Poster for The Western Tradition

PBS 1989 1 season 52 eps TV-G Ended

The Western Tradition

1989 1 season 52 eps TV-G

7.7

Season 1

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Season 1

30 min

S1 · E1 · Jan 1, 1989

The Dawn of History Episode 1

The origins of the human race are traced from anthropoid ancestors to the agricultural revolution.

30 min

S1 · E2 · Jan 1, 1989

The Ancient Egyptians Episode 2

Egyptian irrigation created one of the first great civilizations.

30 min

S1 · E3 · Jan 1, 1989

Mesopotamia Episode 3

Settlements in the Fertile Crescent gave rise to the great river civilizations of the Middle East.

30 min

S1 · E4 · Jan 1, 1989

From Bronze to Iron Episode 4

Metals revolutionized tools, as well as societies, in the empires of Assyria, Persia, and Neo-Babylonia.

30 min

S1 · E5 · Jan 1, 1989

The Rise of Greek Civilization Episode 5

Democracy and philosophy arose from Greek cities at the edge of the civilized world.

30 min

S1 · E6 · Jan 1, 1989

Greek Thought Episode 6

Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle laid the foundation of Western intellectual thought.

30 min

S1 · E7 · Jan 1, 1989

Alexander the Great Episode 7

Alexander's conquests quadrupled the size of the world known to the Greeks.

30 min

S1 · E8 · Jan 1, 1989

The Hellenistic Age Episode 8

Hellenistic kingdoms extended Greek culture throughout the Mediterranean.

30 min

S1 · E9 · Jan 1, 1989

The Rise of Rome Episode 9

Through its army, Rome built an empire that shaped the West.

30 min

S1 · E10 · Jan 1, 1989

The Roman Empire Episode 10

Rome's civil engineering contributed as much to the empire as did its weapons.

30 min

S1 · E11 · Jan 1, 1989

Early Christianity Episode 11

Christianity spread despite contempt and persecution from Rome.

30 min

S1 · E12 · Jan 1, 1989

The Rise of the Church Episode 12

The old heresy became the Roman empire's official religion under the Emperor Constantine.

30 min

S1 · E13 · Jan 1, 1989

The Decline of Rome Episode 13

While enemies slashed at Rome's borders, civil war and economic collapse destroyed the empire from within.

30 min

S1 · E14 · Jan 1, 1989

The Fall of Rome Episode 14

Despite the success of emperors such as Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius, Rome fell victim to barbarian invasions.

30 min

S1 · E15 · Jan 1, 1989

The Byzantine Empire Episode 15

From Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire carried on the traditions of Greece and Rome.

30 min

S1 · E16 · Jan 1, 1989

The Fall of Byzantium Episode 16

Nearly a thousand years after Rome's fall, Constantinople was conquered by the forces of Islam.

30 min

S1 · E17 · Jan 1, 1989

The Dark Ages Episode 17

Barbarian kingdoms took possession of the fragments of the Roman Empire.

30 min

S1 · E18 · Jan 1, 1989

The Age of Charlemagne Episode 18

Charlemagne revived hopes for a new empire in Western Europe.

30 min

S1 · E19 · Jan 1, 1989

The Middle Ages Episode 19

Amid invasion and civil disorder, a military aristocracy dominated the kingdoms of Europe.

30 min

S1 · E20 · Jan 1, 1989

The Feudal Order Episode 20

Bishop, knight, and peasant exemplified some of the social divisions of the year 1000 A.D.

30 min

S1 · E21 · Jan 1, 1989

Common Life in the Middle Ages Episode 21

Famine, disease, and short life expectancies were the conditions that shaped medieval beliefs.

30 min

S1 · E22 · Jan 1, 1989

Cities and Cathedrals of the Middle Ages Episode 22

The great churches embodied the material and spiritual ambitions of the age.

30 min

S1 · E23 · Jan 1, 1989

The Late Middle Ages Episode 23

Two hundred years of war and plague debilitated Europe.

30 min

S1 · E24 · Jan 1, 1989

The National Monarchies Episode 24

A new urban middle class emerged, while dynastic marriages established centralized monarchies.

30 min

S1 · E25 · Jan 1, 1989

Renaissance & the Age of Discovery Episode 25

Renaissance humanists made man "the measure of all things." Europe was possessed by a new passion for knowledge.

30 min

S1 · E26 · Jan 1, 1989

Renaissance & the New World Episode 26

The discovery of America challenged Europe.

30 min

S1 · E27 · Jan 1, 1989

The Reformation Episode 27

Voiced by Martin Luther, Protestantism shattered the unity of the Catholic Church.

30 min

S1 · E28 · Jan 1, 1989

The Rise of the Middle Class Episode 28

As the cities grew, new middle-class mores had an impact on religious life.

