Synopsis
Program about historical dissemination, presented by Paolo Mieli. Each episode sees a historian interacting with the presenter and three young university students.
Episodes
1E1The Defeat of the DardanellesEpisode dedicated to the Gallipoli campaign, that took place during World War I.40m2E2Nicolaj II, the Last TsarEpisode dedicated to the life and death of Nicolaj II, the last Tsar of Russia: from his initial attempts at solving the needs of the people, passing through the tragic choice to join WWI, up to his arrest and execution, together with his family, by the Bolsheviks in 1917.40m3E3The Trains of the Sun: Italy's Internal Migration in the 1950sEpisode dedicated to the phenomenon of Italy's internal migration, from Southern Italy to the North that took place during 1950s and 1960s, recounting the reasons behind and the effects this phenomenon had on Italian society.40m4E4Duce and AmericaEpisode dedicated to the relations between Fascist Italy and the United States: from the initial harmony between the American democracy and the dictatorial regime, passing through the 1936 Italo-Ethiopian War and the approach to Nazi Germany, until 1940 (the date on which Italy enters World War II alongside the Axis).40m5E5CharlemagneEpisode dedicated to Charlemagne, historical leader and first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire: from his rise to power to the relations with the Arab and Byzantine world, passing through the creation of what became the core of modern Europe.40m6E6Caporetto: Before the BattleFirst of three episodes dedicated to the centenary of the Battle of Caporetto (1917): an analysis of how Italy and Austria-Hungary approach the clash, from the internal to the military situation on the field, passing through the reconstruction of the 1917 war events.40m7E7Battle Name: LeninEpisode dedicated to Vladimir Ilic Uljanov, better known as Lenin: from his exile in Switzerland and his return home (which took place with the help of Germany), passing through the failure of the first revolutionary attempt in July 1917, until the success of the October Revolution and the first steps of what will become the Soviet Union.40m8E8Italian Prisoners of the AlliesEpisode dedicated to the vicissitudes of Italian soldiers who were taken prisoner during World War II: the living conditions of prisoners before and after Italy's surrender, the relationship with the Badoglio Government and their difficult return home after the war.40m9E9Discord's Final: 1976 Davis Cup in ChileEpisode dedicated to the 1976 Davis Cup final, played in Santiago between Chile and Italy: from the tight debate on whether or not to boycott the final, in protest against the newborn Pinochet regime, to the decision to participate, marked by the Italian victory and by the "protest" of Panatta and Bertolucci's double.40m10E10Caporetto: the BattleSecond of the three episodes dedicated to the centenary of the Battle of Caporetto (1917): a detailed analysis of the clash, resulted in the clamorous defeat of the Italians and in their tragic fall back to the Piave river.40m11E11Tucci, Duce's ExplorerEpisode dedicated to the figure of Giuseppe Tucci, a scholar of the East, a great connoisseur of languages and civilizations such as Indian, Tibetan or Nepalese, but also an indomitable explorer of regions that were still largely unexplored.40m12E12Anne Frank, a Denied MemoryEpisode dedicated to the figure of Anne Frank, a young Dutch Jew who went down in history thanks to her diaries, in which she tells her life as a teenager before and during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.40m13E13Trotsky, the Impossible RevolutionEpisode dedicated to Lev Davidovic Bronstein, better known as Trotsky: refined intellectual and theoretician of permanent revolution, father of the October Revolution, hated, fought, deported, exiled and then chased all over the world, until a hitman reaches him in Mexico.40m14E14Charles VIII in ItalyEpisode dedicated to the Charles VIII's 1495 military campaign in Italy: from the conquest of the Kingdom of Naples to the coalition of the major and minor Italian states (helped by Ferdinand II of Aragon and Maximilian I of Habsburg), created for the purpose of defeating the French king.40m15E15Martin Luther, the RebelEpisode dedicated to Martin Luther, "father" of the Protestant Reformation: from his initial studies in Germany to his growing opposition to the practice of indulgences and to the Vatican's practices of the time, culminating in the publication of the 95 theses.40m16E16Caporetto's RefugeesLast of the three episodes dedicated to the centenary of the Battle of Caporetto (1917): an analysis of the massive and disorganized exodus of the Italian population, after the German-Austro-Hungarian occupation of almost all Veneto, and the repercussions on the new war