The Cold War era, an international bi-polar competition between the Soviet Union and the United States made the world we live in today. This power rivalry unfolded in the aftermath of the Second World War and finally concluded with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Although the Soviet Union no longer exists, the consequences of its fifty-five-year struggle with the United States still influences modern global politics. Ultimately, the postwar competition pitted advocates of state socialism against the champions of free market capitalism. The superpowers never directly fought each other but clashed in a series of bloody proxy wars across the developing world. This timely and informative course will offer an in-depth discussion covering the roots of the Cold War, its causes, and most importantly, its relevance for understanding the current global crisis. Truly, today’s wars in Iran and the Ukraine, the U.S.- China rivalry and conflicts over hegemony in Cuba and Latin America, to name just a few, can all be traced to the Cold War.

This course takes place on Wednesdays from 10am-12pm (PT) on Zoom and at the Thousand Oaks campus.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.