The Iron Curtain: The Cold War's Deadly Line of Demarcation
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- čas přidán 30. 12. 2021
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After the fall of the Soviet Union and collapse of East Germany, I was able to walk through the Brandenburg Gate - something I never thought I'd be able to do... without being shot.
Same here. In 1964 I was on a field trip to Berlin with my high school class. We were standing on a podium near Bernauer Straße looking across the wall. The. Brandenburg Gate was not accessible to us. 40 years later I revisited Berlin with some of my former high school mates. We visited a Starbucks overlooking the Brandenburg Gate and reminisced about that trip when the city was looking very very different! What a joyful trip it was!
@@californiahiker9616 Amazing experience, isn't it?? It was unimaginable during the day!!! So glad the good guys won!
@@dtaylor10chuckufarle Interesting term you use, 'good guys'... (and very America-centred). Not all communism philosophy is bad, just as not all capitalist doctrine is good. I look at 'modern' Moscow, (having been there a few times with my wife), and lament the introduction of crap like MuckDonlads, Starbucks and other excesses of Western society. I often think that in a few ways Russia was better off without Western influence. Interestingly, most of my Russian friends feel the same way. But we all still would like to see Putin kicked out...
Going east or west?
I hope I never forget the night the wall came down. Watching people attack the wall, physically, with anything they could find. You could see how much they hated that wall, and so much joy, it was a huge party. They celebrated the fact that they were one again. I don't think it would be like that in Korea, it has been far longer since they were one. I hope one day North Korea will be free as well
Living near the Iron curtain in the Czech Republic for my whole life, I can tell there are still many remnants of the former border fortifications. Also worth a note is the fact that there was this so called border strip, which streched several kilometers inland and was basically a restricted area for anyone without an official pass. Just getting in the strip without the pass was a crime punishable with time in jail. Many settlements in the strip have been leveled and inhabitants relocated. In the remaining settlements inside or near the strip there were many, MANY civilians watching anyone moving around and calling border patrols on those, who looked suspiciously...
At one place in the Czech Republic there also existed a fake border with guards dressed as american soldiers. This was meant to baffle emmigrants and capture them as they were feeling safe, before they reached the real border. However this fake border had not lasted for too long as the word spread and people were avoiding it...
On the other hand, the former curtain is now a place with the best preserved nature
The sad part is that most of the former guards are proud of their service on the border. The communist regime left a deep wound in the nation and only time will heal it...
As a fellow Czech, I think that because of the Velvet Revolution being non-violent, we haven´t really dealt with Communism in the same way as other countries (like Romania), where the separation between friend and foe was much more clear. Also, the regime in our country was relatively mild when compared to say, Poland or East Germany, so most people weren´t actively hostile to the regime at the time of it´s collapse.
1:15 - Chapter 1 - Old grudges
4:20 - Chapter 2 - The enemy of my enemy
6:45 - Chapter 3 - A divided europe
9:10 - Chapter 4 - The curtains falls
11:00 - Chapter 5 - More than just iron
13:45 - Chapter 6 - From barb wires to bike wheels
I remember going on vacation in Austria the summer after the wall fell. It was hilarious to see all those water cooled two stroke Wartburgs struggling up the mountain having to stop regularly to cool the engine. But the sense off joy and freedom the East Germans portrayed was just beautiful to see.
How old are u?
@@blink182bfsftw Nearly 48, that is.
@@blink182bfsftw it wasn't that long ago!
I'm 61 years old and obviously grew up during the cold war. My children are between 30 and 20 years old. After watching this video, within earshot of the youngest two, I told them that as a young child growing up in the 60's I always thought the Iron Curtain was a real extremely tall curtain made of iron, that separated the free side of Europe from the poor people trapped by the Soviets. Our 2nd youngest son born in '99 said he thought the same thing.
Hi Simon and team(s)! I am wondering if you would find it interesting to do a video on the Mackinaw Bridge: The bridge that spans the Great Lakes of Huron and Michigan. It spans 8km and is just beautiful! Finished in 1957, it was impressive for its time and removed the natural barrier dividing State of Michigan. It’s now a beautiful landmark for those traveling to the mostly unpopulated wilderness of north Michigan
As a Michigander I second this!
A great request.
