Here is a video instructional series on Western civilization
for college and high school classrooms and adult learners. It is comprised of 52 half-hour
video programs.
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Acknowledgements
Video for The Western Tradition and the individual
lecture descriptions are provided courtesy of Annenberg/CPB.
This site is not affiliated with nor endorsed by
Annenberg/CPB |
Topics
(Select One)
- 1. The Dawn of History
- The origins of the human race are traced from anthropoid ancestors to the agricultural
revolution.
- 2. The Ancient Egyptians
- Egyptian irrigation created one of the first great civilizations.
- 3. Mesopotamia
- Settlements in the Fertile Crescent gave rise to the great river civilizations of the
Middle East.
- 4. From Bronze to Iron
- Metals revolutionized tools, as well as societies, in the empires of Assyria, Persia,
and Neo-Babylonia.
- 5. The Rise of Greek Civilization
- Democracy and philosophy arose from Greek cities at the edge of the civilized world.
- 6. Greek Thought
- Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle laid the foundation of Western intellectual thought.
- 7. Alexander the Great
- Alexander's conquests quadrupled the size of the world known to the Greeks.
- 8. The Hellenistic Age
- Hellenistic kingdoms extended Greek culture throughout the Mediterranean.
- 9. The Rise of Rome
- Through its army, Rome built an empire that shaped the West.
- 10. The Roman Empire
- Rome's civil engineering contributed as much to the empire as did its weapons.
- 11. Early Christianity
- Christianity spread despite contempt and persecution from Rome.
- 12. The Rise of the Church
- The old heresy became the Roman empire's official religion under the Emperor
Constantine.
- 13. The Decline of Rome
- While enemies slashed at Rome's borders, civil war and economic collapse destroyed the
empire from within.
- 14. The Fall of Rome
- Despite the success of emperors such as Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius, Rome fell victim to
barbarian invasions.
- 15. The Byzantine Empire
- From Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire carried on the traditions of Greece and Rome.
- 16. The Fall of Byzantium
- Nearly a thousand years after Rome's fall, Constantinople was conquered by the forces of
Islam.
- 17. The Dark Ages
- Barbarian kingdoms took possession of the fragments of the Roman Empire.
- 18. The Age of Charlemagne
- Charlemagne revived hopes for a new empire in Western Europe.
- 19. The Middle Ages
- Amid invasion and civil disorder, a military aristocracy dominated the kingdoms of
Europe.
- 20. The Feudal Order
- Bishop, knight, and peasant exemplified some of the social divisions of the year 1000
A.D.
- 21. Common Life in the Middle Ages
- Famine, disease, and short life expectancies were the conditions that shaped medieval
beliefs.
- 22. Cities and Cathedrals of the Middle Ages
- The great churches embodied the material and spiritual ambitions of the age.
- 23. The Late Middle Ages
- Two hundred years of war and plague debilitated Europe.
- 24. The National Monarchies
- A new urban middle class emerged, while dynastic marriages established centralized
monarchies.
- 25. The Renaissance and the Age of Discovery
- Renaissance humanists made man "the measure of all things." Europe was
possessed by a new passion for knowledge.
- 26. The Renaissance and the New World
- The discovery of America challenged Europe.
- 27. The Reformation
- Voiced by Martin Luther, Protestantism shattered the unity of the Catholic Church.
- 28. The Rise of the Middle Class
- As the cities grew, new middle-class mores had an impact on religious life.
- 29. The Wars of Religion
- For more than a century, the quarrels of Protestants and Catholics tore Europe apart.
- 30. The Rise of the Trading Cities
- Amid religious wars, a few cities learned that tolerance increased their prosperity.
- 31. The Age of Absolutism
- Exhausted by war and civil strife, many Europeans exchanged earlier liberties and
anarchies for greater peace.
- 32. Absolutism and the Social Contract
- Arguments about the legitimate source of political power centered on divine right versus
natural law.
- 33. The Enlightened Despots
- Monarchs considered reforms in order to create more efficient societies, but not at the
expense of their own power.
- 34. The Enlightenment
- Intellectual theories about the nature of man and his potential came to the fore.
- 35. The Enlightenment and Society
- Scientists and social reformers battled for universal human rights during a peaceful and
prosperous period.
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