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Containment was the U.S. policy of stopping the spread of Communism through economic aid and military intervention. An example of this would be the Truman Doctrine. This was the way the U.S. avoided directly fighting with the USSR. The song, Control by Janet Jackson represents the 'control' the U.S. wished to have over the spread of Communism. By constantly intervening in foreign nations affairs, they tried to do everything in their power to prevent Communist or authoritarian systems from taking over nations. The line, "I'm in control, never gonna stop," connects to the lengths the U.S. went to in order to enforce the containment policy. Specifically, in the Marshall Plan, we sent $12.5 billion to nations across Europe just so their economies would not make them susceptible to Communist influence. In addition, when Janet sings, "So let me take you by the hand,/And lead you on this dance," it links to how the U.S. tried to guide nations on a 'dance'/path away from Communism through their aid and intervention.

Control - Janet Jackson

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The Truman Doctrine was the U.S. commitment to support countries resisting communism and an example of the Containment policy. The U.S. sent $400 million of economic and military aid to Greece and Turkey. They wanted to protect their democracies in these areas by intervening and preventing economic instability. The U.S. pledged their support for democratic nations resisting communist aggression. This theme of support is also found in the song Stand By Me by Ben E. King. Ben sings, "No, I won't be afraid/Oh, I won't be afraid/Just as long as you stand/Stand by me." In this case, he is singing from the perspective of Greece and Turkey and he is 'afraid' from Communist subversion. He is asking the U.S. to Stand By/support him to resist Communism. As shown by the Truman Doctrine, the U.S. did send their support and stood by Greece and Turkey during the Cold War.

Stand By Me - Ben E. King

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The Marshall Plan provided $13.3 billion of U.S. aid (ex. food, machinery) to rebuild Europe after WWII. Just two years after the war ended, the USSR was in control of Eastern Europe and Western European countries were vulnerable to Soviet expansionism. The U.S. believed that healthy economies would prevent Communism and an authoritarian figure from threatening democracy. Secretary of State George Marshall proposed the plan on June 5, 1947 and President Truman signed the act to create the Marshall plan. In the song, Money Trees by Kendrick Lamar, he sings, "A dollar might just make that lane switch." This connects to the economic aid the U.S. sent to Europe in order to "make that lane switch," the 'lane' being the route to Communism. He sings, "Back to reality, we poor ----- Another casualty at war" which can relate to the weakened economies of Europe after World War II. The line, "A silver spoon I know you come from," can be referencing the "silver spoon"/money that the U.S. sent to Europe which rapidly recovered their economies, led to an upturn in industrialization, and increased their trade.

Money Trees - Kendrick Lamar

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For De-Stalinization, I chose the song “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” by Taylor Swift. After the death of Stalin in 1953, the Soviet Union began to distance itself from his harsh oppressor, that was Stalin. Nikita Khrushchev took over and gave a speech in 1956 criticizing Stalin for creating a culture of fear and using violence. This speech shocked the country and marked a major turning point. The lyrics “We are never ever getting back together” connect to how the Soviet government tried to break up with Stalin’s extreme communistic and totalitarian legacy. The Soviet Union changed slowly saying we are never going back to that kind of leadership again.

The song’s message of leaving behind a toxic relationship reflects how the Soviet Union began to change. During De-Stalinization, censorship was reduced, political prisoners were released, and freedom of speech was enforced. Just like how Taylor realizes they deserve better, the Soviet citizens were starting to hope for a more open and fair government. The upbeat but firm tone of the song matches the way the country was trying to move forward. It wasn’t an easy or smooth transition, but it showed that the USSR was done with Stalin’s ways, just like Taylor Swift was done with her exes.

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We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (Taylor's Version)

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We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (Taylor's Version)

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The Domino Theory was the U.S. belief that if one country fell to Communism, it would set off a chain reaction within the region. Ultimately, they believed that the whole world would become Communist if this went on. The theory was first proposed by President Truman, but became popular when President Eisenhower applied it to South Vietnam. The song Domino by Jessie J is a representation of this theory. She sings, "I can taste the tension like a cloud of smoke in the air." The tension refers to the rising tension during this time between the U.S. and the USSR as the U.S.'s fear for the spread of Communism heightened. The U.S. was afraid that one country fallen to Communism would lead the world to fall after it. From the perspective of vulnerable countries (but in the words of Jessie J) Communism will "Take me down like I'm a domino."

