Course

Most American congressmen, pundits, and radio/television news commentators (not to mention ALL of the presidents of the era) were full-throated backers of the standard Cold War ideology which dominated the national discourse from 1947 to the Eighties. It was a simple outlook: “The Russians are coming, and we better be ready!” But there were some doubters, and many were highly respected figures. In this course, we will analyze the work of some key “establishment” naysayers who warned of the dangers of our increasingly militarized foreign policy.

Faculty Bio

Mick Chantler has taught for OLLI @Berkeley for more than a decade. His main academic interests include early America, the Civil War era, the Cold War, and the history of baseball.

This is an In-Person, Livestreamed + Recorded Course

• Classes meet in person at the Golden Bear Center, Suite 365, at 1995 University Ave., Berkeley
• Classes will also stream live simultaneously, and be recorded
• You must be a current OLLI @Berkeley member to register. Learn about membership, including our fee assistance program.

Schedule Highlights

• Course starts on Monday, Jan. 25, and ends on Monday, March 8
• Classes meet for 6 weeks, 2 hours per session (1–3PM)
• There is no class on Feb. 15
• All course materials will remain available to view and enjoy in Member Dashboards through March 28

Member Praise for Mick Chantler

Great presentation and discussion, chock full of interesting facts and observations. The pace was perfect and the lectures always engaging.

I used to shy away from courses about areas of US history that I'd studied in college but eventually realized that no matter how much I might know about something, Mick sees it in a new and clearer light and his brilliance really makes any subject worthwhile.

Faculty Q&A

• Read an interview with Mick Chantler from our archive.