Category: Feature

The Industrial Revolution was one of the greatest transformative moments in history, revolutionising the way humans worked, how they ordered their societies and how they thought about their lives all over the world. But was it really a happy coincidence that a handful of geniuses unleashed the fruits of their inventiveness on a grateful nation at roughly the same time? And if so why did it happen in Britain as opposed to France or Germany or even the United States? Told with an international perspective, Professor Jeremy Black explores how a unique international position allowed 19th century Britain to become the richest, most powerful nation on earth and to set in motion the changes that soon swept over the planet.

2018 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of German philosopher and Communist icon Karl Marx. Is Karl Marx still relevant in the 21st century?

Philosopher, historian and economist Karl Marx is a name that’s back on everyone’s lips. The documentary explores the ongoing impact of his writings in Europe and China. How should we approach the legacy of someone who – like few others before or since – not only changed the world, but divided it as well? Even though not everyone accepts his ideas, Marx’s analyses and theories motivated many people to take political action. We meet activists, witnesses and experts – individuals who are able to illuminate Karl Marx’s impact from the Russian revolution until today. Even in the 21st century, two hundred years after his birth, Marx has lost none of his relevance. After the fall of the Iron Curtain in Europe and the end of the Cold War in 1989 and 1990, the sun seemed to be setting on Marx. But during the financial crisis of 2007-2008, when the contradictions of capitalism were once more laid bare, Marx was resurrected as an icon. His theories and ideas are now enjoying something of a renaissance at universities, churches, and conferences, and in mainstream broadcast and print media. The Chinese have even donated a larger-than-life statue of Marx to the city of his birth, Trier. This thought-provoking documentary does not shy away from controversy. As well providing insight into Karl Marx’s life and work, it investigates what appealed to past and present advocates of his philosophies, bringing the story to life with a rich trove of archive material.

Thirty million Europeans emigrated to the USA in the 19th Century to realize their American dream. But the continent was settled at the expense of its original inhabitants.

The United States is always seen as the land of dreams and unlimited possibilities. Our starting point for this account of the settlement of America’s eastern seaboard by European pioneers is Florida, where the Spaniards first settled in the early 16th Century.. Their legacy today is 50 million Americans who speak Spanish as their first language -more than in Spain itself. But it was the largely Protestant British who made up the second wave of immigrants. They founded Jamestown in Virginia and settlements in Massachusetts and pushed northwards into Canada. While the southern states largely lived from the proceeds of slavery, the northern states developed into booming industrial centers that would ultimately defeat them in the civil war. It was here that the American dream of dishwasher to millionaire originated.