Domino -Jessie J

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Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tear for Fears for the Cold War event of the CIA coup in Guatemala. In 1954, the United States helped remove Guatemala’s president, Jacobo Árbenz, because he created a reform that gave land back to poor farmers. This upset the United Fruit Company because they owned a lot of land in Guatemala to grow fruits like banana's. Instead of supporting democracy, the U.S. used the CIA to secretly plan a coup and replace Árbenz with someone who would protect American business interests(Carlos Castillo Armas). The song’s lyrics, “Everybody wants to rule the world,” refer to how the US only wants to stay in control of money and power and not spread freedom. The U.S. used fear of communism as an excuse, even though Árbenz wasn’t actually a communist.

This song fits because it talks about how people in power will do anything to stay in control, even if it hurts others. After the coup, Guatemala wanted to make sure there were no leftist parties that would somehow alarm the US into thinking they were communist. The soft and serious tone of the song shows how controlling the world can seem calm on the outside, but underneath there’s pressure and harm. This event is a good example of how the Cold War wasn’t always about freedom, but only control.

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The song I picked for the Vietnam War is “Hero of War” by Rise Against. At first, the soldier in the song is excited to fight and thinks he’ll come back as a hero. But as the war goes on, he sees awful things and starts to regret it. One line says, “I kicked in the door,” showing how the war made him do things he never thought he would. This connects to how many U.S. soldiers felt during Vietnam, where the fighting was intense and often confusing. A lot of them were drafted and didn’t even support the war, but they had no choice. When they came back home, people didn’t treat them like heroes instead, they were sometimes ignored or even blamed for the war.

Soldiers turned against their country( the US) after experiencing the horror and tragedies of the Vietnam War The lyrics and emotional tone match the personal battles soldiers went through during and after the war. It also reflects how the Vietnam War caused people to question what it really means to be a “hero.” Many soldiers came home with PTSD and felt disconnected from the country they fought for. Overall, the song doesn't just talk about war made makes you deeply think about how the soldiers were living and fighting during these times.

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Leave Me Alone by Flipp Dinero fits the Suez Crisis as Egypt's nationalization caused unwanted "military solutions" from Britain, France, and Israel. The lyrics "I got no time for that/ How could you, moving like you're crazy/ How you just gon' play me? I ain't fine with that" are all a display of Egypt's perspective. They depict the rapid advance and involvement of Israel in the military operation against Egypt. The lines about being played describe Britain, France, and Israel antagonizing Egypt for their own national interests(taking more of the Gaza strip). The last line about not being fine with it represents the Egyptian forces engaging in combat and being defeated, but holding out until the US got an evacuation of Israeli troops.

When nationalizing the Suez canal, Egypt was attempting to reclaim sovereignty. Britain and France were upset by this defense against colonialism and got Israel to start a war with more colonialism. Egypt was defeated but still stood up to colonialism as the UN did not agree with the European countries.

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Flipp Dinero "Leave Me Alone" (Clean Music Video)

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The Great Leap Forward was a five-year plan of forced agricultural collectivization and rural industrialization. Leading up to the Great Leap Forward, Mao Zedong led the Communist force in China and won the civil war to establish the People's Republic of China. During the five-year plan, he applied communist ideas to steel production and forced farmers to work on massive communes. Though this was supposed to be a Great Leap Forward, it came with major consequences on the people of China. In just four years, a famine ensued killing 45 million people. The song, "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back" perfectly captures the concept of the Great Leap Forward. The main chorus, "It's one step forward, and three steps back," represents the forward Leap Mao planned to have by rapidly growing the economy and strengthening Communist China's global position. This plan ultimately backfires and causes one of the worst famines in human history. The production quotas were also incredibly unrealistic and backyard furnaces were ineffective/costly. Also, the line, "It's back and forth, maybe this is all your fault instead" would be sung from the perspective of the people realizing that Mao was to blame for the famine. After his fault in the Great Leap Forward, Mao tried to shift the blame to others who opposed him. He tried to reassert his power through the Socialist Education Movement and Cultural Revolution, possibly causing the citizens to go 'back and forth' with their blame towards him.

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1 step forward, 3 steps back (Clean Version) (Audio) - Olivia Rodrigo

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Gotta Get Up by Harry Nilsson is a representation of the possible internal dialogue of the Viet-Cong. Some of the lyrics are "Gotta let the people know/ What if I'm late? Got a big day/ Sorry I can't stay, I got a big day." The lyrics display the pressures of being a Southern Vietnamese citizen in the Viet-Cong and having to follow intricate plots of guerilla warfare. The Viet Cong was a communist group led by people in Southern Vietnam with the gold of uniting the north and south using their militia. Working in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh and having the large task of gaining control over the Western-supported government.

