History
August 10, 2010 10:59 AM Subscribe
I am a student with a embarrassingly poor knowledge of social and political history. As such I can't engage with current affairs and understand political problems on a deeper level. What would you recommend as good books/films/novels which give an outline of a certain important period in history? How can I improve my general knowledge of the past?
I'm leaving the period in history unspecified on purpose to encourage as many contributions on as many important periods in history as possible.
However the periods I had in mind are: Napoleonic Wars, American Civil War, WW1, WW2, Cold War, Iranian/Chinese/Russian Revolution etc. This is so I can get a better grasp of the socio-political contexts which conflicts around the world have emerged (Israel/Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, China) or even institutions like the (IMF, UN).
The sort of material I'm looking for again I won't be too specific about. It can be a straight forward textbook going through history, novels dealing with social elements, or films showing conflicts etc.
Think of this as the historical equivelent of this question
I'm leaving the period in history unspecified on purpose to encourage as many contributions on as many important periods in history as possible.
However the periods I had in mind are: Napoleonic Wars, American Civil War, WW1, WW2, Cold War, Iranian/Chinese/Russian Revolution etc. This is so I can get a better grasp of the socio-political contexts which conflicts around the world have emerged (Israel/Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, China) or even institutions like the (IMF, UN).
The sort of material I'm looking for again I won't be too specific about. It can be a straight forward textbook going through history, novels dealing with social elements, or films showing conflicts etc.
Think of this as the historical equivelent of this question
I would start with A People's History of the United States, which you can read for free here.
posted by Ashley801 at 11:07 AM on August 10, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by Ashley801 at 11:07 AM on August 10, 2010 [4 favorites]
Well, the ultimate would be Don't Know Much About History.
Very Short Introductions
What Went Wrong? (Islam and modernity)
A Problem from Hell (genocide)
Modern Times (1920s to 1990s)
posted by Jaltcoh at 11:14 AM on August 10, 2010
Very Short Introductions
What Went Wrong? (Islam and modernity)
A Problem from Hell (genocide)
Modern Times (1920s to 1990s)
posted by Jaltcoh at 11:14 AM on August 10, 2010
A People's History is good, but it is extremely focused on one fairly narrow viewpoint. Bear in mind that it is more concerned with arguing an ideology than history at times (even if it is one I happen to agree with).
Definetly worth reading though.
In general I can highly recomend the audio courses from The Teaching Company
posted by Riemann at 11:17 AM on August 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
Definetly worth reading though.
In general I can highly recomend the audio courses from The Teaching Company
posted by Riemann at 11:17 AM on August 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
Why not Wikipedia? If you're worried about accuracy, just check out the cited sources.
Or go online at look at the online reading lists for some of the intro survey history courses at your local college, and then go down to the campus used bookstore to pick them up.
As an aside, I really wish I had read Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series (as well as Patrick O'Brian's books) while I was doing my undergrad history degree - the books paint a rich portrait of life in Napoleonic Europe.
posted by KokuRyu at 11:18 AM on August 10, 2010
Or go online at look at the online reading lists for some of the intro survey history courses at your local college, and then go down to the campus used bookstore to pick them up.
As an aside, I really wish I had read Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series (as well as Patrick O'Brian's books) while I was doing my undergrad history degree - the books paint a rich portrait of life in Napoleonic Europe.
posted by KokuRyu at 11:18 AM on August 10, 2010
You know, I was an International Affairs undergrad major, and consider myself very knowledgeable about history, and I realize from time to time that I just do not know anything about certain periods. And there's nothing wrong with that. As Will Rogers once said (paraphrase), 'everyone's ignorant, just about different things.'
