Pests: The Attack on People's Democracy

Synopsis

In 1950, the Eastern Bloc countries warned the population that they were going to war. The enemy had already dropped into the country by plane, and it was up to the civilians to fight back. The enemy was the Colorado potato beetle. Yes, in yet another bizarre event that could have only happened during the Cold War, the Eastern Bloc countries experienced a dangerous influx of potato beetles, and the Communist propaganda of the time claimed that the insect was being dropped from parachutes and balloons by Americans, with the intent of immiserating the populations of these countries, causing famines, and facilitating an economic crisis. There was a huge propaganda campaign - leaflets, posters, stories in the press - depicting the potato beetles as tiny American soldiers in army boots or helmets. They were called Yankee beetles. But, from today's perspective, this beetlemania was only a funny Cold War hysteria, nothing more.