Second Semester. For half a century the Cold War loomed over American and world history. This colloquium addresses the origins of the Cold War, key Cold War crises, and the end of the Cold War. Conflicting interpretations are highlighted, with sources from both the United States and the Soviet Union as well as other players. The “cultural Cold War” and the Cold War’s effects on the United States domestically also receive attention. The course ends with analysis of how the lessons of the Cold War are used and misused in current policy discussions.