That being said, for what you're looking for, I'd recommend the following books, sites, and TV series (these are by memory, so I don't remember all the authors):
The Guns of August (book, World War I, with a tasty side of Franco-Prussian war tossed in)
All the Shah's Men (book, Iranian coup, sets up much of later Iranian history with the US beautifully)
Ken Burns' The Civil War miniseries
Legacy of Ashes (book, The CIA/Cold War years)
Wikipedia (generally, but you can get lost for hours in the war entries, and they're on the whole very good)
Arab and Jew (book, for a mid-80s perspective of I/P)
I don't really know where to tell you to start with World War II. It's so huge, and so fascinating, and I find when I get interested it's usually about some small piece of the whole. That's why I tossed in the obvious Wikipedia reference, because you'll get ideas of what's more interesting as you get in there, and you can narrow your searches from there.
posted by norm at 11:19 AM on August 10, 2010
That being said, for what you're looking for, I'd recommend the following books, sites, and TV series (these are by memory, so I don't remember all the authors):
The Guns of August (book, World War I, with a tasty side of Franco-Prussian war tossed in)
All the Shah's Men (book, Iranian coup, sets up much of later Iranian history with the US beautifully)
Ken Burns' The Civil War miniseries
Legacy of Ashes (book, The CIA/Cold War years)
Wikipedia (generally, but you can get lost for hours in the war entries, and they're on the whole very good)
Arab and Jew (book, for a mid-80s perspective of I/P)
I don't really know where to tell you to start with World War II. It's so huge, and so fascinating, and I find when I get interested it's usually about some small piece of the whole. That's why I tossed in the obvious Wikipedia reference, because you'll get ideas of what's more interesting as you get in there, and you can narrow your searches from there.
posted by norm at 11:19 AM on August 10, 2010
For the American Civil War, Shelby Foote's The Civil War: A Narrative is thorough, and fairly well-regarded. Also, check out Ken Burn's PBS Series, The Civil War.
posted by kaudio at 11:19 AM on August 10, 2010
posted by kaudio at 11:19 AM on August 10, 2010
Others here will give you some excellent specific sources. Definitely check those out. I'm a-gonna tell you more about my specific methodology (I'm not saying I'm by any means an authority on history, or much else for that matter):
I gleamed a lot of history by watching a lot of movies growing up, and then researching anything I found interesting in that movie, starting with my set of World Book encyclopedias. As with Wikipedia, and just about any other encyclopedia, entries were heavily cross referenced. After reading about one subject, I'd go find and research the cross-referenced peripheral subjects, and I think that's how I started growing my knowledge base.
It didn't have to be movies; it could have been the local news, something from a cereal box's ingredient list, or an overheard snippet of conversation. Basically, I attribute half of what I know today either from World Book or Wikipedia, because I'll open tons of cross references in tabs and then go through those one by one as I have the time. I do this whether I'm reading about history, practicing a new sport, or I'm buying a new weed eater. When I'm interested in something, I go through a period where I want to know everything about that particular subject.
I actively looked into things that I was curious about. I wouldn't just stick to World Book; I'd use other means as available, but having an encyclopedia set in my bedroom helped a lot (never got on the internet until 1996).
My advice to you is just actively try to get more information on any subject that interests you. Since you want to know more about social/political history, start with Wikipedia entries on those subjects to give you an introduction, and then look at the cited sources. Some may be books or movies. Go check those out.
I got a great boost around the age of 19 or 20, when I started this minimum wage retail job with my best friends in college. One of the guys I shared a shift with is rather learned, and he'd drop a lot of knowledge throughout the day. I'd use this for a springboard to go find other interesting stuff. Anyway, he sorta emphasized to me the necessity of really digging for more information when you need it, and I suppose I started doing a more thorough job of it after conversations with him.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 11:25 AM on August 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
I gleamed a lot of history by watching a lot of movies growing up, and then researching anything I found interesting in that movie, starting with my set of World Book encyclopedias. As with Wikipedia, and just about any other encyclopedia, entries were heavily cross referenced. After reading about one subject, I'd go find and research the cross-referenced peripheral subjects, and I think that's how I started growing my knowledge base.
It didn't have to be movies; it could have been the local news, something from a cereal box's ingredient list, or an overheard snippet of conversation. Basically, I attribute half of what I know today either from World Book or Wikipedia, because I'll open tons of cross references in tabs and then go through those one by one as I have the time. I do this whether I'm reading about history, practicing a new sport, or I'm buying a new weed eater. When I'm interested in something, I go through a period where I want to know everything about that particular subject.
