In this third installment of Years Of Crisis we're diving into 1958, which just so happened was the 10th anniversary of the series. Joining Edward R. Murrow was a group of Commentators whose beats covered the various global hot spots from 1948-1958. Each of them gave an assessment of how events changed the course of the world, from it's Post War (World War 2) environment to what it had become circa 1958. It appeared that every part of the globe had undergone some dramatic change in that ten year period, certainly not the least being the emergence of Communist China as a world power and the changing face of Asia in general. Africa was again a major topic of discussion, as were the developing relationships between France and Germany and the beginnings of the Common Market. Fading were the colonial powers, which began to see independence movements coming of age and spreading with Great Britain going through a reinvention of itself over the decade.

All in all, it's a fascinating document of the Post-War/Cold War world, and if it's a period of time you're the least bit curious about, worth checking out to see just how the evolution process took place in world politics.

Sometimes history just never ceases to amaze. Especially in retrospect.

Continuing our year end countdowns, today it's 1960. Once again it features a panel of CBS News correspondents moderated by Edward R. Murrow. The big topic was, aside from The Cold War and the youngest President ever elected, Africa and the emerging independence movement sweeping that continent. The old Colonial powers were falling by the wayside and the big fear was how many of these newly declared nations would land in the sphere of the Soviet Union. It's interesting that so much attention was paid to Africa as the result of the Cold War, and how very little attention is paid now, except where situations like Ivory Coast are concerned which, if you spent more than five minutes looking outside of U.S. mainstream media, would know this has been brewing for a couple of years. But this is 2010, and in 1960 it was the marathon race for converts.

The Cold War did permeate the discussion, with Southeast Asia again as a point of concern, along with Berlin and France's ongoing crisis in Algeria.

So here is the broadcast from December 28, 1960 with optimism and pessimism running a tie race.

(Prime Minister Nuri As-Said of Iraq in 1958 - perceived as a good guy but perceptions went askew)

At the risk of overdosing on Year-end Reviews, I thought I would toss one last one in before putting to bed until next year. This one comes via the CBS Radio program "Years Of Crisis" - in 1958 they were celebrating 10 years on the air and, in addition to looking back at the news events of 1958, also looked back at the significant news events of the previous ten years. A fascinating look at how history has changed very little in the fifty-two years since. Also interesting is the assessment of Iraq, having gone through a revolt in 1958.

Edward R. Murrow: “Winston Burdett, what was the most important development in the Middle East?”

Winston Burdett (CBS News): “It was the revolution in Iraq. Only six months ago we were all still thinking of Iraq as an island of stability in a stormy area. It was tied to the west by the Baghdad Pact. It was enjoying the benefits of more than two hundred million dollars a year in oil revenues. And it was carrying out the biggest building program in roads, schools and dams since the Mongol invasions. Iraq had a likeable young King and a Prime Minister, Nuri as-Said who for sheer ability was the grand champion of all Middle East politicians. And through him the country went through the motions of parliamentary democracy. All of this: Parliament, Prime Minster, King and dynasty was swept away in a one day revolution. Obviously, we had been wrong about Iraq. Their stability had been an optical illusion. We had forgotten that her old regime was widely unpopular, her democracy a sham, her elections rigged, her press gagged, and her newly educated classes excluding from leadership. Above all, the Baghdad Pact itself was detested.

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