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Harry Nilsson - Gotta Get Up (Official Audio)

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You're Dead by Norma Tanega fits the Bay of Pigs as it was a failed plot from the US that resulted in many captures and deaths. The lyrics "Run fast don't stand in the sun/ You'll never get a second chance/ Plot all your moves in advance/ There's too much work to be done" are all great representation of the Bay of Pigs. The Cuban exiles were quickly defeated by Castro's forces as they started to arrive. The main reasons for the failure of the operation were poor planning and a lack of surprise. The CIA-trained exiles were greatly outnumbered and the CIA inaccurately assessed the situation in Cuba.

The Bay of Pigs was a great embarrassment for the US, specifically President JFK and the CIA. An attempt was made to overthrow Fidel Castro and his government in Cuba, but the US found that the exiles trained for the event were no match for Castro's military force.

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The song Strange Game by Mick Jagger is chosen for the Iranian Revolution. The most notable and fitting lyrics are "You made one mistake/ you got burned at the stake/ you're finished, you're foolish you failed/ You piled up the corpses/ exhausted your sources/ keep pushing the paper." While the Shah of Iran more than one mistake, his many made him unpopular and hard to truly support. His big "one mistake" was exiling and angering Shia cleric Ayatollah Khomeini. His pile up of corpses refers to his intimidation tactics and military attacks on protesters. He spent lavishly and exhausted the power from oil. His "pushing of the paper" is the false that the CIA was able to generate for him.

The Iranian Revolution was the overthrow of the Shah, someone strengthened by the CIA to prevent "communism" from Mossadegh. Exiled cleric Ayatollah Khomeini built an army of religious followers outraged by the Shah, and had fans upset with the authoritarian rule. The Shah definitely pandered to the US government and sacrificed the resources of his country for Western approval. As the Shah left Iran, people tore down images and idols of him everywhere. Upon the allowed return of Khomeini, he and his army took over Iran.

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Mick Jagger - Strange Game (Official Lyric Video)

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The song Ran Out by JT fits the Iran-Contra Scandal, where the US earned money to secretly funnel. The lyrics "I'm getting money I ain't ran out/ My _____ shaking with they hand out" express the situation of the US at the time. During Reagan's presidency, the US secretly sold arms to Iran in exchange for the release of hostages. Hustling to make the most of the money they just earned, the US doubled down and gave a hand out to the Contra rebels of Guatemala.

With it being very dangerous to supply an "unfriendly" country like Iran with weapons, the US also did not follow congressional orders and handed funds to the Contra rebels because they were against communism. These secret events broke the trust of the American people and exposed the US for trying to make the most of a situation they were not supposed to be in.

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The Sound of Silence by Disturbed is the perfect representation of what was happening in Vietnam while Operation Rolling Thunder was occurring. The lyrics, "Ten thousand people, maybe more / People talking without speaking," reflect how the American people were unaware of the damage being caused in Vietnam. Leaders said the bombing would help win the war, but it often hit civilians and made people question if the U.S. was doing more harm than good. The silence in the song symbolizes how the voices of those being hurt (both Vietnamese civilians and U.S. soldiers) were ignored.

Operation Rolling Thunder was a bombing that lasted for years affecting Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. It was supposed to weaken the enemy(communist countries)because of the amount of hate the US had for communism. The song helps listeners feel the fear and helplessness caused by so much destruction done by the US. The lyrics also suggest that there was a silence from leaders who didn’t want to admit the war wasn’t going well, and from citizens who didn’t fully understand what was happening.

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For the last song on our playlist we picked "Freedom" by Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar. This was chosen to match with the event of the Fall of the Soviet Union because it emphasizes breaking free when you finally feel free from what is entrapping you. An example of some lyrics would be, " I'ma keep running / 'Cause a winner don’t quit on themselves," that accurately fits the energy of people demanding freedom and refusing to stay silent.

The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 needed the Cold War and led to freedom for many countries that had been under Soviet control. It was a moment when people fought for change, spoke out against justice and pushed for independence. This led to the Soviet Union not being able to handle the pressure from those on the inside and outside. The song's powerful beat and message match the feelings of hope and courage during the Soviet collapse.