The BEST episodes of Cold War

Every episode of Cold War ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Cold War!

Cold War is an epic, 24-part documentary series that takes a sweeping look at the era known as The Cold War. A joint effort by Turner Original Productions in association with BBC News, the series combines historical footage with personal interviews. The series took over three years to be completed, with the production teams shooting more than 1,000 hours of original footage and screening 1,500 hours of film reference material. Cold War is noted as being the definitive record of this era of global history by the judges who awarded the series the Peabody Award.

Last Updated: 5/7/2026Network: CNNStatus: Ended

8.01

138 votes

#1 - 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.

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8.00

71 votes

#2 - 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.

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7.99

104 votes

#3 - 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.

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7.87

172 votes

#4 - 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.

Writer: Neal Ascherson

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7.85

137 votes

#5 - 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.

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7.83

169 votes

#6 - 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

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7.74

104 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.

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7.73

102 votes

#8 - 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.

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7.71

103 votes

#9 - 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.

7.69

101 votes

#10 - 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.

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7.69

105 votes

#11 - 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.

7.58

140 votes

#12 - 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.

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7.54

135 votes

#13 - 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.

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7.46

166 votes

#14 - 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.

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7.45

166 votes

#15 - 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.

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7.43

165 votes

#16 - 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.

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7.35

103 votes

#17 - 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.

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7.35

136 votes

#18 - 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.

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7.34

134 votes

#19 - 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.

7.25

102 votes

#20 - 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.

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7.08

102 votes

#21 - 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.

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7.08

103 votes

#22 - 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.

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7.07

102 votes

#23 - 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.

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6.17

105 votes

#24 - 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.

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