The Western Tradition

TV-G1989•27m

Documentary

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.

Open in PickFlick

Production

GBH

Language

Status

Ended

First Aired

January 1, 1989

Last Aired

January 1, 1989

Networks

PBS

Created By

Eugen Weber

Where to Watch

Region US · Lang EN

No providers available for this region.

Seasons & Episodes

Select a season to view episodes. Reddit links may contain spoilers.

Season

The Dawn of History

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

The Ancient Egyptians

Air date: 1989-01-01

Egyptian irrigation created one of the first great civilizations.

Mesopotamia

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

From Bronze to Iron

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

The Rise of Greek Civilization

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

Greek Thought

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

Alexander the Great

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

The Hellenistic Age

Air date: 1989-01-01

Hellenistic kingdoms extended Greek culture throughout the Mediterranean.

The Rise of Rome

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E10

The Roman Empire

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E11

Early Christianity

Air date: 1989-01-01

Christianity spread despite contempt and persecution from Rome.

E12

The Rise of the Church

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E13

The Decline of Rome

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E14

The Fall of Rome

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E15

The Byzantine Empire

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E16

The Fall of Byzantium

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E17

The Dark Ages

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E18

The Age of Charlemagne

Air date: 1989-01-01

Charlemagne revived hopes for a new empire in Western Europe.

E19

The Middle Ages

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E20

The Feudal Order

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E21

Common Life in the Middle Ages

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E22

Cities and Cathedrals of the Middle Ages

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E23

The Late Middle Ages

Air date: 1989-01-01

Two hundred years of war and plague debilitated Europe.

E24

The National Monarchies

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E25

Renaissance & the Age of Discovery

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E26

Renaissance & the New World

Air date: 1989-01-01

The discovery of America challenged Europe.

E27

The Reformation

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E28

The Rise of the Middle Class

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E29

The Wars of Religion

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E30

The Rise of the Trading Cities

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E31

The Age of Absolutism

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E32

Absolutism and the Social Contract

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E33

The Enlightened Despots

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E34

The Enlightenment

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E35

The Enlightenment and Society

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E36

The Modern Philosophers

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E37

The American Revolution

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E38

The American Republic

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E39

The Death of the Old Regime

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E40

The French Revolution

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E41

The Industrial Revolution

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E42

The Industrial World

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E43

Revolution and Romantics

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E44

The Age of the Nation-States

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E45

A New Public

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E46

Fin de Siècle

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E47

The First World War and the Rise of Fascism

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E48

The Second World War

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E49

The Cold War

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E50

Europe and the Third World

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E51

The Technological Revolution

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

E52

Toward the Future

Air date: 1989-01-01

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

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