The Origin and Development of NATO
Post-World War II celebration among the Allies quickly turned to fear and suspicion as country after country in Europe fell under the domination of the Soviet Union. In this program, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Warsaw Pact alliances are studied, along with NATOÕs Cold War policy of containment, designed to keep the Soviet "iron curtain" from encroaching further upon western Europe. The Marshall Plan, the Berlin Airlift, ChinaÕs shift to communism, and the Korean Conflict are also examined. After more than 40 years of tension, a combination of unrelenting NATO vigilance and the changing attitudes within the U.S.S.R.Ñplus its economic collapse and subsequent loss of powerÑbrought an end to Cold War concerns about a superpower struggle that could have ignited World War III. (21 minutes, 1999) CW1015

The PeopleÕs Century: Communism, The Promise and the Reality
"Communism: The Promise and the Reality" asseses Communism as a social experiment with promises of equality and freedom that swept through Russia and went around the world. In the early days, hope and dreams were high but in the end, the story of Communism is a grim reality of life behind the Iron Curtain. Six-video set; titles include: CW 1016

Volume I: "Red Flag (1917-1936); Communism in Russia"
Volume II: "Fallout (1942-1987) Nuclear Energy and Destruction"
Volume III: "Brave New World (1945-1962), The Cold War Begins "
Volume IV: "Great Leap (1949-1977, Communism in China"
Volume V: "Guerilla Wars (1954-1981), Cuba, Vietnam and Afghanistan"
Volume VI: "People Power (1980-1993), The End of Soviet-Style Communism

 

Posidelki
This video motion picture reflects national traditions and based on real folk and ethnographic materials collected by the actors during their field trips and yearly folk rituals and holidays. RU1029

Post-Soviet Russia: Promises Deferred
This program examines how the Russian city of Gorky has adapted to a free-enterprise system. We see public reaction to the auction of government property and the opening of private markets. Class divisions become apparent in interviews with the Russian nouveau riche, the Mafia, and average citizens. Ordinary people, tired of waiting for economic benefits promised through privatization, support Communist political candidates who promise renewed state control and a return to traditional Russian values. The city is shown as being torn apart by violent tensions and antagonisms that exist between advocates of reform and neo-Communists. (With English subtitles, 55 minutes, 1997) RU1020

Prague Spring
In 1968 Alexander DubcekÕs attempt to liberalize Communist rule in Czechoslovakia and to create "socialism with a human face" resulted in Soviet tanks in the streets of Prague. This program presents both the political d≥tente behind BrezhnevÕs position and the dissent that was silenced within the Warsaw Pact alliance. In addition to extensive archival footage, contemporary interviews with leading Dubcek opponent Vasil Bil‡k; Jir’ Pelik‡n, Czech radio director-general; Eduard GoldstŸker of the Czech WritersÕ Union; Izvestia correspondent Vladlen Krivosheyev; Grigori Yashkin, retired Soviet Army general; and Werner Mantzsch, GDR Army political officer, provide insights that reveal the dissent within the Eastern Bloc countries in the 1960s. A Deutsche Welle production. (29 minutes) EE1015

Rasputin: The Mad Monk
An uneducated peasant who gained a reputation as a faith healer, Gregory RasputinÕs strange behavior and incredible influence over the imperial family made him notorious, and his death made him a legend. His very presence weakened the already tenuous status of the royalty, hastening the Revolution. In the A&E Biography film, leading historians reveal the reason Rasputin was tolerated by the royals despite his scandalous behavior, and rare photos and period accounts capture the strange intensity that made him a figure of mystery. (50 minutes) RU1021

Red Files: Secrets of the Russian Archives Revealed
This PBS series exposes a view of history from the Soviet perspective. Featuring interviews with key Soviet participants, never-before-seen film archives and declassified dossiers, the series tells compelling stories of personal and political intrigue that were hidden behind the Iron Curtain for generations. (1999) RU1022 (specify volume #)

