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Turning Points in Modern History

Series: Great Courses
4.6
(29)
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Episodes
24
Rating
TVPG
Year
2013
Language
English
Publisher
The Great Courses

About

Turning Points in Modern History takes you on a far-reaching journey around the globe to shed light on how two dozen of the top discoveries, inventions, political upheavals, and ideas since 1400 have shaped the modern world. These 24 thought-provoking episodes start in the early 15th century and culminate in the age of social media to reveal astounding threads that weave through the centuries.

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Episodes

1 to 3 of 24

1. 1433-The Great Voyages of Admiral Zheng He

30m

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Explore the idea of modernity and define "turning point." Then, consider why Chinese admiral Zheng He's voyages promoting the power of China's authority did not continue as part of a larger campaign of discovery-and what the consequences might have been had he reached the Americas.

2. 1453-The Fall of Constantinople

30m

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Although many educated people think they know about the fall of the Roman Empire, Professor Liulevicius says the end actually happened 1,000 years later with the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks. Delve deeper into this event and learn the trauma the loss created for Europeans.

3. 1455-Gutenberg's Print Revolution

30m

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Trace how Johannes Gutenberg's introduction of a press with movable type sparked a print revolution, becoming a key factor in the Protestant Reformation, the Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution, and the standardization of vernacular languages.

4. 1492-The Columbian Exchange

30m

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Without intending to, Christopher Columbus's search for Asia initiated an event that has been called the most important historical turning point of modern times. Investigate how Columbus's encounter with the Americas brought distant peoples together politically, culturally, and environmentally in ways that were simultaneously productive and deeply destructive.

5. 1600-The British East India Company

30m

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The English and Dutch East India companies coexisted in the Spice Islands as they worked to outflank the Portuguese, but their rivalry soon escalated into war. Examine the founding and meteoric growth of the East India Company and the violence that ultimately led Britain to establish an empire on which the sun never set.

6. 1648-The Treaty of Westphalia

30m

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The Thirty Years War involved some million soldiers and mass civilian casualties. Explore the significance of the Peace of Westphalia, the settlement that ended the war in 1648-a vital turning point that still shapes how international politics are handled.

Extended Details

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