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This seven-part series provides a comprehensive study of the major epochs in European history, from the Greeks and Romans to the fall of communism. Colorful and dramatic, each program focuses on major historical events that shaped present-day Europe and the lives of its people.
- The Beginnings: The Greeks and Romans This program traces Greek civilization from the
Minoans to the city-states dominated by Athens. The Trojan War, Marathon,
Thermopylae, and Salamis
are discussed as major historical turning points. The rise of the Roman
Empire and its 500-year dominance of Europe and the Mediterranean
are attributed to its engineering and architectural expertise and military
prowess. Emperor Diocletian, Constantine,
and the invasion of the Visigoths are discussed in relationship to the
5th-century downfall of the Empire. (25 minutes)
- Middle Age
- This program traces the evolution of Europe
during the Middle Ages from a group of loosely tied kingdoms to a
prosperous community of nations. Topics include the role of the Church,
development of the feudal system, the rise of the nobility, the Crusades,
formation of the German Hanseatic League, the effects of the Plague, the
growth of trade guilds, the discovery of printing, the urbanization of the
peasantry, and the rise of science. (25 minutes)
- The Renaissance, Reformation, and Beyond: Towards
a Modern Europe - The Italian Renaissance's contributions to
revolutions in architecture, art, religion, commerce, politics, and
navigation are discussed in this program. The Signoria
Tower, Ghiberti's Baptistry doors,
and Giotto's Bell Tower exemplify innovative ideas in architecture
and art; Martin Luther and John Calvin apply similar revolutionary
thinking to religion; Portuguese seafarers boldly set out to discover a
route to India, while
Christopher Columbus, setting his sights westward, discovers the New World. (25 minutes)
- An Age of Revolutions - This program examines how the French and
Industrial Revolutions altered Europe in
the 18th and 19th centuries. The French Revolution spread anti-royalty
sentiment and increased awareness of the ideals of democracy throughout
the continent. The Industrial Revolution promoted the middle class and
turned Europe into an urbanized,
industrial society. Karl Marx published his Communist Manifesto,
and in doing so laid the groundwork for the Russian Revolution, and the
later European socialist movement. (23 minute)
- The Nationalists- This program examines how liberal ideas from
the French Revolution fueled the fires of European nationalism, and how
extreme nationalistic beliefs led to World War I. In Germany, Chancellor Otto von Bismarck
constructed the philosophical and political framework for a unified Germany, steeped in the mythology of a
German super-race and its destiny: to rule Europe.
Serbians, inflamed by nationalism, assassinated Austrian Archduke
Ferdinand, and Germany,
as Austria’s ally,
declared war on Russia,
and subsequently on Britain
and France.
(25 minutes)
- Between the Wars: The Economic Seeds of World War
II - World War I altered
the economic landscape of Europe and
inadvertently contributed to World War II. In this program, we see how the
interruption of American economic aid following the 1929 stock market
crash caused havoc in the post-war European economy. The Treaty of
Versailles, Germany’s inability to repay its war debt, and its chronic
inflation problems are discussed. Germany’s problem with
inflation is related to the rise of fascism, to leaders including Hitler,
Mussolini, and Franco, and to the infamous Munich Agreement. (25 minutes)
- The Demise of Western Communism: Fall of a Giant - This program discusses Western
democracy's confrontation with and ultimate defeat of communism from the
end of World War II to the destruction of the Berlin Wall. Events depicted
include the Red Army’s invasion of Poland,
Hungary, and Czechoslovakia, and the heightening of the
Cold War between the U.S.
and Russia
through the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. The destruction of the Berlin Wall is the
symbolic beginning of a new era in European history. (26 minutes)
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