The Story of Europe Season 1 Episodes

Episode 1

Woher wir kommen - was wir sind

43 mins

SS Lieutenant Colonel Adolf Eichmann ordered the deportation of Hungary's Jews following occupation in 1944, precipitating the most intensive period of slaughter in Auschwitz's history. The Allies, meanwhile, faced dilemmas: should they divert valuable resources to bomb transport routes to the camp? And should they consider Eichmann's offer of one million Jewish lives in exchange for certain provisions - the ""Blood for Goods"" deal?

Episode 2

Woran wir glauben - was wir denken

43 mins

Religion was a major force in European history. As formerly persecuted Christianity was adopted since Constantine the Great as state religion, the church was destined to be partner of the Byzantine empire -a different Greek church long before the theological schism- and heir of the West Roman, where it represented continuity under Germanic conquerors, who converted like Clovis at the start of the Frankish empire, with Charlemagne championing its imposition -by bloody submission of the pagan Saxons- as cultural glue. Soon followed crusades against Islam, which invaded Iberia in the 8th century, but largely was a source of enriching exchanges, even the conservation and development of Ancient and Byzantine inheritance with Oriental additions. However theological argumentation for revolts and the schisms of Protestantism since the Renaissance plunged the continent in a devastating series of -obviously politically manipulated- religious (civil) wars, only brought under some control in the Westphalian peace treaties of 1648, fruit of an unprecedented diplomatic effort and start of a process of separation of state and religion, part of the Enlightned model of personal liberty and peaceful coexistence.

Episode 3

Was uns antreibt - was wir uns nehmen

43 mins

Europe has often interacted strongly with other continents, cultures and religions. The dreaded Vikings weren't just Nordic raiders, the scourge of God also championed shipbuilding and sailing techniques enabling distant trade networks, especially in Russia, and Trans-Atlantic colonies, which perished except for Iceland, while their conquests in Normandy, England and the Mediterranean yielded innovation in cultural and other fields. While the Chinese empire deliberately shut down an exploration program, Europe was under enough Malthusian pressure by the Renaissance to push on with faraway overseas explorations, which mainly were after the lucrative spices routes to Asia. This got the Portuguese and Spanish new empires, also in Africa and the Americas, in principle dividing the pagan globe by papal mediation in the Tordesillas treaty. Later the Dutch and British took the lead, with other powers following more modestly, culminating in a Berlin conference partitioning 'dark Africa', with the main prize for the Belgian king Leopold as Congo Free State. Colonial plantations were exploited with slaves bought in Africa, contributing to the Western rise to riches and prominence, joined later by the USA breakaway British colonies. Some other countries broke away I the 19th century, most were let go after the World Wars exhausted Europe.

Episode 4

Was wir erschaffen - was wir uns leisten

43 mins

Since Classical Antiquity, even sometimes before, competing but cross-fertilizing Europeans have proven creative and inventive enough to be world leaders in science, literature and the arts, even more then Europe received from abroad, mainly the Orient. Although religious dogmatism has posed major problems as for Galilei and Darwin, the church -not least monasteries- mainly stimulated, like wise rulers, education, research and technology. This enabled intellectual, cultural and socio-economic progress, exploration, even colonization and imperialism. Most artistic styles spread from Italy, fashion rather from France, while the British often lead in entertainment as with Shakespeare and the Beatles, even film until Hollywood overtook.

Episode 5

Was uns eint - was uns teilt

Post-Roman Europe was largely driven, and sometimes hindered, by competition. Rulers managed to unite most under their sway left a legacy in their empires, notably Charlemagne and Napoleon Bonaparte. Unstoppable is the spread of ideas, such as the French Revolution's ideals, ironically re-imported from Enlightenment as realized by the US independence from Great Britain and spread by the future restoration emperor, reemerging in revolutionary waves later in the 19th century. Europe bred valuable attempts to replace internecine war cycles with an international order, like the Westphalian treaties after the religious 8O Years War or the Vienna Congress after Napoleon's defeat, the failed Versailles peace treaties after the First World war laying the foundation for the Second which ended the continent's sole preeminence.

Episode 6

Wo wir stehen - was uns bleibt

43 mins

Europe has never experienced such a long period of peace and prosperity as after the Second World War. When the Iron Curtain falls in 1989, the dream of a Europe united in peace and freedom seems finally to become reality. But whether financial or refugee crisis - the European euphoria has disappeared, nationalists are on the rise again. Not only since the "Brexit" Europe threatens to break up.