Episode
Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War: Institutional Insanity
Overview
Preparing for war against the Soviet Union, the US starts to test thermonuclear weapons. The CIA forms and interferes with global politics.
Details
- Series
- Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War
- Season
- Season 1
- Episode
- Episode 3
- Air date
- 2024-03-12
- Runtime
- 67 min
Episode context
Institutional Insanity is Episode 3 in Season 1 of Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War. It aired on 2024-03-12. The runtime is 67 min.
Previous / Next
Episode 2: 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.
Episode 4: 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.
More episodes from this season
Episode 1: 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.
Episode 5: 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.
Episode 6: 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.
Episode 7: The End of History
A new Russian leader emerges, and the republics seek independence. As the Soviet Union dissolves, several powers sign a landmark treaty on nuclear arms.
Episode 8: Moscow Will Not Be Silent
Russia struggles to find a national identity as Vladimir Putin comes to power. With the Cold War in the rearview, a war on terror begins.
Episode 9: We Are Not Dead Yet
Russia invades Georgia and Ukraine, putting Putin under intense scrutiny. While disinformation thrives, threats of nuclear war persist.