30 min

S1 · E29 · Jan 1, 1989

The Wars of Religion Episode 29

For more than a century, the quarrels of Protestants and Catholics tore Europe apart.

30 min

S1 · E30 · Jan 1, 1989

The Rise of the Trading Cities Episode 30

Amid religious wars, a few cities learned that tolerance increased their prosperity.

30 min

S1 · E31 · Jan 1, 1989

The Age of Absolutism Episode 31

Exhausted by war and civil strife, many Europeans exchanged earlier liberties and anarchies for greater peace.

30 min

S1 · E32 · Jan 1, 1989

Absolutism and the Social Contract Episode 32

Arguments about the legitimate source of political power centered on divine right versus natural law.

30 min

S1 · E33 · Jan 1, 1989

The Enlightened Despots Episode 33

Monarchs considered reforms in order to create more efficient societies, but not at the expense of their own power.

30 min

S1 · E34 · Jan 1, 1989

The Enlightenment Episode 34

Intellectual theories about the nature of man and his potential came to the fore.

30 min

S1 · E35 · Jan 1, 1989

The Enlightenment and Society Episode 35

Scientists and social reformers battled for universal human rights during a peaceful and prosperous period.

30 min

S1 · E36 · Jan 1, 1989

The Modern Philosophers Episode 36

Freedom of thought and expression opened new vistas explored by French, English, and American thinkers.

30 min

S1 · E37 · Jan 1, 1989

The American Revolution Episode 37

The British colonists created a society that tested Enlightenment ideas and resisted restrictions imposed by England.

30 min

S1 · E38 · Jan 1, 1989

The American Republic Episode 38

A new republic, the compromise of radicals and conservatives, was founded on universal freedoms.

30 min

S1 · E39 · Jan 1, 1989

The Death of the Old Regime Episode 39

In France the old order collapsed under revolutionaries' attacks and the monarchy's own weakness.

30 min

S1 · E40 · Jan 1, 1989

The French Revolution Episode 40

Liberty, equality, and fraternity skidded into a reign of Terror.

30 min

S1 · E41 · Jan 1, 1989

The Industrial Revolution Episode 41

Technology and mass production reduced famine and ushered in higher standards of living.

30 min

S1 · E42 · Jan 1, 1989

The Industrial World Episode 42

A consumer revolution was fueled by coal, public transportation, and new city services.

30 min

S1 · E43 · Jan 1, 1989

Revolution and Romantics Episode 43

Leaders in the arts, literature, and political theory argued for social justice and national liberation.

30 min

S1 · E44 · Jan 1, 1989

The Age of the Nation-States Episode 44

The great powers cooperated to quell internal revolts, yet competed to acquire colonies.

30 min

S1 · E45 · Jan 1, 1989

A New Public Episode 45

Public education and mass communications created a new political life and leisure time.

30 min

S1 · E46 · Jan 1, 1989

Fin de Siècle Episode 46

Everyday life of the working class was transformed by leisure, prompting the birth of an elite avant-garde movement.

30 min

S1 · E47 · Jan 1, 1989

The First World War and the Rise of Fascism Episode 47

Old empires crumbled during World War I to be replaced by right-wing dictatorships in Italy, Spain, and Germany.

30 min

S1 · E48 · Jan 1, 1989

The Second World War Episode 48

World War II was a war of new tactics and strategies. Civilian populations became targets as the Nazi holocaust exterminated millions of people.

30 min

S1 · E49 · Jan 1, 1989

The Cold War Episode 49

The U.S. and Soviet Union dominated Europe and confronted each other in Korea.

30 min

S1 · E50 · Jan 1, 1989

Europe and the Third World Episode 50

Burdened with the legacy of colonial imperialism, the Third World rushed development to catch up with its Western counterparts.

30 min

S1 · E51 · Jan 1, 1989

The Technological Revolution Episode 51

Keeping up with the ever-increasing pace of change became the standard of the day.

30 min

S1 · E52 · Jan 1, 1989

Toward the Future Episode 52

Modern medicine, atomic energy, computers, and new concepts of time, energy, and matter all have an important effect on life in the 20th century.

52 episodes in Season 1

Some details come from TheTVDB.

Covering the ancient world through the age of technology, this illustrated lecture by Eugen Weber presents a tapestry of political and social events woven with many strands — religion, industry, agriculture, demography, government, economics, and art. A visual feast of over 2,700 images from the Metropolitan Museum of Art portrays key events that shaped the development of Western thought, culture, and tradition.

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Eugen Weber Creator

Creator

Eugen Weber

Total runtime 23h 24m · Episode length 27 min · Country United States

Show info

Premiered

January 1, 1989

Status

Ended

Network

PBS

Country

United States

Type

Scripted

Episode length

27 min

Total runtime

23h 24m

Original language

English

Production

G

GBH

Production

United States

Produced in

Languages

Spoken on screen

English

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Some details come from TheTVDB.

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