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15 Episodes 1999 - 1999
Episode 1
Mon, Apr 12, 199945 mins
Introduces both the series and the twentieth century and documents some of the major themes of the turn-of-the-century. Events such as immigration, the Wright Brothers, Thomas Edison's inventions, the advent of the automobile, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, suffrage, segregation, the silver screen, American imperialism and the Titanic are examined and survivors give first-hand accounts of life in the early years of the century.
Episode 2
Mon, Apr 12, 1999
Americans' innate isolationism delays entry into "The War that Will End All Wars." Despite the tragedy that eventually envelops an entire generation of young men, America emerges uniquely positioned to benefit from the global post war boom.
Episode 3
Tue, Apr 13, 1999
In the prosperity of the 20's Americans begin to question their traditional values. Prohibition is enacted, minorities begin to better see themselves, women gain the vote and Americans enjoys their newfound wealth until the inevitable contraction.
Episode 4
Wed, Apr 14, 1999
America - a nation that claimed ever-increasing wealth as a birthright - was rudely awakened by the Great Depression, which caused 25 percent unemployment, the closing of 9,000 banks, and the loss of $2.5 billion in deposits. This program captures a people's struggle as they faced the collapse of prosperity and diminished hope of being able to experience the American Dream.
Episode 5
Thu, Apr 15, 1999
The years 1936 thru 1941. From the Berlin Olympics, burning books and Kristallnacht, anti-Semitism eventually dominates German thinking. Fascists and world leaders utilize film, radio and the new media for propaganda. European tensions rise, conflicts erupt, nations fall, and American isolationism increases amid worries that the situation will be a replay of the Great War.
Episode 6
Fri, Apr 16, 1999
The years 1941 through 1945. The human cost of World war two, from the mass killings following the invasion of Poland to the Wannsee Conference and the "Final Solution", the Blitz, the firebombing of European and Japanese cities, the Japanese atrocities against the Chinese people, the use of Atomic weapons, ending with the Nuremberg trials.
Episode 7
Mon, Apr 19, 1999
The shock of Pearl Harbor awoke America from its dream of isolationism. As troops went overseas and industry ramped up to supply the urgent need for war materials, a new wave of Southern blacks migrated north and west to fill the workforce - along with millions of women, who exchanged housework for war work. This program discusses the effects of World War II on the home front, spotlighting the war's impact as a catalyst for economic, demographic, and social change.
Episode 8
Tue, Apr 20, 1999
After the initial jubilation at the end of World War II, America faced severe domestic demographic problems and the international specter of communism and the Cold War. In response to the serious housing shortages exacerbated by the high marriage rates and subsequent baby boom of returning soldiers and the girls they left behind, the Truman administration created the GI Bill, which enabled veterans to secure low interest mortgages and college educations. But the domestic bliss of new homes and growing families could not alleviate the growing fears and hysteria of the new atomic age, and a demagogue from Wisconsin, Senator Joseph McCarthy, harnessed this hysteria for his personal political success. We cover some of the major events of the immediate post-war years such as the Korean War, McCarthyism, the Marshall Plan, the Berlin Airlift and the adjustment of returning soldiers.
Episode 9
Wed, Apr 21, 1999
The election of Dwight Eisenhower in 1952 ushered in one of the most prosperous eras in American history. The shortages of the war were a distant memory as consumers rushed to spend their wartime savings on the new homes, cars and appliances that were now abundant. The nuclear family as the haven from political and atomic anxiety depended on rigid gender roles and consumption, and television provided the images of themselves that Americans wanted to see. But beneath the complacency of the era lurked the indicators of a society waiting to rebel, and the realities of a nation divided by racial and class conflicts. We examine the "Happy Days" of the 1950s and the major events of those years such as the Baby Boom, suburbanization, the advent of television, Civil Rights, Brown v. Board of Education, youth rebellions and the fears of a society enmeshed in a cold war.
Episode 10
Thu, Apr 22, 1999
The first few years of the 1960s promised a greater, stronger and more unified America than ever. America, as the undisputed leader of the free world, straddled the globe like Colossus. But within a few years the optimism of the first years of the decade would vanish, only to be replaced by the uncertainty of a new and unfamiliar world, and the national mourning of a fallen leader. This covers the years 1960-1963, and examines the events of the era such as the lunch counter sit-ins at Greensboro, North Carolina, the Kennedy years, the Cuban Missile Crisis and America's increasing involvement in Vietnam, the assassination of Kennedy and the loss of American innocence.
Episode 11
Fri, Apr 23, 1999
After the assassination of John F. Kennedy in November of 1963, America stood on the brink of domestic conflict and entrenched in the quagmire of the Vietnam War. The years 1963 through 1968 remain some of the most violent and destructive years of American history. We examine some of the major events of those turbulent years, including the murder of three civil rights workers in 1964, Freedom Summer, student protest and the Students for a Democratic Society, Lyndon Baines Johnson's Great Society, the counterculture, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, and the 1968 Democratic convention.
Episode 12
Mon, Apr 26, 1999
The turbulence of the 1960s paved the way for the election of Richard Nixon. Distraught at the violence and unrest of the nation, Nixon's "Silent Majority" voted loudly. But the turmoil of the decade continued with riots and generational conflicts, and, despite the success of Apollo 11 and Nixon's historic trip to China, the era ended in the disgrace of Watergate and the fall of Saigon.
Episode 13
Tue, Apr 27, 1999
In the aftermath of the turmoil of the 1960s and the disillusionment of Watergate, Americans turned to Jimmy Carter in an attempt to return to small-town values. But Carter's inability to deal with the overwhelming social, economic and political problems paved the way for a new conservatism led by Ronald Reagan, and the jubilation of the 1976 Bicentennial Celebration gave way to the despair and embarrassment of the Iranian Hostage Crisis. We examine the mid and late 1970s and some of the major events of the era such as the energy crisis, racial unrest, the rise of the "Me Generation," unemployment and inflation, and the problems with Iran.
Episode 14
Wed, Apr 28, 1999
As the 1970s gave way to the 1980s, Americans were ready for a more conservative leader and they found the answer to their quest in Ronald Reagan. Reagan's folksy ways and familiar face created an aura of trust and he became one of America's most popular presidents. But Reagan's homespun ways could not forestall the economic crises of the 1980s and the widening economic divide between the haves and the have-nots. We examine some of the major events of the 1980s including the recession, AIDS, Wall Street, MTV, terrorism, televangelism and the fall of communism.
Episode 15
Thu, Apr 29, 1999
We examine several major events of the 1990s and places them in a context that amplifies their thematic relevance. Included are the proliferation of computers, the Internet, communications revolutions and the technology of today poised to enter the world of tomorrow. Some of the highs and lows of the decade such as the Oklahoma City Bombing and The Million Man March are also examined, as is the contrast between military technology from World War I and the Gulf War.