Warming Up to the Cold War

Welcome back to Warming Up to the Cold War! This episode is all about the pyramid schemes that took over Albania in the mid-1990s and whose collapse resulted in anarchy throughout the nation. While pyramid schemes became a trend across the post-Communist bloc, they were able to reach full saturation in Albania due to the lack of trust in the federal government and the branding of the schemes as the new form of entrepreneurship. My good friend Sarah Turek of The Bad Idea Corner is back to help me discuss the distinctions between multi-level marketing companies, pyramid schemes, and Ponzi schemes as well as the huge impact the collapse had on Albanian citizens.

How many ships does it take to block the Suez Canal? The answer depends on the year and the size of the ship. The Ever Given recently captured the world's attention when it hit the bank of the Canal in March 2021 and completely blocked the width of the waterway for a week. However, in 1956, it took 51 ships and boats for the Egyptians to make the Suez Canal impassable. In this episode, we explore the history of the Suez Canal and the context of its closures as well as the anticipated impacts of Ever Given on global shipping and the international economy.

This episode looks at the numerous attempts at prohibition in Russia (paying special attention to Gorbachev's "semi-prohibition" in the 1980s) and compares them with America's infamous prohibition in the 1920s. While this episode doesn't strictly adhere to the Cold War Era, there are a lot of fun anecdotes from both Cold War superpowers and insights into the different political systems and the impact of public opinion.

This week's episode takes us back to 1980 and the American-led boycott of the Moscow Summer Games. Join Shelby in learning about the State Department's secret weapon in African diplomacy - none other than boxing legend Muhammad Ali! As we'll find out, this idea sounded great on paper but was mostly unsuccessful, with only 2 of the 5 African nations on the tour deciding to participate in the boycott. Regardless, this episode is important because it highlights the perspective of non-aligned nations on the Cold War and provides an opportunity to learn about Tanzania, Nigeria, Kenya, Liberia, and Senegal. We also get to explore the impact of the boycott on the Moscow Games and the implications on the selection of the first country to host the Olympics post-COVID.