World War III (film) - Parallels and References To Real Life Events

Parallels and References To Real Life Events

• Battle of Berlin -- Soshkin fought against the German troops defending the city. Soshkin claimed he helped to raise the Soviet flag over the Reichstag; however, the claim was not verified.
• Prague Spring/Invasion of Czechoslovakia—General Soshkin had participated in the 1968 crackdown; the brutality of the forces under his command was so notorious that he appeared on the cover of LIFE Magazine.
• Stanislav Petrov prevented the start of a nuclear war during a time of increased US/Soviet tension when a Soviet radar computer malfunctioned in 1983.
• Black Monday of 1987—Images of the alarming headlines it generated for the New York Post ("CRASH!") and Daily News ("PANIC!") were used to illustrate a Wall Street crash caused by uncertainty over the future.
• Tiananmen Square protests of 1989—Chinese students hold a pro-democracy protest near the seat of Chinese government. After weeks of demonstrations, the military forcibly ended the protest. This is likely the "Chinese solution" alluded to by Soshkin. The events of the movie are set four months after the crackdown. In reality, Honecker openly desired to deal with the unrest in this manner, even issuing a written order to do so in Leipzig, and was ousted in mid-October largely to prevent them from being carried out.
• The fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany—Clips from the reunification were also used to show celebrations following the liberation of West Berlin.
• The Soviet coup attempt of 1991 against Mikhail Gorbachev—Clips of US officials and "West German" Chancellor Helmut Kohl discussing this event were used in this movie. Since the coup occurred after 1990, Kohl was actually speaking as the leader of a unified Germany when he made these statements.
• The Persian Gulf War of 1990–91—Clips of US officials discussing this war were used in this movie. FLIR video of Coalition air attacks on Iraq is used to illustrate the attack on Warsaw Pact headquarters.
• The Falklands War of 1982. Footage from the Battle of San Carlos and the Bluff Cove Air Attacks is used to illustrate the sea battle.
• The Bosnian War of 1992-95. Shots from aircraft cameras were used to illustrate NATO bombing of Legnica.