Part I: Secret Victories of the KGB
To the West, they were traitors. To the Soviet Union, they were heroes. Now free to speak, Western and Soviet agents pain a fascinating portrait of one of the greatest espionage conspiracies in history. (55 minutes)
Part II: Soviet Sports Wars
In the early 1950s Stalin launched a massive Soviet sports program to demonstrate to the world that communism was superior to capitalism. This program presents the bittersweet stories of four premiere Soviet athletes. (55 minutes)
Part III: Secret Soviet Moon Mission
This episode presents the story of the mastermind responsible for the entire Soviet space program: Sergei Pavlovich Korolev. Under his leadership, the Soviets achieved amazing triumphs in rocket science. Despite his astonishing achievements, he died with his greatest dream unfulfilled: to land a Soviet citizen on the moon. (55 minutes)
Part IV: Soviet Propaganda Machine
After World War II, the world longed for peace. But the Soviets and the West were preparing for a new kind of war Ð a propaganda war to control the hearts and minds of their own people. The program weaves observations with archival film to trace the 70-year history of the communist and capitalist propaganda machines. (55 minutes)

 

 

Red Tsar
This program explains the operation of the power structure of the Soviet Union after the Revolution and shows how Stalin, considered a mediocrity, succeeded Lenin and became the Soviet Man of Steel. It presents the historical facts surrounding the rise of Stalin; the creation of the Stalin hero cult; the relationship between the formal Russian government versus the Party; the functions of the Party Congress, the Central Committee, and the Politburo; the role of non-Russians, workers, and peasants; and profiles Lenin, Trotsky, Bukharov, Voroshilov, and Molotov. (20 minutes, b&w) RU1061

"Romanovy"
In Russian. (111 minutes) RU1038

"Rossiia: Rened litsom Budushchego"
Since the end of the Cold War, the world has changed at lightening speed, but politics and policies have been slow to change, distorting the prospect of peaceful relations between Russian and the US- which even now have thousands of nuclear missiles, on hair triggers, aimed at each other. There is an international gap in trust and understanding. (60 minutes) RU1037

"Russia: Facing the Future"
Since the end of the Cold War, the world has changed at lightening speed, but politics and policies have been slow to change, distorting the prospect of peaceful relations between Russian and the US- which even now have thousands of nuclear missiles, on hair triggers, aimed at each other. There is an international gap in trust and understanding. Russia: Facing the Future includes a video documentary and scholarly report on Russian society today. With words and pictures, the package paints a vivid portrait of Russia's economic, political, military, and social upheaval- as well as Russian anxieties about national security, fueled by the West's somtimes warm, sometimes cold welcome. (60 minutes) RU1035, RU1036

 

Russian Avant-Garde: A Romance with the Revolution
This program documents the achievements of the Russian avant-garde movement and the impact of the Russian Revolution, which at first nurtured modern art as an emblem of communist culture and then banned it in favor of socialist realism. Set within the context of the life of the pivotal art critic Nikolai Punin, the key events of the Lenin/Stalin years and the contributions of major artists such as Malevich, Tatlin, and Filonov are described. Plentiful examples of paintings and sculptures plus period newsreel footage add a strong visual appeal to the story of a compelling period of both art and world history. 1999 (55 minutes, color) RU1062

RussiaÕs Last Tsar
National Geographic Video tells the magnificent and tragic story of the Romanovs, using newly discovered photographs and rare film footage long locked away in official archives. Joyful scenes of Grand Duchess Anastasia winking at the camera on the royal yacht and doomed heir Alexei twirling in the snowy palace garden are juxtaposed with chilling, once-secret footage of the familyÕs bones being unearthed by Soviet authorities. The public majesty, private joys and terrible fate of the Romanovs are highlighted in extraordinary interviews with those who never stopped searching for the true story of RussiaÕs last Tsar. (60 minutes, 1994) RU1023

RussiaÕs War: Blood Upon the Snow
The story of the people of the Soviet Union during World War II who struggled to survive the tyrannical reign of Joseph Stalin. A compelling story of dictatorship, bloody battles, and endless courage as the Soviet people combat not only Hitler and the German army but their own leader as well. Hosted by former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, this 10-hour program features never-before-seen Russian images, once-secret documents, and leading Russian historians to explore Russia from 1924 through 1953. (1995) RU1024 (specify volume#)

