Tales from the Global Economy
2001 · Documentary
Four-part series unearthing the links between daily life and the workings of the global economy.
Episodes
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The Ascent of Money
2008 · ★ 8
Historian Niall Ferguson tells the story of money and the rise of global finance. Bringing context and understanding to the current economic crisis, he reveals how the history of finance has been punctuated by gut-wrenching crashes.
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The Titans That Built America
2021 · ★ 7.7
Out of the ashes of World War I, a new generation of titan rises…Pierre Du Pont, Walter Chrysler, J.P. Morgan Jr., Henry Ford, and William Boeing. Their fight to reach the top will transform America as they compete to dominate new industries—from the highways to the skyways. After years of fighting each other, and FDR, these rivals must unite during World War II to defeat a greater enemy and save the world.
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Money, Explained
2021 · ★ 7.2
We spend it, we borrow it, and save it. Now let's talk about money and its many minefields, from credit cards to casino, scammers to student loans.
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Reckoning: The Political Economy of Canada
1987
James Laxer, chairman of the political science department at Atkinson College, is the host for a five-part series examining Canada's role in the changing world economy. Produced by the NFB, the series explores free trade, the rise of the Japanese economy and the challenges posed by new technology.
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Pandora's Box
1992 · ★ 7.4
Pandora's Box is a six-part 1992 BBC documentary television series which examines the consequences of political and technocratic rationalism. The episodes deal, in order, with communism in The Soviet Union, systems analysis and game theory during the Cold War, economy in the United Kingdom during the 1970s, the insecticide DDT, Kwame Nkrumah's leadership in Ghana during the 1950s and 1960s and the history of nuclear power.
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The Western Tradition
1989 · ★ 7
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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The Fabulous History of Money
2025 · ★ 7.5
Invented 2700 years ago, closely linked to the destiny of empires and wars, money has changed the course of civilizations. From ancient Greece to contemporary America via ancient China and the French Revolution up to today's dematerialization of money initiated by Bitcoin, this documentary series deciphers the place it has played for millennia.
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Jon Richardson Grows Up
2014 · ★ 8
Comedian Jon Richardson and his friend Matt Forde face up to the adult realities of mortgages, marriage and parenthood.
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Origins: The Journey of Humankind
2017 · ★ 6.5
Hosted by Jason Silva, Origins: The Journey of Humankind rewinds all the way back to the beginning and traces the innovations that made us modern.
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Hidden Secrets of Money
2013 · ★ 7
Mike Maloney takes you to Egypt to unravel the difference between currency and money. This is one of the most important lessons you will ever learn, and will pave the way for your understanding of future episodes. Because without knowing exactly what money is...how on earth can we expect to learn about it?
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0 to 9 : The Secret History of Numbers
2025 · ★ 8
The history of our modern Indo-Arabic numeral system begins in Mesopotamia, leads through India to the Arab world – and from there around the globe. This three-part series explores how the "Arabic numerals" began their triumphant march and the special role that zero played in this process. From its beginnings to modern computer science – today, numbers are the universal language of the world.
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