The 1950s and 60s  were dominated by the Cold War, in which the United States and Soviet Russia were locked in a dangerous  struggle for dominance. In this French cartoon from the 1950s Soviet repression is drawn for all to see. Behind the grim-faced guard stands Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, laughing while he tramples on the graves  of his many victims. Above him, Soviet planes head off on wars of aggression, while the Soviets' own people  are marched off, starving, to Siberia. 


Jackie Robinson

Here is twenty-six-year-old Jackie Robinson as he looked when Branch Rickey hired him. He is wearing the cap of the Montreal Royals, the Dodger's minor league affiliate. The following year, 1947, he would play shortstop for the Brooklyn Dodgers. 


Harry Truman and Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill and Harry Truman travel to Westminster College in Truman's home state of Missouri, where Churchill will astound audiences with his reference to the Soviet Union's "iron curtain." 


Truman Doctrine

Even before the Marshall Plan, President Harry Truman asked for American aid to European nations of strategic importance. Here he signs a declaration granting $400 million in aid to Greece and Turkey. It is May 22, 1947. The declaration will become known as The Truman Doctrine, an effort to fight the spread of Communism abroad. 



"Dewey Defeats Truman" Headline

Here is the famous Chicago Daily Tribune headline which erroneously gave Dewey the presidential victory in 1948. 


Soviet Octopus

During the Cold War it was believed that the spread of Communism worldwide was masterminded by Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union. Here, a red octopus with Stalin's face is seen stretching its tentacles around the globe. 


Painted into a Corner

In this 1950 cartoon, Joseph McCarthy is portrayed as staining so many people with his accusations that he will soon paint himself into a corner, leaving none left to defend him. 


"The Iron Curtain Look Is Here!"


from Life, 1952


Caption: "On this American model and hanging alonside her is a complete and stylish Soviet wardrobe. The total cost, excluding hat, is $461."

Subtitle: "U.S. envoy's wife finds Moscow modes high priced, wide shouldered, not very handsome."

The article begins: "The slender gams of the girl above give her away as American."

Monty Python skit on Stalin's murderous tendencies.
Question: "What are the advantages and disadvantages of using comedy to highlight human rights abuses?"


Famous speech from Churchill, delivered in Fulton, Missouri, in 1947.
Question: "What do you think Churchill meant when he referred to the 'iron curtain'? How fair was that description?"
RJ Tarr

Truman explains why he used the atomic bomb

161 KB
Question: How far does this speech fully explain why Truman dropped the atomic bomb on Japan in 1945?



The Rosenbergs

Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were found guilty of espionage in 1951. Here they are separated by a wire fence as they leave the U.S. Court House having been convicted by a jury.