About the Episode
With the surrender of Japan in August 1945, the war is over. Millions of Allied soldiers from around the globe return home, triumphant in their victory over Germany and Japan. But Europe and large swaths of Asia are devastated by war, with cities destroyed, millions dead, and a burgeoning refugee crisis.
The United States, largely untouched by the war, and the Soviet Union, ascendent in its conquest of Eastern Europe, initially work together to decide the fate of Germany and establish a new world order, with the purpose of avoiding another world war.
But over the course of the next half-decade, as President Harry Truman pursues a path of democracy and American influence throughout the world, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin moves to consolidate power through the spread of communism, using brute force when necessary as he works towards his ultimate goal of becoming a nuclear superpower. These two nations will go from Allies of convenience to ideological adversaries, launching the next phase of global conflict amid the specter of nuclear war.
The National WWII Museum was proud to support HISTORY's work on this series through historical research, educational outreach, and archival footage, as well as on-site interviews with WWII veterans that will be featured as part of the network’s “Save Our History” initiative.
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