I actively looked into things that I was curious about. I wouldn't just stick to World Book; I'd use other means as available, but having an encyclopedia set in my bedroom helped a lot (never got on the internet until 1996).
My advice to you is just actively try to get more information on any subject that interests you. Since you want to know more about social/political history, start with Wikipedia entries on those subjects to give you an introduction, and then look at the cited sources. Some may be books or movies. Go check those out.
I got a great boost around the age of 19 or 20, when I started this minimum wage retail job with my best friends in college. One of the guys I shared a shift with is rather learned, and he'd drop a lot of knowledge throughout the day. I'd use this for a springboard to go find other interesting stuff. Anyway, he sorta emphasized to me the necessity of really digging for more information when you need it, and I suppose I started doing a more thorough job of it after conversations with him.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 11:25 AM on August 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
Couple more things came to mind: If you have netflix then in streaming there are several good documentaries by a guy named Michael Wood (though they tend to be about older time periods than you mentioned, eg: Conquistadors and Alexander the Great). Just search for his name.
I would 2nd the recomendation above for The Guns of August. Really anything by Barbara Tuchman is excellent. EG: The Zimmerman Telegram (how the US got involved in WW1), The Proud Tower (society in late 1800s Britain), A Distant Mirror (the 100 years war) etc...
History is one of the things that wikipedia does OK at best. I read a lot of history and usually when I compare a good (as in well sourced, scholarly) book or lecture series to wikipiedia what I find is that all the fringe nutjobs on a given subject usually skew the page to make their theories seem more respectable than they should be. For example: Every single damn aritcle about the ancient near east attracts people fighting out the modern Turkey vs. Armenia thing. And people wanting to argue that every ancient near eastern people were "white" / "aryan" (or "black" for that matter).
While the real crazy is usually only on the discussion pages, the influence of the fringe views skews the actual page to make it seem like there is controversy where no credible controversy actually exists. EG: Compare the wikipedia view on the Documentary Hypothesis (about the old testament) to actual scholarly work on the subject.
"Teach the controversy", with all that implies, is a tactic of many wikipedia contributors with crazy ideas and far too much time on their hands.
posted by Riemann at 11:35 AM on August 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
I would 2nd the recomendation above for The Guns of August. Really anything by Barbara Tuchman is excellent. EG: The Zimmerman Telegram (how the US got involved in WW1), The Proud Tower (society in late 1800s Britain), A Distant Mirror (the 100 years war) etc...
History is one of the things that wikipedia does OK at best. I read a lot of history and usually when I compare a good (as in well sourced, scholarly) book or lecture series to wikipiedia what I find is that all the fringe nutjobs on a given subject usually skew the page to make their theories seem more respectable than they should be. For example: Every single damn aritcle about the ancient near east attracts people fighting out the modern Turkey vs. Armenia thing. And people wanting to argue that every ancient near eastern people were "white" / "aryan" (or "black" for that matter).
While the real crazy is usually only on the discussion pages, the influence of the fringe views skews the actual page to make it seem like there is controversy where no credible controversy actually exists. EG: Compare the wikipedia view on the Documentary Hypothesis (about the old testament) to actual scholarly work on the subject.
"Teach the controversy", with all that implies, is a tactic of many wikipedia contributors with crazy ideas and far too much time on their hands.
posted by Riemann at 11:35 AM on August 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
Try Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed The World by Margaret Macmillan. It's a long read, but full of intrigue and fascinating stories about the Paris peace Conference following the end of WW1. You'll be amazed at how much subsequent heartache and trouble can be traced back to hastily and ill-informed decisions made at that conference.
posted by just_ducky at 12:13 PM on August 10, 2010
posted by just_ducky at 12:13 PM on August 10, 2010
One good and easy starting place, covering everything you mentioned, would be the great historian Eric Hobsbawm's series of books on the 19th and 20th Centuries: The Age of Revolution (1789-1848), The Age of Capital (1848-1875), The Age of Empire (1875-1914), and The Age of Extremes (1914-1991). Don't be too intimidated by the page count, as you obviously can dip in and out and follow the footnotes as your interest demands; there's no strong reason to read this kind of book straight through from beginning to end.
posted by RogerB at 12:24 PM on August 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by RogerB at 12:24 PM on August 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
A People's History of the World is a pretty good intro to a very general overview of world history from Egypt on (though it's got nothing on A People's History of the US).