front on the Piave river.40m17E17Stalin, the Age of TerrorEpisode dedicated to Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, better known as Stalin, that went down to history as one of the bloodiest dictators of the 20th century: from his youth in the seminary, passing through his rise to power in the years following Lenin's death, his contribution in transforming the USSR into a military and industrial power, the non-aggression pact with Hitler, to the post-war years of terror and gulags.40m18E18The Fascist WomanEpisode dedicated to women under Fascism: a status poised between dictatorship's attempt to force them to stay at home and be prolific mothers (discouraging their employment as much as possible) and the regime's drive towards a new "self-consciousness" through Fascist associationism.40m19E19Lawrence of Arabia, Prince of the DesertEpisode dedicated to Thomas Edward Lawrence, better known as "Lawrence of Arabia": history and myth of the British colonel, secret agent and principal architect of the Arab revolt against Ottoman domination (for the benefit of the British), who died in a motorcycle accident in May 1935.40m20E20Memoirs of DeportationEpisode dedicated to the reconstruction of the deportations of Jews and other prisoners during World War II: the stages through which the memory in Italy of these events was formed, starting from the Nuremberg trial to the publication of the testimonies of the survivors, first among them Primo Levi's memoirs.40m21E21Dunkirk: "Operation Dynamo"Episode dedicated to the so-called "Operation Dynamo", the gigantic evacuation operation of Anglo-French troops from Dunkirk beach in the early months of World War II.40m22E22Pitigrilli, Writer and SpyEpisode dedicated to Dino Segre, also known as "Pitigrilli": one of Turin's most read writers who, in 1930s, became a spy for OVRA (the Fascist regime's political police), although he himself often had problems with the regime, that considered him "immoral" and his novels "not very Italian".40m23E23The Assembly LineEpisode dedicated to the assembly line, the innovation in the industrial production by Frederick Taylor, at the base of the incredible productivity growth of nowadays "consumer society", but also of the workers' protests against the alienation and the ever-increasing use of machines.40m24E24Lyndon B. JohnsonEpisode dedicated to Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President of the United States: from his first political experiences, passing through the election as senator and the vice-presidency under Kennedy, until his unexpected appointment as president, his commitment to civil rights, his management of university protests and his involvement in the Vietnam War.40m25E25Nikita KhrushchevEpisode dedicated to Nikita Khrushchev, Secretary of the CPSU and successor of Stalin to the leadership of the USSR: from the denunciation of Stalinism, passing through the suppression of the Hungarian uprising of 1956, up to the Cuban missile crisis, after which it will be ousted and confined to a dacha until his death.40m26E26Giorgio La Pira, Politics and UtopiaEpisode dedicated to Giorgio La Pira, politician of the Italian Republican Party and historic mayor of Florence: an important and original figure, who strove in the (somewhat utopian) attempt to contribute to overcoming historical conflicts through peaceful means.40m27E27Ernest HemingwayEpisode dedicated to Ernest Hemingway, one of the most important writers of the 20th century, who committed suicide at the age of 62. On the front of World War I, of the Spanish Civil War (on the side of the Republicans and against the Francoists) and of World War II, his adventurous life also filters through his very successful novels.40m28E28Elizabeth and PhilipEpisode dedicated to Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and her prince consort Philip of Edinburgh: from their marriage in 1947, for which Philip renounced the succession to the thrones of Greece and Denmark, to Elisabeth's ascent to the throne in 1952, on the background of the disintegration of the former British Empire and the new role of the United Kingdom after World War II.40m29E29The Inquisition and the Cathars' heresyEpisode dedicated to the Cathars and the Inquisition, a special institution created by the Catholic Church to repress and counter the heretical movements that, from 12th century on, spread throughout Europe.40m30E30Italian Military Internees: Voices from CaptivityEpisode dedicated to the "Italian Military Internees", the Italian soldiers captured by the Germans after September 8, 1943: refusing to continue fighting alongside the Nazi-fascists, they were denied the status of prisoners of war; used in the Axis war industry, abused and unable to receive help from the Red Cross, after the end of the war they were "forgotten" until 1997, when