Season 1

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Episodes

Each episode has its own detail page.

Episode 158 min2012-11-12

Chapter 1 - World War Two

The first chapter explores the birth of the American Empire by focusing on Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. Through examination of key decisions during World War II, discover unsung heroes such as American Henry Wallace and explore the demonization of the Soviets.

Episode 258 min2012-11-19

Chapter 2 - Roosevelt, Truman & Wallace

Highlights from the historical upset of Harry Truman replacing Henry Wallace as Roosevelt's Vice President. Exploration of the relationship between the US and the Soviet Union and the beginnings of the Cold War.

Episode 358 min2012-11-26

Chapter 3 - The Bomb

The strategies behind the U.S. atomic bombings of Japan are explored as well as the new mythology that emerged from the war. The bombing haunted the Soviets and mistrust towards the Allies grew quickly.

Episode 458 min2012-12-03

Chapter 4 - The Cold War - 1945-1950

The equation changes: specific month-by-month causes of the Cold War emerge and it is not entirely clear who started it. Highlights include Churchill's Iron Curtain speech, the civil war in Greece and the Red Scare that prompts the rise of Joseph McCarthy, the House Un-American Activities Committee and the FBI.

Episode 558 min2012-12-10

Chapter 5 - The 50s: Eisenhower, the Bomb & the Third World

Eisenhower and John Foster Dulles replace Truman. Stalin dies but relations with the Soviet Union turn colder. The H-bomb and the doctrine of nuclear annihilation are explored, as are the Korean War and U.S. rearmament. McCarthyism grows and so does the ruthlessness of U.S. policy towards a Third World. Eisenhower emerges as a game changer.

Episode 658 min2012-12-17

Chapter 6 - JFK: To the Brink

JFK and the Bay of Pigs; on the brink of total war during Cuban Missile Crisis; early Vietnam; JFK's attempts at peace with Khrushchev; JFK assassinated. Directed and narrated by Oliver Stone.