Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War

E1. The Sun Came Up Tremendous

During World War II, the US begins to work on a top-secret project that results in the atomic bombings on Japan — and a global conflict lasting decades.

★ 9.5

E2. Poisoning the Soil

As communism takes off in Russia and China, Joseph Stalin begins his ruthless reign and the Soviet Union enters an era of terror.

★ 9.5

E3. Institutional Insanity

Preparing for war against the Soviet Union, the US starts to test thermonuclear weapons. The CIA forms and interferes with global politics.

★ 9.5

E4. The Wall

The US and Soviet Union get caught in a nuclear arms race. A wall divides Berlin. John F. Kennedy looks for a peaceful solution after a crisis in Cuba.

★ 9.5

E5. War Games

With both sides planning for the worst-case scenario, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev find common ground. Tragedy strikes after a nuclear disaster.

★ 9.5

E6. Empire Is Untenable

The USSR's grasp on Eastern Europe weakens as the Berlin Wall comes down and the Communist Party mounts a coup against a prominent Soviet Union leader.

★ 9.7