their figure was eventually rehabilitated.40m31E31GaddafiEpisode dedicated to Muammar al-Gaddafi: one of the most discussed and controversial Arab leaders in history, for 42 years in command of Libya, starting with the coup d'état of September 1, 1969 (carried out at just 27 years), and at the center of countless unworkable political designs and military conflicts.40m32E32Women During Italy's Economic BoomEpisode dedicated to the new role of women during Italy's "Economic Boom": the effect of economic well-being and mass consumerism on the behaviours and habits of women, but also of new means of communication (television, above all) and newborns beauty contests, which promise occasions of fame and social mobility.40m33E33Ippolito Nievo, Between Novels and GaribaldiEpisode dedicated to Ippolito Nievo, Italian writer and patriot.40m34E34Pope LucianiEpisode dedicated to Pope John Paul I, who ruled as a Pontiff for only 33 days, enough to enter the hearts of the faithful, above all for his very informal style and his being far from spotlight; paradoxically, however, his sudden death will attract worldwide attention.40m35E35September 1943: an Army in DisarrayEpisode dedicated to the Italian WWII armistice on September 8, 1943: from the negotiations started after Allied landing in Sicily, through Operation Alaric (the Nazi occupation of the Italian peninsula) and the provisions on how to react to the probable German retaliation after the armistice, which however were never officially given, leaving the Italian commands on their own without orders.40m36E36The Suez CanalEpisode dedicated to the Suez Canal, the pharaonic work that connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea: from its construction in the 19th century until 1956, the year in which Egyptian president Nasser decided to nationalize it; this decision is followed by the so-called "Suez crisis", which marked the definitive decline of France and the United Kingdom as World powers and the escalation of the clash between Arab countries and Israel.40m37E37The Palazzo D'Accursio MassacreEpisode dedicated to one of the most tragic events of Italy's "red biennium" (1919-1920): the Fascist assault on Palazzo D'Accursio in Bologna on November 21, 1920, where Fascist gangs shot and bombed the crowd, killing 10 and wounding 58; the event marks the irreversible crisis of socialism in Bologna and paves the way for the so-called "black biennium (1921-1922).40m38E38The Holy GrailEpisode dedicated to the myth of the Holy Grail, a mythical object endowed with an extraordinary power, and even capable of bestowing immortality to those who possess it: first cited in a Chrétien de Troyes 12th-century poem, the myth had a great success throughout the Middle Ages, but returned more recently to the limelight only with Richard Wagner's Parsifal.40m39E39Kennedy vs NixonEpisode dedicated to the 1960 US Presidential elections televised debates, contested between the Democratic Irish-American candidate John Fitzgerald Kennedy and the incumbent Republican Vice-president (and, to that point, likely to win) Richard Nixon: from the political differences to the novelty of the television debate, that Kennedy will be able to exploit to his full advantage.40m40E40Tina Anselmi, a Life For DemocracyEpisode dedicated to Tina Anselmi, historical figure of Italy's Christian Democracy: from her early years as a trade unionist, through her efforts as a partisan during World War II and in her party after the war, to her appointment as Italy's first-ever female Minister in 1976.40m41E41Cavour's LegacyEpisode dedicated to Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, and to the lesser-known aspects of his figure: from his work behind the scenes of the Italy's Risorgimento to his death by malaria (June 6, 1861), which caused a huge void in the Italian political scene; his project continued however in the following decade, with the conquest of Veneto and Rome.40m42E42Giotto and the Discovery of RealityEpisode dedicated to Giotto, one of the most famous and revolutionary artists in the history of art, even if his biography is often incomplete: from the fragments we know of his personal history to the most important testimonies of his work, such as the frescoes in the Basilica of Assisi and the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua.40m43E43Khomeini's IranEpisode dedicated to the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and the 1979 Islamic Revolution: from his opposition to Shah Reza Pahlavi's regime to the success of his Revolution, up to the 1980 hostage crisis and the 1980s war between his country and Saddam Hussein's Iraq.40m44E44Tambroni and the Street DemonstrationsEpisode dedicated to Ferdinando Tambroni and his troubled, short-lived Government, that lasted only four months in 1960.40m45E45Evita PerónEpisode