Is the Mackinaw peach an actual thing? And if so, is it as delicious as Newman would lead us to believe?
Been tryin to get him to do this for a while
Ya! Me and my family crossed that bridge in 1960. I was 5. I remember how high it was!
I was a member of the Berlin Brigade. and part of the shutdown in 94. I can tell you many of the people from West Berlin didn't want us to leave after the reunification. I loved Berlin and the people. It was a honor to have served there.
Oh, wow - thank you for your service!
I was a USAF dependent there in high school in the 70s - living very close to the watch towers in the south of the city.
In the mid-90s I was in Berlin (for the Love Parade) and was shocked to discover the whole neighborhood where my high school and PX were had just been vacated - super recently.
I mean, the bus stops still had schedules up~
@@slypear I use to take the 110 bus from McNair Kaserne to Truman Plaza. Love Parade those were crazy lol
@@Luckiraq2005 Yeah, they were crazy!
The last one I went to there, I crossed a parking lot to the Olympic Stadium from the Metro among everyone smoking from bongs, and then entered the packed stadium *just exactly* when an old friend had finished playing there.
Miss Berlin so much~
Patton famously called for the 🇺🇸 and allies to shift the fighting at the end of the war, to immediately take on the USSR. I remember watching the wall come down, while I was in high school. I vividly remember my history teacher telling us that we can’t begin to comprehend, how important it was and the huge difference it was going to make, moving forward. Fantastic video, I really enjoyed the subject.
That's why Patton was assassinated
I had the food fortune to be stationed in West Germany when the wall fell.
That was an interesting time. We thought we had solved the world.
The world of course had other ideas.
Yeah, thought we dodged the whole communist totalitarian dystopia thing but those crazy kids had other ideas. I just hope they line me up against the wall first so I don’t have to see my beloved free USA turn into a fascist puppet of the Chicoms.
Czechoslovak pre WWII fortification system was amazing Megaproject for the small nation. A lot of it can be still visited.
I don't always immediately click on every megaprojects. But when mother Russa calls I will answer
Anything Soviet Union gets the views.
6:03 A point worth correcting: Greek patisans were never supported by the Soviets, contributing greatly to their defeat in the Greek Civil War. Greece was promised to the British and was delivered as such. Zachariadis, the gen. secretary of the Greek CP was in fact arrested and exiled in the Soviet Union where he fled to, because he went against Stalin's order NOT to engage the ruling establishment and monarchy.
I did not learn about the Greek Civil War till I was in my 40s, it was awful.
A good point.
Ex Yugoslavia, Tito and party, supported and supplied the Greek partisans, not the Soviets. In 1948, the Yugoslav border was mined to a depth of at least 2 km to as much as 5 km along the entire length of contact with the Eastern Bloc countries, but not towards Italy, Austria and Greece.
I think this may have been the first time I have heard why the Berlin Blockade happened. Great job to both Simon and the writing and research staff.
Loving your content Simon! And this latest one was long overdue, with the amount of cold war stuff you cover. Usually don't comment much, but your content is just among the best quality you can find on youtube. Hope you can keep doing it for a long time to come! Best wishes for 2022 and I hope you can find many good topics to cover still!
Thank you :)
I love how Simon still does some fact checking and how excited he gets about it. Keep the videos coming fact boy
I catch an undercurrent that Simon and I may not agree on a lot,. But he does put a lot of editorial and professional effort into his videos. Which is so much more than most places these days.
@@M167A1 well, hey pays for all the editing so id like to hope its professional XD
I dont think he writes these. Hes just the host.
@@sharpskilz I understand that, but it’s nice to see that his still fact checking what his been given to read
@@5alm0n fair
I learn something new/interesting almost everytime I watch one of your channels and today was one of your best offerings -- Happy New Year to Simon and Crew
Have loved a Megaproject for the last few years! 😃🧠
Ripple effects of the Iron curtain are still felt to this day and for a long time to come!
East Germany🇩🇪 is still far behind West Germany in many areas!
Well done Simon. Thank you. Happy new year!
How did I not know the Iron Curtain Bike Trail existed???!?? New life goal.
2022 has just arrived! Happy New Year Simon Whistler...
