isn't that important :P

[@awsomeadam2]

Well technically, it was two countries. (Germany and East Germany) But yeah, you have a point.

[@Atilla_the_Fun]

awsomeadam2 *West Germany and East Germany.

[@HitodamaKyrie]

monkeytrollu More like Germany and Not Germany, as it's 2014 and there is no East Germany now. :P

[@MrPlop1995]

Berlin was situated comfortably within East Germany the wall didn't separate two nations it made a fair chunk of a city a geopolitical island in a sea of red. Although you can argue for the "split a nation" viewpoint as west Berlin was a bit of a vestige of the greater West Germany

[@phoenixmichaelle7633]

It's worth noting that this video presents history in a very Americentric view i.e. viewing the world from an explicitly US perspective

[@tomspettigue8791]

That Stalin critique is... pretty spot on, actually lol

[@emtello3808]

The guy who wrote "Fault in Our Stars" and "Paper Towns" is teaching me history

[@VonBearsJr]

"you were a terrible leader, a terrible person, and a terrible father" good stuff

[@SchecterMongoose]

9:02 Did anyone think... "wow, sounds like modern day USA?"

[@Ltresso12]

YES

[@pavelZhd]

Well.. that is just a natural order of things, as Marks predicted... USSR only attempted to skip some steps in the wake of progress... they failed in forcing Socialism to come early... so now we have to wait till Capitalism destroys itself, before a true Socialism can arise. And Capitalism is flawed, because it is based on several misconceptions. Like "free market". I mean, free marked is good and all, but there are huge chunks of economy that can ruin the free market if they are introduced there. Like Bank loans. Seriously, bank loans breack the main rule of free market "Consuming a product results in, at least temporal decrease in demand for this product - and it's competitors". Seriously, if you take a Loan - there are two thing happening - 1) There's more money now circulating in the economy for the short term perspective - so the prices inflate, and 2) you have to pay bank interest, so you have less money in the long run. Those two things conbined result in "consuming" a bank loan once boost the demand for more bank loans in the future...

[@tatbagmanyee8856]

Павел Жданов Problem is capitalism will work when it seems like it will collapse. Human's want what they work for and capitalism fits that demand unlike Communism and Socialism. Plus company's are getting stronger, stronger than nations. Worlds 3rd largest company is a military company.

[@ragestarshine5735]

OH MAN! i love this series!!!

[@mariocoreas6745]

Finally after 38 WH videos you mentioned El Salvador. Greetings from El Salvador! :)