Also, The Timetables of History is an incredible resource to get a sense of a broad view of history.
posted by Lutoslawski at 12:34 PM on August 10, 2010
Also, The Timetables of History is an incredible resource to get a sense of a broad view of history.
posted by Lutoslawski at 12:34 PM on August 10, 2010
"Lies My Teacher Told Me." If all you are going off of is High School History, the book will explain why high school history texts don't include the interesting stuff, more recent or controversial history. This book will cover several of the areas that you mentioned.
Wife of 445supermag
posted by 445supermag at 12:37 PM on August 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
Wife of 445supermag
posted by 445supermag at 12:37 PM on August 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
Read widely, read diversely. I find that big books that try to summarize long periods are too much for me to remember and gain much from. Pick particular narrower topics of interest, look them up on the web, read short focused histories and biographies that relate to them, and just repeat this process over and over and over.
posted by shivohum at 12:46 PM on August 10, 2010
posted by shivohum at 12:46 PM on August 10, 2010
If you're not familiar with the work of the late Tony Judt, this might be a good moment to pick up Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945.
posted by verstegan at 2:18 PM on August 10, 2010
posted by verstegan at 2:18 PM on August 10, 2010
I'm gonna suggest podcasts. Everyone's got an hour here and there, and a history podcast is an efficient and interesting way to get some basic information along with critical perspective, usually.There are a fair number of decent history podcasts.
Backstory is pretty engaging to listen to, even though the "History Guys" shtick gets old for me.
Talking History is good.
The American Experience.
Gilder Lehman's podcasts are serious and academic-y, but high quality.
Journal of American History has a good, scholarly one too.
There are lots of history podcasts, if you go searching via Google or iTunes. This is one of my favorite ways to start getting a grasp of a new historical period or issue.
posted by Miko at 2:21 PM on August 10, 2010
Backstory is pretty engaging to listen to, even though the "History Guys" shtick gets old for me.
Talking History is good.
The American Experience.
Gilder Lehman's podcasts are serious and academic-y, but high quality.
Journal of American History has a good, scholarly one too.
There are lots of history podcasts, if you go searching via Google or iTunes. This is one of my favorite ways to start getting a grasp of a new historical period or issue.
posted by Miko at 2:21 PM on August 10, 2010
An excellent world history survey course can be found in J.M. Roberts "History of the World."
posted by SuzB at 3:01 PM on August 10, 2010
posted by SuzB at 3:01 PM on August 10, 2010
For the particular issue of Afghanistan in the 19th century, I got some great answers in a question I asked last year. (Separately, I read Ghost Wars, highly recommended.)
And definitely agreed on The Civil War miniseries. I watched it again for the first time since I was a kid -- it's on Netflix Instant! -- and found it engrossing.
In general, I've found that one book often leads me to another; that taking note of books mentioned on smart blogs brings up good stuff; and that I find some very interesting books simply by browsing the appropriate section of my library's new books shelf when I go in.
posted by epersonae at 3:13 PM on August 10, 2010
And definitely agreed on The Civil War miniseries. I watched it again for the first time since I was a kid -- it's on Netflix Instant! -- and found it engrossing.
In general, I've found that one book often leads me to another; that taking note of books mentioned on smart blogs brings up good stuff; and that I find some very interesting books simply by browsing the appropriate section of my library's new books shelf when I go in.
posted by epersonae at 3:13 PM on August 10, 2010
Unless you have a specific interest in military history, or you need to know this stuff to pass an exam, frankly I wouldn't bother with much beyond the basics of all the various wars you mention. Which I assume, if you have a high school or college level education in the US (or a similar or more rigorous national curriculum), you are probably relatively familiar with.