Volume One: The Darkness Descends
Volume I of PBS' series on Russia's involvement in World War II. This volume includes two parts, The Darkness Descends and The Hour Before Midnight. Darkness Descends traces Stalin's rise to power and his efforts to consolidate his position. Part II portrays Hitler's aggressive behavior in Europe and the alliance of Russia and Germany, leading to the invasion and partition of Poland. (120 Minutes)
Volume Two: Between Life and Death
The series continues with The Goths Ride East. This part describes Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union and their arrival at the gates of Moscow. Part 2portrays the death of thousands during the siege of Leningrad and the Red Army's counterattacks against the Germans on the Moscow front. (120 minutes)
Volume Three: The Fight from Within
The third volume Part 1, The Fight From Within, outlines the resistance to the Soviet regime that many oppressed Soviet citizens expressed after Hitler's invasion. The Cauldron Boils, part 2 in this volume, describes Germany's movement towards the Caucasus, Stalin's prohibition of retreat from the battlefield, the formation of the Penal Battalions, and the beginning of the battle for Stalingrad. (120 minutes)
Volume Four: The Citadel
The Citadel, the first part of this volume, discusses the greatest tank battle in the history of warfareÑthe battle at Kursk. Part 2, False Dawn, describes the liberation of Leningrad, the growing military momentum of the Soviets as they push the Germans out of Soviet territory, and the plans that Stalin had for the people who suffered under the Nazi occupation.
Volume Five: The Fall of the Swastika
The concluding volume of the series. Part 1, The Fall of the Swastika, outlines Germany's defeat, the fall of Berlin, and Stalin's policies towards his own population. Part 2, The Cult of Personality, describes the cult of Stalin, his growing paranoia, the beginning of the Cold War, and, finally, Stalin's death in 1953. (120 minutes)

Russian Revolutions: The Heavy Hand of Corruption
In segment one of this program, ABC News anchor Ted Koppel and correspondent John Donvan investigate the endemic nature of corruption in Russia, where bribery is commonplace and paying protection money is considered a business expense. In segment two, Koppel and billionaire Boris Berezovsky, identified as the unseen force behind Vladimir PutinÕs rise to power, discuss BerezovskyÕs recent foray into politics. And in segment three, after providing detailed background on Putin, Koppel interviews the man himself, touching upon his plans to fight corruption, his KGB affiliations, and his surprising sense of humor. (66 minutes; 2000) RU1043

Russian Revolutions: Sex, Lies, and Nuclear Weapons
In segment one of this program, ABC News anchor Ted Koppel reports on issues related to the new openness in Russia surrounding sexuality, including the growth of prostitution, resistance to contraception, and the spread of AIDS. In segment two, Koppel and correspondent John Donvan examine the ongoing controversy revolving around the political sellout of the independent Russian media. And in segment three, Koppel and Donvan analyze the impoverished and demoralized state of RussiaÕs soldiery, tasked with fighting the Chechens and presiding over one of the largest nuclear arsenals in the world. (61 minutes; color) RU1044

 

Secrets of Soviet Space Disasters
The space race between the U.S.S.R. and the U.S.A. resulted in some of the most significant scientific and engineering advances in human history. But, the failures of the Soviet space program remained closely guarded secrets until only recently. Filled with rare, never-before-seen footage from Soviet archives and interviews with insiders. See how personal rivalries, shifting political alliances and bureaucratic bungling led to the more than 150 deaths as well as the eventual failure of the Soviet space program itself. (50 minutes) RU1025

To Russia for Love: Mail Order Brides (A&E Investigative Reports)
To Russia for Love is an all-encompassing look at the people, the politics and the business of international matchmaking. Hear from the men who peruse catalogs and websites in search of their new bride, and on the other side of the equation, Russian women talk about the hopelessness that drives them to put their fate in the hands of strangers. Visit the ultimate matchmaking party, where American men meet over 1,000 women in three days in Moscow, and meet couples--both happy and unhappy--who met at similar events. Finally, go inside the Atlanta offices of the world's foremost international bridal agency, European Connections, and hear from Moscow-based private matchmakers. (50 minutes; 1999) RU1026

