Season 1

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  8.4/10434 votes

  Chapter 1 - World War Two

  Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 11/12/2012

  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.

  Director: Oliver Stone

  Writer: Oliver Stone, Matt Graham, Peter Kuznick

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  8.3/10344 votes

  Chapter 2 - Roosevelt, Truman & Wallace

  Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 11/19/2012

  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.

  Director: Oliver Stone

  Writer: Oliver Stone, Matt Graham, Peter Kuznick

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  8.5/10329 votes

  Chapter 3 - The Bomb

  Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 11/26/2012

  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.

  Director: Oliver Stone

  Writer: Oliver Stone, Matt Graham, Peter Kuznick

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  8.3/10273 votes

  Chapter 4 - The Cold War - 1945-1950

  Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 12/3/2012

  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.

  Director: Oliver Stone

  Writer: Oliver Stone, Matt Graham, Peter Kuznick

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  8.2/10267 votes

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

  Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 12/10/2012

  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.

  Director: Oliver Stone

  Writer: Oliver Stone, Matt Graham, Peter Kuznick

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  8.4/10268 votes

  Chapter 6 - JFK: To the Brink

  Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 12/17/2012

  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.

  Director: Oliver Stone

  Writer: Oliver Stone, Matt Graham, Peter Kuznick

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  8.3/10246 votes

  Chapter 7 - Johnson, Nixon & Vietnam: Reversal of Fortune

  Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 12/24/2012

  The war in Vietnam reaches a turning point; President Nixon's involvement in Watergate comes to light.

  Director: Oliver Stone

  Writer: Oliver Stone, Matt Graham, Peter Kuznick

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  8.2/10242 votes

  Chapter 8 - Reagan, Gorbachev & Third World: Rise of the Right

  Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 12/31/2012

  Ronald Reagan succeeds Jimmy Carter; Reagan and the Soviet Union's Mikhail Gorbachev powwow; and Reagan's legacy is examined.

  Director: Oliver Stone

  Writer: Oliver Stone, Matt Graham, Peter Kuznick

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  8.2/10234 votes

  Chapter 9 - Bush & Clinton: American Triumphalism - New World Order

  Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 1/7/2013

  George W. Bush and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; the U.S. economy; the end of the Cold War; and national security in America.

  Director: Oliver Stone

  Writer: Oliver Stone, Matt Graham, Peter Kuznick

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  8.3/10259 votes

  Chapter 10 - Bush & Obama: Age of Terror

  Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 1/14/2013

  In the finale, the war on terrorism and the presidential administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama are examined.

  Director: Oliver Stone

  Writer: Oliver Stone, Matt Graham, Peter Kuznick