Wikipedia will do a good job of summing up why these wars happened, what people were fighting over, and what the direct impact was. You probably won't have to read more than a few paragraphs.
You can then delve deeper as desired. There is a lot more to history than wars.
My favorite ways of learning a little more about historical periods I'm not too familiar with are documentaries and primary sources. I really didn't know a lot about the Spanish Civil War, for instance, until I picked up Orwell's Homage to Catalonia. He doesn't do much explaining (it was published somewhat contemporary with the war itself), but reading his account made a somewhat distant and abstract period of history seem incredibly immediate - which inspired a lot of additional research on my part. This sort of thing is much more inspiring to me than reading straight-up military history texts, because frankly wars tend to bore the shit out of me.
If you enjoy reading history, and don't need to drum up a forced interest in it, I'd recommend browsing a local bookstore for "popular history", which, in your average Barnes & Noble might be on a table labeled as such, or might be under headings like "Did You Know?" or "General Interest". There will be a selection of recent nonfiction books (usually in paperback, often written by journalists or other generalist writers) on subjects that tend to be of interest to the average person - often quirky topics you wouldn't think would think would teach us a lot about history. Some of recent titles I've read (and I'm a huge fan of this genre) are Salt: A World History, A History of the World in Six Glasses, and Craze: Gin and Debauchery in an Age of Reason. But, then, I'm a culinary geek. You might find other books that appeal to you based on your own interests. These sorts of books make a great jumping off point to learning about more general history topics like various wars, The Golden Age Of X Civilization, The Age of [Whatever], and the like.
posted by Sara C. at 6:29 PM on August 10, 2010
Wikipedia will do a good job of summing up why these wars happened, what people were fighting over, and what the direct impact was. You probably won't have to read more than a few paragraphs.
You can then delve deeper as desired. There is a lot more to history than wars.
My favorite ways of learning a little more about historical periods I'm not too familiar with are documentaries and primary sources. I really didn't know a lot about the Spanish Civil War, for instance, until I picked up Orwell's Homage to Catalonia. He doesn't do much explaining (it was published somewhat contemporary with the war itself), but reading his account made a somewhat distant and abstract period of history seem incredibly immediate - which inspired a lot of additional research on my part. This sort of thing is much more inspiring to me than reading straight-up military history texts, because frankly wars tend to bore the shit out of me.
If you enjoy reading history, and don't need to drum up a forced interest in it, I'd recommend browsing a local bookstore for "popular history", which, in your average Barnes & Noble might be on a table labeled as such, or might be under headings like "Did You Know?" or "General Interest". There will be a selection of recent nonfiction books (usually in paperback, often written by journalists or other generalist writers) on subjects that tend to be of interest to the average person - often quirky topics you wouldn't think would think would teach us a lot about history. Some of recent titles I've read (and I'm a huge fan of this genre) are Salt: A World History, A History of the World in Six Glasses, and Craze: Gin and Debauchery in an Age of Reason. But, then, I'm a culinary geek. You might find other books that appeal to you based on your own interests. These sorts of books make a great jumping off point to learning about more general history topics like various wars, The Golden Age Of X Civilization, The Age of [Whatever], and the like.
posted by Sara C. at 6:29 PM on August 10, 2010
I loved Salt, and I also liked Gunpowder, and heard Oak was great. I'm kind of a sucker for "view the world through one single item!" books.
posted by norm at 11:05 AM on August 11, 2010
posted by norm at 11:05 AM on August 11, 2010
Norm - out of my love of Salt and the like, I recently picked up Scents of Eden: A Narrative of the Spice Trade. It takes a lot of the ideas in those one-single-item books (especially Kurlansky's train of thought) and takes it to the next level.
posted by Sara C. at 11:29 AM on August 11, 2010
posted by Sara C. at 11:29 AM on August 11, 2010
norm, if you like "view through a single item," you might get a kick out of Uranium.
posted by epersonae at 6:07 PM on August 11, 2010
posted by epersonae at 6:07 PM on August 11, 2010
Norm, Sara C. - Don't forget Cod: a Biography of the Fish that Changed the World. Who knew? Also, tasty. I believe that it originated from the cod chapter in Salt.