Another fascinating video.. great job Simon and team! Happy New Year everyone! 🎆🎊🎉🍾✨
As recently as 1988, the East German authorities were planning what they called 'Wall 2000', a new perimeter barrier which would have replaced the aging wall with a state-of-the-art security zone and concrete fortification. It was outlined in an article of Popular Mechanics, about a year before the fall of the wall.
Wow, I'm trying to find more about that, that would be a fascinating video... But no luck on Google :(
Great stuff as always Simon!
the quantity and quality of video and photo content is getting much better in recent months, thus making the videos feel more like short documentrys and more sutible for education as aposed to mere entertainment.
Learned more in 15 minutes on this topic than I did in all my history classes in my school days. Brilliant video, thank you.
Love you videos Simon they are interesting and informative. Suggestion for a topic: The Grand Coulee Dam and the Columbia Basin Project. It transformed desert to productive farmland and produces cheap energy for the Pacific Northwest.
Two office clerks actually split Korea with a ruler and pencil once! It's still the DMZ marked with a single lone tree.
If only they'd done the same thing when the state of Israel was created, there might be far fewer problems in that part of the world. A nice sturdy DMZ to keep the Palestinians and Israelis apart and making Jerusalem a city state, permanently guarded by UN troops. 😉
@@phantomechelon3628 Um, that WAS the plan. 😐
@@mlc4495 Clearly someone changed the plan at some point... 😕
If Putin wants to put the iron curtain back up he is welcome to do so. But it will have to be a 1000 miles east of where it was. The russian border should be fine.
He's a little Stalin, he already reintroduced nuclear intermediate range ballistic missiles, 50 Megaton Hydrogen bombs and he criminalizes organizations remembering the Terror Stalin brought over the country
Minus Crimea and all other free countries they’re occupying.
I'm wondering how you could make your channel better, but your choice of stories is golden and the script writer are genius. not sure what to say...
Excellent as always.
Love your stuff Simon, I've watched you morphing into a new age hippie over the years!
I watch most of your videos and I found this one to be one of the better ones so I liked and commented.
One of your best (which are ALL good!)
Very interesting video documentary here 😌👌💯
Oh man this was long overdue.
Dropping this suggestion again, the Bradley IFV, it’s development and effect on armored/mechanized doctrine.
Since you brought up the Berlin Airlift, how about the buildup of Pyongyang during the Korean War? US military basically built a city in a month. Didn’t pan out so well but incredible project
Happy new year folks!
Hello Simon and Mwgaprojects team. I would love to see a video of the F-15 and the training mission when it lost an entire wing and still flew home. Thanks!
something you should cover though is how communism affected capitalist actions here in the West; you saw factory jobs and general labor offering pensions all the time, these days mostly only cops, teachers, and government employees even have a pension. The thing is the people in power here and the people who were CEOs and politicians were afraid that if they were too greedy and didn't offer anything other than the cheapest wage they could get away with, the people might go bolshevik. Nowadays there's absolutely no inhibition and the divide between rich and poor grows at an alarming rate every day, and we have communist country (china) that is introducing the most people to the middle class.
The Berlin Wall is really close to my family because my family (all currently living members over 30) were born in East Germany.
The most notable person of which is my Grandpa (from my fathers side), who was a Guard Tower officer in Berlin. He has his decorations still hung in his personal room. He told me multiple stories over the years about him almost shooting defectors and emmigrants on multiple occasions, but never shot anyone. Because, altough a rather fanatical Communist and Socialist (atleast how he viewed the world as a whole, his position to the inside of the GDR was relatively normal thanks to my mothers family and the family of his wife). He never gave orders to shoot nor did he do it himself as he thought it morally wrong to shoot brothers and sisters who just wanted to live. Because he knew how bad the situation was for the other side of GDRs populace. Considering the family of my mother was exactly the oppsoite coin side (constant harrassed by Stasi, etc.) off the GDRs Society. Rather poor, disliked by the government and just trying to get by without being sent away or killed. Also his wife (a lovely, rather stereotypical grandma who loves her grandkids over anything :D) and her family.
This likely the first mega projects video I wasn't told to SMASH that like button
we all love Simon go Simon
The USSR may not have been involved in the decision regarding Japan's future, but they did occupy several Japanese islands which they simply incorporated into Russia where they remain to this day. Worst of all, the Japanese had forcefully imported thousands of Koreans to work in the local coal mines and the Soviets refused to repatriate those whose homes were in the southern part of Korea. Their descendants are still there today.
