In the final two episodes of this series, the war enters its most devastating and transformative phase. As American forces endure the horrors of Okinawa and Japan refuses to surrender, President Harry Truman faces an almost unimaginable decision: whether to unleash the most terrible weapon ever created. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bring the conflict to a shocking end, but victory comes at a cost that will haunt humanity forever. With the Axis defeated, the world attempts to rebuild from unprecedented destruction. Yet the alliance between the United States and the Soviet Union rapidly collapses into suspicion and confrontation. From the division of Germany and the Berlin Blockade to the creation of NATO and the Soviet Union’s first atomic test, former allies become nuclear adversaries. The Second World War is over—but a new and even more dangerous struggle has begun, placing the entire world beneath the shadow of annihilation.
During the Cold War, American and Soviet scientists embarked on a perilous race to create the most powerful bomb in human history. This gripping documentary unveils how both nations pushed the boundaries of science and morality, culminating in the Soviet Union’s creation of the “Tsar Bomba”—the largest and most devastating weapon ever detonated, with a blast over 3,000 times more powerful than Hiroshima. Through unexpected twists, miscalculations, and high-stakes experiments, The World’s Biggest Bomb delves into the untold stories of ambition, fear, and rivalry that shaped a critical moment in history. Witness the harrowing journey of the scientists who risked everything to harness destruction on an unimaginable scale, forever altering the course of humanity.
The fascinating history of the military force of the Soviet Union. For 70 years, the Red Army was one of the foundations of the USSR, an instrument of fear as well as admiration, a symbol of liberation as well as coercion. While everyone knows that Trotsky's name is attached to its creation, most of its past is made up of military defeats and failures, contrary to the common idea. This documentary explores its history, combining epic narrative and deconstruction of the myth.
A definitive account of Putin's power and how it changed the modern world. The series is an exploration of how Vladimir Putin brought his knowledge of spy-craft to bear on his leadership of Russia, how his personal experiences have influenced his politics and how modern Russia has been created through an acute sense of betrayal, pride and anger. The first episode takes viewers on a journey into the mind of one of the 21st century's most influential leaders, offering a portrait of a politician who modelled himself on the Russian James Bond and whose presidency reads like a spy thriller. We will see how Putin escapes poverty by joining the KGB, his reinvention as a political fixer in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union and how he gets into position to take over from President Yeltsin.
Although the end of the Soviet Union also meant the end of the KGB, it did not mean the end of secret service activities. FSB and the foreign intelligence service SVR took over the tasks. Under the secret service officer Vladimir Putin, the tasks of the secret service were redefined, and digital age with the Internet brought new possibilities for internal and external espionage and for the manipulation of public opinion. Coup d'etats, assassinations, sex scandals, radioactive poisoning....it's the stuff of a Bond movie. But in today's Russia, it's all very real. Under Vladimir Putin, the FSB rules Russia with an iron rod directly from the Kremlin. To challenge its authority, even from apparent safety abroad, means risking your life. The KGB has even managed to outlive communism itself. Today, Russia is no longer a State with a Security Service: instead, the Security Service has a State.
Moscow, 31 December 1991: the Red Flag of the Kremlin is pulled down and replaced by the three-coloured banner of Russia, marking the end of the Soviet Union and of its ideologies. Illustrated with testimonies of top protagonists and Mikhail Gorbachev himself, the documentary recounts, day by day, the critical last two years that led to the fall of the largest and one of the most totalitarian empires of the 20th century.
With the Axis defeated, the world attempts to rebuild from unprecedented destruction. Yet the alliance between the United States and the Soviet Union rapidly collapses into suspicion and confrontation. From the division of Germany and the Berlin Blockade to the creation of NATO and the Soviet Union’s first atomic test, former allies become nuclear adversaries. The Second World War is over—but a new and even more dangerous struggle has begun, placing the entire world beneath the shadow of annihilation.