Freud - I highly recommend the 'single issue' genre as an interesting an entertaining way to learn about world history.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 9:13 PM on August 11, 2010
Freud - I highly recommend the 'single issue' genre as an interesting an entertaining way to learn about world history.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 9:13 PM on August 11, 2010
This is going to be my next FPP! Way to go, Freud dude.
posted by norm at 10:05 PM on August 11, 2010
posted by norm at 10:05 PM on August 11, 2010
I'll here offer this thread my America-centric video-based history knowledge.
On (American) TV, your go to channels are unquestionably PBS and History International if you get it. The History Channel is now 80% bullshit, Modern Marvels being the only memorably forgivable show.
On PBS, I recommend American Experience highly. Obviously anything with Ken Burns's name on it is worth a look. American Masters can give you a nice look at cultural history of the last 80ish years, though it is hit-or-miss for me. NOVA and Frontline, shows you should watch regardless of historical merit, do sometimes delve into the topic. Independent Lens, Wide Angle, and POV are all pretty varied, but there's some good historical things that'll show up on those from time to time. There are also some newer shows I've not caught about history, none of whose names I can now recall.
The stuff I like on History International is mostly out of the 20th century period (my old bias as well). It's mostly the good stuff from the History Channel and a few other gems.
DVD is probably better, I just completed Simon Schama's A History of Britain, which was very good to a relative newb on that subject. Ken Burns must be brought up here as well, because you'll get the stuff far quicker than wait for it on late night reruns. WWII specific, Ken Burns's The War series is pretty great, and though I've not seen it, the BBC's 1970s series The World at War is said to be definitive.
Historical fiction-ish wise, HBO does good work. Band of Brothers is amazing, and though I've not watched The Pacific I expect it's at worst OK. Other HBO historical stuff it pretty good as well, I enjoyed Rome, I liked from the From the Earth to the Moon, I was kinda over the moon for John Adams.
Other things that in the fictionish area: WWI classics are All Quiet on the Western Front and Kubrick's Paths of Glory. WWII classics are A Bridge too Far, Schindler's List, Bridge on the River Kwai, Tora! Tora! Tora!, Downfall... (that list is pretty huge). I'm drawing a blank on most of the other areas you mention, excepting The Last Emporer about the Chinese revolution.
Finally, these are hard to classify, but PBS and Channel Four have made a number "experimental history" shows putting modern people in previous historical time periods and seeing how they cope with it. Things like Colonial House, 1940s House, Frontier House. They're great for better understanding the day-to-day existence of people in the past.
Down here, an unembellished list of some other period related video productions I remember liking and failed to mention above: Eyes on the Prize, Vietnam: A Television History, The Weather Underground, Hearts and Minds (Vietnam has played a prominent role in my history studies), New York (by Ken Burns's brother), The Incident at Oglala.
posted by davidbhayes at 12:53 PM on August 15, 2010
On (American) TV, your go to channels are unquestionably PBS and History International if you get it. The History Channel is now 80% bullshit, Modern Marvels being the only memorably forgivable show.
On PBS, I recommend American Experience highly. Obviously anything with Ken Burns's name on it is worth a look. American Masters can give you a nice look at cultural history of the last 80ish years, though it is hit-or-miss for me. NOVA and Frontline, shows you should watch regardless of historical merit, do sometimes delve into the topic. Independent Lens, Wide Angle, and POV are all pretty varied, but there's some good historical things that'll show up on those from time to time. There are also some newer shows I've not caught about history, none of whose names I can now recall.
The stuff I like on History International is mostly out of the 20th century period (my old bias as well). It's mostly the good stuff from the History Channel and a few other gems.