The Berlin Airlift is a video on it's own. Maybe combined with Operation Manna and Chowhound, and The Hump in Burma-China Theatre. All really interesting and lesser known topics!
Dude, the fact that certain deer populations *today* won’t mingle across the iron curtain is unbelievable. How many generations of deer have come and gone since then? It goes to show that human activity influences far more than most people realize…and for much longer…
There is a section of wall near my home. It still gives me chills every time I see it, and I’m in the USA
I love how you dropped your accent at 11:43
With the fall of the wall came the "Ossies". The little village I was living in had problems with items being stolen such as bikes, lawn furniture and the like. The easterners got money and rents that westerners had to wait years for. Many bad words were used to describe the "Ossies".
As a USAF airman I got to see all of this transpire from the Eifle region (Rhineland Pfaltz). We lived in a small village; Rodern, then Hahn.
West Germany 1988-1993
Berlin Airlift would be one for consideration.
Been done.
In 1948, the Yugoslav border was mined to a depth of at least 2 km to as much as 5 km along the entire length of contact with the Eastern Bloc countries, but not towards Italy, Austria and Greece. My father was wounded during demining border after Stalin's death while serving compulsory military service in engineering / demolition unit
Thankyou for saying what is forgotten by many, that the Berlin Airlift was a joint US/UK effort, the US tend to only mention their own effort and the British being British barely mention it at all, the only reason I knew was because my father was an RAF aircraft engineer and was based in West Berlin before and a little after the airlift and he told me later in life about just how bad things had gotten for the West Berliners before they started flying in food and fuel.
The Soviet plan very nearly worked :(.
I wish people saying communism/socialism is the answer to everything would take a few minute and watch this so they could see how those systems actually ffet the people they are "supposed" to serve.
They would probably say this was propaganda and fake. They are very brainwashed.
The mere fact that you think communism and socialism are the same thing leads me to believe you don't know what you're talking about.
@@lth5015 you notice the " /" between his written " communism/socialism " ?
The / between words mean "and/or" . It doesn't mean equal to. Please learn your punctuation/grammar before accusing someone incorrectly.
Can we get a Megaprojects on the American Smithsonian Museums?
Yes please!
I remember hearing something about the divide of East and West Berlin actually falling sooner than it was supposed to because a government official read the press release wrong stating that the separation had ended even tho it hadn’t is that true?
A fun idea for Biographics: Gail Halvorsen, the Candy Bomber.
A U.S. Air Force Pilot during the Berlin Airlift, he convinced his crew to give up their candy rations to the kids of Berlin by dropping them out of the plane! The unofficial operation continued to grow and grow until his commanding officers found out about it (from what I understand, though couldn't confirm,)from a reporter that was hit in the head by one of the candy drops! But the military supported this idea and officially created "Operation Little Vittles" and gained nationwide support and over the course of the operation dropped over 23 tons of candy down to the children of Berlin! He has participated in other forms of Air Supply Drops up until 2004. He is actually still going today a the nice old age of 101!
Do you think you could cover Big Muskie & The Captain?
Two gargantuan mining machines that were the result of a several decade long rivalry between to companies to build the biggest machine in the world
4:52 great vid, but is that Loki on the left there???
I wish you had mentioned Mödlareuth, also known as Little Berlin. But I suppose that deserves its own video…!
Now you’ve got to do the video on the new iron curtain that’s about to drop
Good video 👍
We got rid of that wall, but we built dozens of new ones in the meantime, ironically many by so called “democratic” countries.
Walls are all the same - reasons differ a bit.
Which video did Simon do about airdropping supplies?! Trying to share that video with the internet.
I love how even though hes mainly just the voice actor, Simon still was interested enough to fact check that detail himself. Lol
I'm really surprised that Simon didn't pimp out his Berlin Blockade video....
There were NO LAND MINES in BERLIN at the BERLIN WALL. It was too well populated for that. The Inner German Border, Die Grenze was the one with the land mines. They eventually were all cleared.
Could you possibly do the F-14 Tomcat for one of your upcoming Mega projects videos?
Simon, please do a piece on Chechen wars, specifically catastrophic '94/95 Grozny campaign and how it may or may not have enabled Putin's power grab.