U.S. - Afghanistan Relations: Gaining Perspective
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." In this program, ABC News correspondent Chris Bury shows how that Arab adage sums up American's relation to Afghanistan since the Cold War. Given the calamity, U.S. support to the mujahideen and the subsequent abandonment, head of the CIA's Afghan task force in the 1980s; Charles Wilson, former U.S. Congressman and proponent of Afghan support; Ben Rooney, a reporter with The Telegraph who covered the Afghan/Soviet war; Tom Carew, a former British SAS soldier who helped train the Afghan army; and two veterans from both sides of the Afghan/Soviet war. (42 minutes, color) CA1007

Vladimir Lenin: Voice of Revolution
Vladimir Ilich Lenin was one of the most influential figures of the 20th century. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, newly unsealed documents help tell the truth about Lenin. Soviet historians examine his rise and rule; excerpts from Lenin's writings expose his fixation on violence; and rare footage shows the Bolshevik leader at the height of his power, before strokes weakened and eventually killed him at the age of 53. (50 minutes) RU1026

The Wall: The Building and Destruction of the Berlin Wall
In the aftermath of World War II, with Germany divided between the victorious Allies, the seeds for the Cold War were already planted. As thousands of East Germans "voted with their feet," fleeing to the West, the Communist leadership took a drastic step to stop the emigration, walling off West Berlin. For almost 30 years, the Wall was a symbol of the Cold War, and the setting for personal tragedies and global standoffs.With extensive footage from the pivotal events of the Cold War, including the moment when U.S and Russian tanks faced each other from 100 yards away across Checkpoint Charlie, this program from the History Channel details the history of the Wall. EE1016

 

Women In Islam
Idea Channel (43 minutes) CA1004

Yanks for Stalin
Reveals the extent to which American labor and expertise contributed to StalinÕs massive undertaking. The Depression drove executives, consultants, engineers, skilled laborers and even citizen volunteers to the Soviet Union. Rare footage shows the disparate fates that awaited them there: the white collar Americans received privileged treatment, while regular workers and volunteers lived and worked under horrific conditions alongside their Soviet counterparts. The program also looks at how history has manipulated the facts, from Russian propaganda to the efforts of U.S. companies to hide their contributions to the Communist regime. CW 1017

Yalta: Peace, Power and Betrayal
On February 4, 1945, three of the most powerful leaders in the world -- Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin -- met at the seaside Crimean resort town of Yalta to craft a peacetime settlement that would forever alter the European landscape. This program takes viewers behind the scenes of this historic meeting with archival footage, firsthand accounts from interpreters at the conference, journal excerpts and interviews with scholars. This program is a story of great hope -- and one of tragic irony, as Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin prepare for the close of one war and unwittingly lay the groundwork for the next. (60 minutes) RU1064

Yugoslavia: Death of a Nation (1-hour School Edition)
"Death of a Nation" examines how Yugoslavia disintegrated into a combat zone of warring factions. Part one reveals how Serbian Communist Party leader Slobodan Milosevic exploited his republic's 600-year-old resentment of Muslims to win the people' favor and overthrow his old comrades. In part two hear from Milosevic himself - as he fight to suppress the anti-Communist factions in Slovenia and unleashes the nationalism that has shaken the country to its roots. (Recommended for ages 11-17). EE1017

Yugoslavia: Death of a Nation (3-volume Series from BBC)
A Peabody award-winning documentary. Provides a clearer understanding of the war in the Balkans, from its beginning in 1987, to its escalation in 1990, to its uneasy, American-brokered and United Nations-enforced peace. Introduces the conflict's leaders and its war criminals. Learn how the policy of "ethnic-cleansing" was initiated. Watch the shelling and running battle between warring factions. Hear survivors' tales of atrocities and massacres.And witness the heartbreak of a country and people torn apart by war. 3 videocassettes, 4 hours. EE1018 (specify volume#)

Vol. I:
Episode 1, The Cracks Appear
Episode 2, The Descent Into War
Vol. II:
Episode 3, The Collapse of Unity
Episode 4, The Gates of Hell
Vol. III:
Episode 5, No Escape