DVD is probably better, I just completed Simon Schama's A History of Britain, which was very good to a relative newb on that subject. Ken Burns must be brought up here as well, because you'll get the stuff far quicker than wait for it on late night reruns. WWII specific, Ken Burns's The War series is pretty great, and though I've not seen it, the BBC's 1970s series The World at War is said to be definitive.
Historical fiction-ish wise, HBO does good work. Band of Brothers is amazing, and though I've not watched The Pacific I expect it's at worst OK. Other HBO historical stuff it pretty good as well, I enjoyed Rome, I liked from the From the Earth to the Moon, I was kinda over the moon for John Adams.
Other things that in the fictionish area: WWI classics are All Quiet on the Western Front and Kubrick's Paths of Glory. WWII classics are A Bridge too Far, Schindler's List, Bridge on the River Kwai, Tora! Tora! Tora!, Downfall... (that list is pretty huge). I'm drawing a blank on most of the other areas you mention, excepting The Last Emporer about the Chinese revolution.
Finally, these are hard to classify, but PBS and Channel Four have made a number "experimental history" shows putting modern people in previous historical time periods and seeing how they cope with it. Things like Colonial House, 1940s House, Frontier House. They're great for better understanding the day-to-day existence of people in the past.
Down here, an unembellished list of some other period related video productions I remember liking and failed to mention above: Eyes on the Prize, Vietnam: A Television History, The Weather Underground, Hearts and Minds (Vietnam has played a prominent role in my history studies), New York (by Ken Burns's brother), The Incident at Oglala.
posted by davidbhayes at 12:53 PM on August 15, 2010
The following TV shows are period pieces which have a strong historical background. Though most take liberties with some specifics, they are a great introduction into each period.
74 - 71 BC: Spartacus: Blood and Sand (Starz)
- Roman Republic
- Gladiators and Roman slaves
- Spartacus
- Third Servile War
50 BC - 43 BC: Rome (HBO)
- Caesar's civil war
- Julius Caesar
- Mark Anthony
- Augustus
- Beginning of the Roman Empire
23 BC - AD 54 I, Claudius (BBC)
- Early history of the Roman Empire
- Augustus
- Tiberius
- Claudius
- Caligula
1511 - 1547: The Tudors (Showtime)
- Henry VIII of England
- six wives of Henry VIII
- England's separation from the Catholic Church
- childhoods of Edward VI, Mary I (aka Bloody Mary) and Elizabeth I
1770 - 1825: John Adams (HBO)
- John Adams
- Declaration of Independence
- American Revolutionary War
- First six presidents of the United States
1941 - 1944: Band of Brothers (HBO)
- WWII
- Easy Company
- Major Richard Winters
*Dates are approximate and my personal guesses
posted by 1awesomeguy at 11:27 PM on August 16, 2010 [2 favorites]
74 - 71 BC: Spartacus: Blood and Sand (Starz)
- Roman Republic
- Gladiators and Roman slaves
- Spartacus
- Third Servile War
50 BC - 43 BC: Rome (HBO)
- Caesar's civil war
- Julius Caesar
- Mark Anthony
- Augustus
- Beginning of the Roman Empire
23 BC - AD 54 I, Claudius (BBC)
- Early history of the Roman Empire
- Augustus
- Tiberius
- Claudius
- Caligula
1511 - 1547: The Tudors (Showtime)
- Henry VIII of England
- six wives of Henry VIII
- England's separation from the Catholic Church
- childhoods of Edward VI, Mary I (aka Bloody Mary) and Elizabeth I
1770 - 1825: John Adams (HBO)
- John Adams
- Declaration of Independence
- American Revolutionary War
- First six presidents of the United States
1941 - 1944: Band of Brothers (HBO)
- WWII
- Easy Company
- Major Richard Winters
*Dates are approximate and my personal guesses
posted by 1awesomeguy at 11:27 PM on August 16, 2010 [2 favorites]
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posted by freud at 11:01 AM on August 10, 2010