Stories from the Cold War...
During the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, the Pacific Northwest was home to an outpouring of citizen diplomacy, peace activism, and cultural exchange, directed towards building personal connections with the Soviet Union and reducing the risks of war.
This website is part of an ongoing project, based at the University of Washington, to preserve and retell some of the stories from this rich history of grass-roots, person-to-person action.
Featured Exhibits
Public Tenacity: Give Peace a Dance
Background: In 1983, a new push from Seattle peace activists emerged in order to resolve geopolitical tensions between the Soviet Union...
Life Over Trident: The Bangor Submarine Protests
During the 1970s and 1980s the arrival of submarines armed with nuclear Trident missiles at the naval base in Bangor,...
Seattle Jewish Human Rights and Peace Activist Groups
On the map above, there are several marked places that represent the locations where Jewish human rights groups protested Soviet...
Seattle Peace Activism
A Seattle peace activist group travels to Tashkent to advocate for peace and unity during the Cold War. However, this...
Educational Exchanges: Accent on Understanding's Impact on the Future
Accent on Understanding was a non-profit, 501(c)(3)-designated organization in Washington from 1987 to the early 2000s that facilitated teacher and...
The Goodwill Games and the Political Climate of the Cold War Era
How the Cold War political climate created the Goodwill Games and the inescapable nature of politics in the time period.
Seattle Peace Chorus
The mission of the Seattle Peace Chorus is to communicate through music the desire for a just and peaceful world;...
New Opportunities: Europe America Space Flight 500
In 1991, the collapse of the Soviet Union signaled the end of the Cold War and changed the landscape of...
Beyond Economics: Marine Resources Company International
During the Cold War era, Seattle was uniquely equipped to engage in Cold War peace activism. Examples such as the...