Have you done a video about Czar Nicohlas & his fate ? I've often wondered why he & his family weren't on the next ship to "anywhere but here" the same day he abdicated. 😢
Simon stays so busy lol
I'd like to see you do European history from mid 1700's til current map. Just a general pass, maybe make an 'hour.
Who's Napoleon and what're the ideas which followed?
Good video 📹 👍
The Iron Curtain was the best thing for European people.
It kept the peace of Europe for 75 years.
All the troublemakers are from Central Europe and Eastern Europe:
Adolf Hitler; Kaiser; Gabrielo Princip; Marx; former Yugoslavia; concentration camps; communism; Stasi ; EU etc.
Not to control them would result in WW3.
Just watched the video on the dissolution of the USSR, good recommendation from youtube there
Russia was also offered Marshall Aid that Stalin refused.
Hey, have you done the P. 1000 Ratte?
Do the 707
I would love to bike that trail
Simon, at 5:04 who is that person that is about 6’9 in height? Very particular to have him stand right next to the Japanese very intimidating
I was born and raised into the most manic and paranoid time of all this, the cocain 80's was a helluva time to be a kid. I promise you all that weren't there or can't remember that far back that it was absolutely a cultural flipped over bizarro world versus how things are now. Im so thankful for the 90's for giving us all the opportunity to get to know each other, turns out we're all just humans, we all love our families and friends and pets and we all want to live. Who knew?
Must have been a mega task removing all those landmines.
We are living in an iron curtain right now here in America yet most just don’t realize it
Can you travel freely?
Yes.
Then you dont live in a iron cirtain
While listening to this video. I see the movies I've watched growing up of people trying to escape.
And here I was hoping to hear about Nikola Tesla's iron curtain
For deer to still refuse to pass where the Iron Curtain once stood, DAMN!
It really altered nature in more ways than one.
Love Happy Endings.
Well, Churchill knew what he was talking about as he was the one who sold out much of Central and Eastern Europe to the Soviet Union. Not to mention the exclusion of the Polish armed forces from participation in the victory parade. Real ally, wasn't he? I realize politicians are sleazy in general, but this one was a particularly nasty bastard.
If I'm not mistaken 1100 people were killed in the DDR (East Germany) trying to cross the wall. At least as is know so far, as they are still going through old Stasi files.
the Berlin Wall cost 138 people their life. the 1100 victims are probably the numbers from the Berlin Wall and the Inner German Border. that said, nobody really knows, how many people died at this damn border simply because of the fact nobody really knows how many refugees drowned in the Baltic Sea
I understand the video can’t go on too long, but I would have enjoyed a little more detail about the events that led to fall of the Berlin Wall.
Who's that nasty lookin' fella at 4:45? Looks like that melt from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
You’re so right!
10:12 from the earth...
Me: he's gonna say to the moon...
TO THE FUCKING SUN
Don't use the Iron Curtain on infantry though, it'll kill 'em
If Operation Unthinkable ever happened.. could be a US UK victory. Most of the Soviets were exhausted and stretched by thus point for supplier. US and UK had fresh supplies coming through with uome nations so close. And don't forget that the US was the only nation that had or had the capacity to build Atom Bombs in 45.
that phot of Lenin and Stalin you just used @ 1:43mins is one of the first photoshopped images
Reminds me... What do you call a deer with no eyes?... No idearr... silly damn question...
@4:44
-and the Baltics
Germans shooting Germans for wanting to go from Germany to Germany.
Did he really just call Litovsk "lit-oh-visk?" Lmao that can't be right?
That rly would’ve been something. Once western allies & the Soviets got to Berlin privates of both sides shake hands, and get all friendly with each other even tho no one spoke the other’s language then boom! They’re shooting at each other .
You've got to love a political and economic system so great that they have to use walls and machine guns to keep you in it
Notification Squad!!! :D
When the Iron Curtain suddenly dropped in 1989, I was a young U.S. Army Sgt. in West Germany and dealt with many of those who fled the Soviet states who mainly occupied rest stops on the autobahns (highways). Had anyone told me back then that in 30 years or less there would be 1000's if not millions of Americans strongly advocating for Socialism or Communism, I would've laughed in their face at such a ridiculous idea.
Never underestimate the power of people offering “free” stuff and a solution to everything.