The Wall (1956-1962) (E05)

February 24, 1956. During the Soviet Communist Party's twentieth Congress, Khrushchev stuns everyone by denouncing Stalin's crimes. Without disavowing the ideology, the USSR's new leader seeks to distance himself from his predecessor and open up to the outside world. "Mister K" is full of surprises. He drinks Pepsi with Nixon and insists on spending a day at Disneyland when he visits America? But behind this clown-like character, the "executioner of the Ukraine" hasn't gone soft. In 1956, he didn't hesitate to crush the uprising in Budapest in bloodshed. Now, he is preparing a co-existence with newly elected President Kennedy that will be anything but peaceful. The Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis, not to mention the assistance he gives Ho Chi Minh in preparing his new battle for reunification? The Vietnam War is about to begin. Kennedy attempts to retaliate; he sends military advisors to train the South Vietnamese army. And in Berlin, on June 26, 1963, he delivers his famous, hope-filled speech to an emotional crowd: "Ich bin ein Berliner!". (National Geographic)