- 8.1/1047 votes
#1 - Comrades (1917-1945)
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 9/19/1998
Despite their ideological differences, the United States and the Soviet Union become allies in the wars against Germany.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/1039 votes
#2 - Iron Curtain (1945–1947)
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 9/26/1998
Stalin begins to spread communism across Europe after the war ends, and tension grows between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.1/1037 votes
#3 - Marshall Plan (1947–1952)
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 10/3/1998
The United States offers assistance to countries that reject communism after Great Britain halts aid to Turkey and Greece.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/1034 votes
#4 - Berlin (1948–1949)
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 10/10/1998
Berlin is divided into two separate cities, and Europe itself splits as the countries align themselves with the opposing major powers.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.1/1029 votes
#5 - Korea (1949–1953)
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 10/17/1998
A Chinese civil war between the factions of Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-Shek brings the armed forces of the United States onto the battlefield to oppose communism.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.7/1028 votes
#6 - Reds (1948–1953)
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 10/31/1998
A look at the period in which Stalin securely dominated eastern Europe, China embraced communism, and anti-communist hysteria spread in the United States.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.9/1035 votes
#7 - After Stalin (1953–1956)
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 11/7/1998
Stalin's death brings hope that tensions will ease between the Soviet Union and the United States, and Nikita Khrushchev becomes the new Soviet Leader.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.2/1031 votes
#8 - Sputnik (1949–1961)
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 11/14/1998
The Soviet Union launches its first satellite into orbit while the United States' own space program lags behind.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.2/1031 votes
#9 - The Wall (1958–1963)
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 11/21/1998
The Soviet Union solves the problem of people leaving East Germany to the free West by stopping open transit and building a secured ring around West Berlin.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.4/1032 votes
#10 - Cuba (1959–1962)
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 11/28/1998
President Kennedy confronts Kruschev when the Soviet Union begins to deploy nuclear missiles in Cuba
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.7/1025 votes
#11 - Vietnam (1954–1968)
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 12/12/1998
The United States continues its containment of communism by becoming involved in Vietnam's ongoing struggle, leading to enormous public disapproval of the policy.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.2/1030 votes
#12 - MAD (1960–1972)
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 12/12/1998
A look at how technology shaped the politics of the Cold War era, including the United States' Mutual Assured Destruction strategy and the introduction of missiles with multiple payloads.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.7/1029 votes
#13 - Make Love Not War (The 60s)
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 2/13/1999
An examination of the effects of the Cold War upon the populace, including civil rights movements and protests that led to policy changes.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.5/1026 votes
#14 - Red Spring (The 60s)
Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 2/20/1999
The Soviet Union continues its aggressive European policy by invading Czechoslovakia and crushing the Prague Spring Revolution.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.3/1026 votes
#15 - China (1949–1972)
Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 2/27/1999
The history of communism in China, from Mao Tse-tung's victory to President Nixon's trip to China in 1972.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.1/1029 votes
#16 - Detente (1969–1975)
Season 1 Episode 16 - Aired 3/6/1999
A look at the era of detente that resulted in cooperation and exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.9/1023 votes
#17 - Good Guys, Bad Guys (1967–1978)
Season 1 Episode 17 - Aired 3/13/1999
An examination of how the major powers fought by proxy in different areas of the world throughout the era.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.7/1020 votes
#18 - Backyard (1954–1990)
Season 1 Episode 18 - Aired 3/20/1999
The United States utilizes different ways to fight the spread of communism in its own hemisphere, from Guatamala to Grenada.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.8/1022 votes
#19 - Freeze (1977–1981)
Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 3/27/1999
Unrest in Eastern Europe and the Oil Crisis threatens to undermine the progress made by detente.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.2/1023 votes
#20 - Soldiers of God (1975–1988)
Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 4/11/1999
An examination of the effects of religious fundamentalism upon the United States and the Soviet Union's foreign policies.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.2/1025 votes
#21 - Spies (1944–1994)
Season 1 Episode 21 - Aired 4/18/1999
A look at the hidden front of the Cold War involving subterfuge and secret intelligence gathering.
Director: Tessa Coombs
Writer: N/A
- 8.2/1023 votes
#22 - Star Wars (1981–1988)
Season 1 Episode 22 - Aired 4/25/1999
The Soviet Union's economy falters as it struggles to keep up in the arms and technology race.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.7/1025 votes
#23 - The Wall Comes Down (1989)
Season 1 Episode 23 - Aired 5/2/1999
The Soviet Union loses its grip on Eastern Europe as the Berlin Wall comes down and the Cold War comes to an end.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.4/1019 votes
#24 - Conclusions (1989–1991)
Season 1 Episode 24 - Aired 5/9/1999
The Cold War era comes to an end as the Soviet Union's empire falls and new policies are implemented by Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of Cold War Season 1
Every episode of Cold War Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Cold War Season 1!
A 24-part series which deals with the relations between the United States, the Soviet Union and their respective allies between the end of World War...
Genre:Documentary
Network:CNN
Season 1 Ratings Summary
"Comrades (1917-1945)" is the best rated episode of "Cold War" season 1. It scored 8.1/10 based on 47 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 9/19/1998. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Iron Curtain (1945–1947)".