The Western Tradition

★ 7 · 1989 · 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.

Episodes

▶1. The Dawn of History30m · The origins of the human race are traced from anthropoid ancestors to the agricultural revolution.▶2. The Ancient Egyptians30m · Egyptian irrigation created one of the first great civilizations.▶3. Mesopotamia30m · Settlements in the Fertile Crescent gave rise to the great river civilizations of the Middle East.▶4. From Bronze to Iron30m · Metals revolutionized tools, as well as societies, in the empires of Assyria, Persia, and Neo-Babylonia.▶5. The Rise of Greek Civilization30m · Democracy and philosophy arose from Greek cities at the edge of the civilized world.▶6. Greek Thought30m · Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle laid the foundation of Western intellectual thought.▶7. Alexander the Great30m · Alexander's conquests quadrupled the size of the world known to the Greeks.▶8. The Hellenistic Age30m · Hellenistic kingdoms extended Greek culture throughout the Mediterranean.▶9. The Rise of Rome30m · Through its army, Rome built an empire that shaped the West.▶10. The Roman Empire30m · Rome's civil engineering contributed as much to the empire as did its weapons.▶11. Early Christianity30m · Christianity spread despite contempt and persecution from Rome.▶12. The Rise of the Church30m · The old heresy became the Roman empire's official religion under the Emperor Constantine.▶13. The Decline of Rome30m · While enemies slashed at Rome's borders, civil war and economic collapse destroyed the empire from within.▶14. The Fall of Rome30m · Despite the success of emperors such as Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius, Rome fell victim to barbarian invasions.▶15. The Byzantine Empire30m · From Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire carried on the traditions of Greece and Rome.▶16. The Fall of Byzantium30m · Nearly a thousand years after Rome's fall, Constantinople was conquered by the forces of Islam.▶17. The Dark Ages30m · Barbarian kingdoms took possession of the fragments of the Roman Empire.▶18. The Age of Charlemagne30m · Charlemagne revived hopes for a new empire in Western Europe.▶19. The Middle Ages30m · Amid invasion and civil disorder, a military aristocracy dominated the kingdoms of Europe.▶20. The Feudal Order30m · Bishop, knight, and peasant exemplified some of the social divisions of the year 1000 A.D.▶21. Common Life in the Middle Ages30m · Famine, disease, and short life expectancies were the conditions that shaped medieval beliefs.▶22. Cities and Cathedrals of the Middle Ages30m · The great churches embodied the material and spiritual ambitions of the age.▶23. The Late Middle Ages30m · Two hundred years of war and plague debilitated Europe.▶24. The National Monarchies30m · A new urban middle class emerged, while dynastic marriages established centralized monarchies.▶25. Renaissance & the Age of Discovery30m · Renaissance humanists made man "the measure of all things." Europe was possessed by a new passion for knowledge.▶26. Renaissance & the New World30m · The discovery of America challenged Europe.▶27. The Reformation30m · Voiced by Martin Luther, Protestantism shattered the unity of the Catholic Church.▶28. The Rise of the Middle Class30m · As the cities grew, new middle-class mores had an impact on religious life.▶29. The Wars of Religion30m · For more than a century, the quarrels of Protestants and Catholics tore Europe apart.▶30. The Rise of the Trading Cities30m · Amid religious wars, a few cities learned that tolerance increased their prosperity.▶31. The Age of Absolutism30m · Exhausted by war and civil strife, many Europeans exchanged earlier liberties and anarchies for greater peace.▶32. Absolutism and the Social Contract30m · Arguments about the legitimate source of political power centered on divine right versus natural law.▶33. The Enlightened Despots30m · Monarchs considered reforms in order to create more efficient societies, but not at the expense of their own power.▶34. The Enlightenment30m · Intellectual theories about the nature of man and his potential came to the fore.▶35. The Enlightenment and Society30m · Scientists and social reformers battled for universal human rights during a peaceful and prosperous period.▶36. The Modern Philosophers30m · Freedom of thought and expression opened new vistas explored by French, English, and American thinkers.▶37. The American Revolution30m · The British colonists created a society that tested Enlightenment ideas and resisted restrictions imposed by England.▶38. The American Republic30m · A new republic, the compromise of radicals and conservatives, was founded on universal freedoms.▶39. The Death of the Old Regime30m · In France the old order collapsed under revolutionaries' attacks and the monarchy's own weakness.▶40. The French Revolution30m · Liberty, equality, and fraternity skidded into a reign of Terror.▶41. The Industrial Revolution30m · Technology and mass production reduced famine and ushered in higher standards of living.▶42. The Industrial World30m · A consumer revolution was fueled by coal, public transportation, and new city services.▶43. Revolution and Romantics30m · Leaders in the arts, literature, and political theory argued for social justice and national liberation.▶44. The Age of the Nation-States30m · The great powers cooperated to quell internal revolts, yet competed to acquire colonies.▶45. A New Public30m · Public education and mass communications created a new political life and leisure time.▶46. Fin de Siècle30m · Everyday life of the working class was transformed by leisure, prompting the birth of an elite avant-garde movement.▶47. The First World War and the Rise of Fascism30m · Old empires crumbled during World War I to be replaced by right-wing dictatorships in Italy, Spain, and Germany.▶48. The Second World War30m · World War II was a war of new tactics and strategies. Civilian populations became targets as the Nazi holocaust exterminated millions of people.▶49. The Cold War30m · The U.S. and Soviet Union dominated Europe and confronted each other in Korea.▶50. Europe and the Third World30m · Burdened with the legacy of colonial imperialism, the Third World rushed development to catch up with its Western counterparts.▶51. The Technological Revolution30m · Keeping up with the ever-increasing pace of change became the standard of the day.▶52. Toward the Future30m · 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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