CNN has announced the return of acclaimed series Cold War, the critical exploration of the nearly half-century long military and ideological conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union. In a year which marks the 25th anniversary of a landmark event in history – the fall of the Berlin Wall – airing from January on CNN International, Cold War takes viewers on a journey through the most dramatic moments in modern history, revealing how these events changed the face of Europe and continue to define our world today.

“Cold War is an epic series that captures the dynamics of one of the most important eras of recent times,” said Mike McCarthy, senior vice president of programming for CNN International. “We are thrilled to offer viewers one of CNN’s most comprehensive and informative productions, in the year that marks the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.”

Spanning 24 one-hour episodes, Cold War begins with the rise of the Iron Curtain and follows the flash points and global confrontations leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union. More than 500 eyewitnesses and participants contributed to this historical narrative including a number of world leaders and notable figures like Mikhail Gorbachev, George H.W. Bush, Fidel Castro, Henry Kissinger, Robert
McNamara, Sergei Khrushchev, Pierre Salinger, Eugene McCarthy and Jimmy Carter.

Cold War is narrated by Kenneth Branagh and executive produced by award-winning filmmaker Jeremy Isaacs and former CNN executive Pat Mitchell.

The first episode of Cold War premieres on CNN International, January 4, 2014.