Apocalypse La Guerre Des Mondes 1945-1991

Storyline

Summer 1945. Leaving the atrocities of war behind, the Allies wholeheartedly celebrate a return to peace. But behind the scenes of global reconstruction, a more drawn-out, insidious confrontation is in the making. Soon, an "iron curtain" will come down, dividing the Communist Eastern bloc, dominated by the Soviet Union, and the West, behind the United States. This is the Cold War, the War of Worlds. In a frantic arms race, the United States have invented the worst threat possible - the nuclear bomb. During the course of fifty years, the great heads of state, Stalin, Khrushchev, Mao, and Kennedy, face each other off in a precarious balance of terror. In Indochina, Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan, they wage war on each other through other peoples. Nonetheless, it is still the same war between East and West. The same leaders, the same terrified civilians, the same regions destroyed by bombs, the same rows of starving prisoners... Beyond those who are in power, all of mankind can, at any time, be plunged into the Apocalypse. EPISODE 1 : The Great Rift (1945-1946) Summer 1945. The victorious nations celebrate a return to peace. But behind the scenes of global reconstruction, a more drawn-out, insidious confrontation is in the making between those who were formerly allies. The West is concerned about Stalin's growing power in the East. Communist ideology continues to spread, all the way to Indochina, where Ho Chi Minh kicks off a protracted war against the West. Behind this seemingly isolated conflict lurks the beginning of the Cold War, the War of Worlds. With the Americans having the nuclear bomb since 1945, mankind is under the threat of a new Apocalypse. EPISODE 2 : The Escalation of Fear (1947-1949) 1947. Fearing that a damaged Europe might fall prey to Communism, America launches the Marshall Plan, reconstruction aid for the European nations. The French also need help in Indochina, where Ho Chi Minh, hidden in the jungle, watches his army and his power grow... Stalin has imposed a blockade in Berlin, but he prefers to focus on the success of his brand-new atomic bomb. And the red wave continues to roll across continents. In Korea, war breaks out between the Communists in the North and a destitute South Korean army. Truman sends in his men, but a real debacle is waiting for them. Entrenched in Pusan, South Korea, and surrounded by the enemy, can the Americans hold out? EPISODE 3 : The World Trembles (1950-1952) September 1950. In Korea, the conflict drags on. After a successful landing at Incheon, General MacArthur and his troops are once again defeated near the frozen Yalu river, where they face a new enemy: China. Truman considers the atomic bomb... In Indochina, the French are taking a beating. The similarities between the two conflicts is striking - same covert players, same frightened civilians, same rows of starving prisoners... French General de Lattre believes both wars to be one and the same; a war for freedom and against Communism. And the real enemy is Stalin. EPISODE 4 : The Conquest (1953-1955) March 1953. Stalin is dead. The Little Father of Peoples is now no more than an embalmed corpse that his potential successors eagerly flock to pay respects to. In East Berlin, a wave of hope comes over the German workers; it is swiftly repressed by the Soviets... In Asia, the heated conflicts are coming to an end. The US leaves Korea without glory, while the French, who fall into the Vietminh's trap in the Dien Bien Phu valley, fight their last battle in distress. The Geneva Conference makes Ho Chi Minh the undisputed leader of North Vietnam, but the South remains in the hands of the West. What will Ho Chi Minh do? EPISODE 5 : The Wall (1956-1962) 1956. Khrushchev closes the door on the Stalin years. He is determined to open up the USSR to the outside world. "Mister K", with his round, jovial face, surprises the entire world by visiting the United States. But the man who approved the bloody repression of the Budapest uprising hasn't gone soft. Now, he is preparing a co-existence with newly elected President Kennedy that will be anything but peaceful. The Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis, not to mention the support he gives Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam... In return, on June 26, 1963, Kennedy delivers his famous, hope-filled speech to an emotional crowd: "Ich bin ein Berliner!". EPISODE 6 : The Abyss (1963-1991) November 22, 1963. President Kennedy has just been assassinated in Dallas. His successor Johnson sinks his country further into the quagmire of the Vietnam War. Over a period of ten years, three million young Americans discover Hell. Footage of the Vietnam war aired on television often leads to peace protests. And in 1973, America calls its boys home. This is a victory for the Communist world... But the USSR has been weakened. Soon, the "satellite" republics demand their freedom. In 1989, the Berlin Wall falls, followed by the explosion of the Soviet empire... The red flag with its gold star comes down from the Kremlin spires. This marks the end of the Cold War. The War of Worlds is over.