Lasting from the end of World War II to 1991, the Cold War divided the world along deep political and ideological lines. While some of its battles were military, others were waged through radio, podiums, and even ping-pong tables. Folk singers enlisted as well, protesting McCarthyism, the Vietnam War, and the international arms race. "Sounds of the Cold War" samples speeches, songs, and broadcasts that shaped these decades of tension, including Broadside folk songs, Vietnam radio clips, and selections from Smithsonian Folkways’ 2008 release Nobel Voices for Disarmament: 1901-2001.