International Relations Since 1945

‘Kent State Massacre’ – why did Ohio National Guardsmen shoot university students?
Ohio National Guardsmen shot and killed four Kent State University students.

Ping-Pong Diplomacy in the Cold War
The United States table tennis team heralded the era of ‘ping pong diplomacy’ by becoming the first official American delegation to visit China in 20 years.

Henry Kissinger and the secret trip to China: an overview
Henry Kissinger, Richard Nixon’s National Security Advisor, made a secret trip to China to meet with Premier Zhou Enlai.

Story behind the photo of Kim Phuc running from napalm attack
On the 8th June 1972 one of the most iconic photographs of the Vietnam War was taken of Phan Thị Kim Phúc, a nine-year-old girl from the South Vietnamese village of Trang Bang.

Explanation of the Gdańsk shipyard strike led by Lech Wałęsa
On the 14th August 1980, workers at the Lenin Shipyard in the Polish city of Gdańsk led by electrician Lech Wałęsa began a strike that led to the formation of the Solidarity labour movement.

Solidarity in Poland
Overview of the Solidarity union in Poland and its impact on the fall of Communism.