The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century
Drawing on unpublished diaries, memoirs and letters, The Great War documentary series tells the rich and complex story of World War I through the voices of nurses, journalists, aviators and troops who came to be known as “doughboys.” The series explores the experiences of African-American and Latino soldiers, suffragists, Native American “code talkers” and others whose participation in the war has been largely forgotten. The series explores how a brilliant PR man bolstered support for the war in a country hesitant to put lives on the line for a foreign conflict, and how the ardent patriotism and determination to support America’s crusade led to one of the most oppressive crackdowns on civil liberties at home in US history.
Series
Episode One covers the causes of the war, focusing on international tensions resulting from rapid economic, technological, and social changes, as well as how the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria sparked a continent-wide war.
Part two looks at the German army’s initial advance through Belgium and France which was stopped at the Battle of the Marne and quickly followed by the armies digging extensive systems of trenches.
This episode examines how the war spread geographically and extended beyond the front lines to civilian populations, including the Turkish massacre of Armenian civilians.
Focuses on the battles at Verdun, the Somme, and Passchendaele.
Examines the growing despair on all sides, culminating in revolution in Russia and a mutiny among a large portion of the French army.
Covers the German army’s failed offensive in spring 1918 attempting to end the war before the United States army arrived in large numbers, and the resulting collapse of the German government.
Covers the continuing blockade on Germany as the Allies drew up the Treaty of Versailles, with considerable focus on Woodrow Wilson’s role in the Paris Peace Conference.
Examines the cost of the war and its continuing reverberations through the rest of the 20th century.