dedicated to Maria Eva Ibarguren, better known as Evita Perón: illegitimate daughter of the Argentine landowner Juan Duarte, she will experience throughout her life indignation in front of diversity of treatment and injustice, becoming one of the most important figures of Argentine politics, together to her husband Juan Domingo Perón.40m46E46The Women of Italy's Constituent AssemblyEpisode dedicated to the 21 women elected to Italy's 1946 Constituent Assembly, four of whom elected in the so-called "Commission of the 75", charged with writing the republican Constitution: formal equality between men and women is thus sanctioned, the first stage of a long journey towards de facto equality.40m47E47The Emigrants and MarcinelleEpisode dedicated to Italian emigration to Belgium: from the agreement of June 23, 1946 (with which Italy and Belgium agree on the transfer of 50,000 Italian miners in Belgium, in exchange for 2,500 tons of coal every 1,000 miners) to the disaster of Marcinelle (August 8, 1956) in which 262 people died.40m48E48James of England and the Gunpowder Plot40m49E49When Lenin Sang with Mussolini40m50E50Dino Grandi, the Man Who Defeated Mussolini40m51E51Tunisia: Roots of the Uprising40m52E52Garibaldi and The Thousand40m53E53Italian Constitution: the Togliatti Case40m54E54Italo Balbo, an Inconvenient Fascist40m55E55The Conquest of the West40m56E56Qin Shi Huang, First Emperor of China40m57E57The 1968 Belice Earthquake40m58E58Emperor Hadrian40m59E59The Night of the Long Knives40m60E60The Battle of El Alamein40m61E61Rosie and the American Women at War40m62E62Arduin, King of Italy40m63E63Paul VI and the Rebel Priests of 196840m64E641938: the Italian Racial Laws40m65E65Jews Escaping From Nazism40m66E66Eichmann, the Extermination Accountant40m67E67The Battle of Actium40m68E68Gandhi, the Great Soul40m69E69Stasi, GDR's Secret Eye40m70E70Alba de Céspedes, the Voice of Clorinda40m71E71The Montesi Affair, a Political Scandal40m72E72Wilson and the Treaty of Versailles40m73E73Edda Ciano, the Duce's Daughter40m74E74Churchill and His King40m75E75The Julian-Dalmatian Tragedy: From Massacres to Exodus40m76E76Piave River Was Murmuring40m77E77Diderot, Raynal and the Slave Trade40m78E78Nenni and Mussolini40m79E79Sadat, New Egypt's Rais40m80E80Giacomo Lercaro, the Deposed Cardinal40m81E81Masaniello and the Revolt of Naples40m82E82The Merlin Act40m83E83The London Blitz40m84E84Margaret Thatcher, the Iron Lady40m85E85The Ruse of the Trojan Horse40m86E86Saddam Hussein40m87E87The America of Jazz: From New Orleans to the World40m88E881968: the Battle of Valle Giulia40m89E89D'Annunzio, the Aesthete of Politics40m90E90Silvio Pellico and His Imprisonment40m91E91Gino Bartali, the National Righteous40m92E92Cinecittà, Hollywood on the Tiber River40m93E93Carla Lonzi and Feminism40m94E94Anita Garibaldi, Heroine of the Italian Risorgimento40m95E951527: the Sack of Rome40m96E96Edward and Wallis, a Forbidden Love40m97E97Pope Paul VI40m98E98Housing in Italy's 1960s40m99E99Aldo Moro: the Negotiation40m100E100The Five Days of Milan40m101E101The Balfour Declaration: the Origins of Israel40m102E102The Trial of Giordano Bruno40m103E103Lenin and the Defeat of Socialism in Italy40m104E104The Orthodox Church40m105E105The Holy Sepulchre40m106E106The Spring Festivals40m107E1071968 in the Eastern Bloc40m108E108Martin Luther King40m109E109The 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis40m110E110Orazio Antinori and Colonial Exploration40m111E111Luigi Giussani, Servant of God40m112E112Workers between 1968 and the "Hot Autumn"40m113E113The Attempted Murder of Togliatti40m114E114The 1948 Italian General Elections40m115E115Roberto Ruffilli, Killed by Red Brigades40m116E116Louis XIV, the Sun King40m117E117Radios of Free Italy40m118E118Pope Benedict XVI40m119E119The Red Scare40m120E120Southern Italy and the Italian Unitary State40m121E121The 1938 Football World Championship40m122E122The Scouts and the Resistance40m123E123The Chernobyl Catastrophe40m124E124The Battle of Stalingrad40m125E125Charles Albert, the Reformer Sovereign40m126E1261968 in Milan40m127E1271938: Hitler in Italy40m128E128France's May 6840m129E129Karl Marx: Revolutionary Thinking40m130E130The Fall of the Western Roman Empire40m131E131Prague Spring and Dubcek's Socialism40m132E132Killing of Aldo Moro: the Day After40m133E133Pearl Harbour, 1941: Attack to America40m134E134Law 180: the Basaglia Revolution40m135E135Ignatius of Loyola and the Jesuits40m136E136Giovanni Giolitti: the Statesman40m137E137The Church of John Paul II40m138E138Guglielmo Giannini, the Ordinary Man40m139E139Propaganda During the Great War40m140E140Nero, Emperor of Rome40m141E141194: the Law of Discord40m142E142The 1992 Mafia Bombings40m143E1431918: the Explosion of a Factory40m144E1441848 and the Roman Republic40m
Cast
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