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All Episodes of The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century

PBS

Browse all episodes of The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century

All Episodes of The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century

The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century is a 1996 documentary series that aired on PBS. It chronicles World War I over...
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Season 1

  • Explosion
    7.5/1022 votes
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    Explosion

    Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 11/10/1996

    Instability in Europe is fueled by Germany's growing militarism, Kaiser Wilhelm II's obsession to match the British Royal Navy, and French and German war plans before the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria triggers combat.

    Director: Carl Byker

    Writer: Carl Byker, Blaine Baggett, Jay Winter

  • Stalemate
    7.7/1018 votes
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    Stalemate

    Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 11/17/1996

    At the start of World War One it was predicted the fighting would be over in a matter of weeks, owing to technical advances in weaponry. But the reality proved entirely different as soldiers dug into the ground to escape artillery, trenches began to spread for miles and the Western Front developed.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • What if... Total War
    7.7/1014 votes
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    What if... Total War

    Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 11/24/1996

    An insight into the personal experiences of people caught up in World War One, with diaries and letters shedding light on the conflict. One million women left the home to work in Britain's munitions factories, while soldiers' families lived in dread of receiving a telegram or telephone call bearing bad news.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Slaughter
    7.8/1015 votes
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    Slaughter

    Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 12/1/1996

    The stories of the battles of Verdun, the Somme and Passchendaele, three of World War One's most bloody encounters, using newsreel footage taken at the scene during a time when film was on the verge of becoming a major influence on the public's perception of warfare

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Mutiny
    7.9/1013 votes
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    Mutiny

    Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 12/8/1996

    Account of the despair which swept Europe in 1917, as World War One dragged on into its fourth year with no end in sight. While British doctors struggled to find an effective shell-shock treatment for patients, including poet Wilfred Owen, half of the French army mutinied and Russia was gripped by revolution.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Collapse
    7.5/1012 votes
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    Collapse

    Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 12/15/1996

    Account of the sudden ending of World War One in 1918, tracing the various causes responsible for Germany's ultimate downfall, including a failed offensive, the Americans joining the Allied Forces and crumbling civilian morale. Archive footage reveals the momentous occasion when the guns fell silent on the 11th hour of November 11, and British and German troops shook hands.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Legacy
    8.1/109 votes
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    Legacy

    Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 12/22/1996

    Covers the continuing blockade on Germany as the Allies drew up the Treaty of Versailles, with considerable focus on Woodrow Wilson’s role in the Paris Peace Conference.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • War Without End
    7.5/1012 votes
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    War Without End

    Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 12/29/1996

    Examines the cost of the war and its continuing reverberations through the rest of the 20th century.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A