history

Frederick the Great and the Enigma of Prussia

Frederick the Great and the Enigma of Prussia

History / 2 minutes of reading / / By

The Prussian king Frederick the Great was one of the greatest warriors and leaders in modern European history, achieving greatness through the Seven Years War and lauded as a philosopher and cultured ‘Prince of the Enlightenment’.     Yet the reputation of both Frederick and his Prussia was to be tarnished by association with Hitler’s Nazi regime. Historian Christopher Clark re-examines the life and achievements of one of Germany’s most colourful and controversial leaders.   Frederick the Great Frederick II ruled the Kingdom of Prussia from 1740 until 1786, the longest reign of any Hohenzollern king, at 46 years. His […]

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A History of Ancient Britain part 4

A History of Ancient Britain part 4

History / 2 minutes of reading / / By

A History of Ancient Britain part 4: Neil Oliver continues his epic tour of Britain’s most distant past with the arrival of metals and the social revolution that ushered in a new age of social mobility, international trade, and village life.     A History Of Ancient Britain will turn the spotlight onto the very beginning of Britain’s story. From the last retreat of the glaciers 12,000 years ago, until the departure of the Roman Empire in the Fifth Century AD this epic series will reveal how and why these islands and nations of ours developed as they did and

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A History of Ancient Britain episode 3

A History of Ancient Britain episode 3

History / 3 minutes of reading / / By

A History of Ancient Britain episode 3: Neil Oliver continues his journey through the world of Ancient Britain as he encounters an age of cosmological priests and some of the greatest monuments of the Stone Age, including Stonehenge itself. This is a time of elite travellers, who were inventing the very idea of Heaven itself.     A History Of Ancient Britain will turn the spotlight onto the very beginning of Britain’s story. From the last retreat of the glaciers 12,000 years ago, until the departure of the Roman Empire in the Fifth Century AD this epic series will reveal

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History of Ancient Britain episode 2

A History of Ancient Britain episode 2

History / 2 minutes of reading / / By

A History of Ancient Britain episode 2: Neil Oliver continues the story of how today’s Britain and its people were forged over thousands of years of ancient history.     It’s 4,000 BC and the first farmers arrive from Europe, with seismic consequences for the local hunter-gatherers.   A History of Ancient Britain episode 2   Celts The Celts of Europe identified by their use of the Celtic languages and other cultural similarities. The history of pre-Celtic Europe and the exact relationship between ethnic, linguistic and cultural factors in the Celtic world remains uncertain and controversial. The exact geographic spread of

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A History of Ancient Britain episode 1

A History of Ancient Britain episode 1

History / 3 minutes of reading / / By

A History of Ancient Britain: Neil Oliver tells the epic story of how Britain and its people came to be over thousands of years of ancient history – the beginnings of our world forged in ice, stone, and bronze.     Neil Oliver continues his epic story of how Britain and its people came to be. Diving for 3,000-year-old treasure and pot-holing through an ancient copper mine, he discovers how a golden age of bronze collapsed into social and economic crisis set against a period of sharp climate change and would eventually be replaced by a new era, of iron.

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Racism - A History episode 3 - A Savage Legacy

Racism – A History episode 3 – A Savage Legacy

History / 3 minutes of reading / / By

Racism – A History episode 3 – A Savage Legacy: Examines the impact of racism in the 20th century. By 1900 European colonial expansion had reached deep into the heart of Africa.     Under the rule of King Leopold II, the Belgian Congo was turned into a vast rubber plantation. Men, women and children who failed to gather their latex quotas would have their limbs dismembered. The country became the scene of one of the century’s greatest racial genocides, as an estimated 10 million Africans perished under colonial rule.   Racism – A History episode 3 – A Savage

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Racism - A History episode 2 - Fatal Impacts

Racism – A History episode 2 – Fatal Impacts

History / 2 minutes of reading / / By

Racism – A History episode 2 – Fatal Impacts: The 19th century began with the abolitionist’s credo ‘Am I a not a man and a brother’, but ended with racial genocide in Africa. The scientific racism that was born in the middle years of the century justified the violence of colonialism and, when fused with Darwinism, even excused genocide. These same racial theories lived on into the 20th century to become part of the ideology that underpinned the Third Reich.     This three-part documentary examines the history of racism, covering its origins with the enslavement of Africans in the

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Racism - A History episode 1 - The Colour of Money

Racism – A History episode 1 – The Colour of Money

History / 2 minutes of reading / / By

Racism – A History episode 1 – The Colour of Money: This three-part documentary examines the history of racism, covering its origins with the enslavement of Africans in the sixteenth century, its overt nature in the colonial projects of the European powers and its appearance within twentieth century western societies.     In its first episode the series begins by assessing the implications of the relationship between Europe, Africa and the Americas in the 15th century. It considers how racist ideas and practices developed in key religious and secular institutions, and how they showed up in writings by European philosophers

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First Civilizations episode 4 - Trade

First Civilizations episode 4 – Trade

History / 3 minutes of reading / / By

The finale episode, First Civilizations – Trade episode 4, examines an ancient civilization unlike any other, that of the Indus Valley. Rather than imposing order through war or religion, it relied on the free flow of trade. The exchange of goods promoted wealth, co-operation and trust.     A look at the first human civilizations, which emerged in the Near East, Egypt, the Indus Valley, China, the Andes, and Mesoamerica. All subsequent civilizations have been derived from these original six foundational civilizations. First Civilizations Having lived as mobile foragers for 99 percent of our time on Earth, why did humans

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First Civilizations episode 3 - Cities

First Civilizations episode 3 – Cities

History / 2 minutes of reading / / By

First Civilizations – Cities episode 3, view the birthplace of civilization: the Middle East, site of the world’s first villages, towns and cities, from the hills of Turkey to the plains of Iraq. They were crucibles of invention and innovation-turbo-charging the pace of progress.     A look at the first human civilizations, which emerged in the Near East, Egypt, the Indus Valley, China, the Andes, and Mesoamerica. All subsequent civilizations have been derived from these original six foundational civilizations. First Civilizations Having lived as mobile foragers for 99 percent of our time on Earth, why did humans set out

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First Civilizations episode 2 - Religion

First Civilizations episode 2 – Religion

History / 2 minutes of reading / / By

First Civilizations episode 2 – Religion: discover the secret to the stability and cohesion of Ancient Egypt—religion. When people share a core set of beliefs, they are more likely to identify as one. That was true for the first civilizations and it’s just as true today.     A look at the first human civilizations, which emerged in the Near East, Egypt, the Indus Valley, China, the Andes, and Mesoamerica. All subsequent civilizations have been derived from these original six foundational civilizations. First civilizations having lived as mobile foragers for 99 percent of our time on Earth, why did humans

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First Civilizations episode 1 - War

First Civilizations episode 1 – War

History / 3 minutes of reading / / By

First Civilizations episode 1 – War – Examine the process of “destructive creation”, the idea that fear, rivalry and conflict strengthen community bonds while stimulating an arms race of technological progress. The result is civilization. Ancient Mesoamerica exemplifies this development.     First Civilizations Having lived as mobile foragers for 99 percent of our time on Earth, why did humans set out on the road to civilization? How did they create villages, towns, cities, and states, and establish the blueprint for the modern world?   First Civilizations episode 1 – War   First Civilizations identifies four cornerstones of civilization –

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