Oliver Stone's re-examination of under-reported events in American history.
Chapter 1 - World War Two
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.
Chapter 2 - Roosevelt, Truman & Wallace
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.
Chapter 3 - The Bomb
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.
Chapter 4 - The Cold War - 1945-1950
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.
Chapter 5 - The 50s: Eisenhower, the Bomb & the Third World
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.
Chapter 6 - JFK: To the Brink
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.
Chapter 7 - Johnson, Nixon & Vietnam: Reversal of Fortune
The war in Vietnam reaches a turning point; President Nixon's involvement in Watergate comes to light.
Chapter 8 - Reagan, Gorbachev & Third World: Rise of the Right
Ronald Reagan succeeds Jimmy Carter; Reagan and the Soviet Union's Mikhail Gorbachev powwow; and Reagan's legacy is examined.
Chapter 9 - Bush & Clinton: American Triumphalism - New World Order
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.
Chapter 10 - Bush & Obama: Age of Terror
In the finale, the war on terrorism and the presidential administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama are examined.
Oliver Stone
Narrator
The Howard Years
2008
Burning Bush
2013
Wonders of the Solar System
2010
Lead Children
2026
World's Most Notorious Killers
2024
New Orleans: Soul of a City
2025
Beauty and the Bester
War and Remembrance
1988
True Crime Story: Citizen Detective
2023
The Reagan Presidency
2012
Unterwegs zum Nordkap - Winterreise durch Skandinavien
2009
Mister Sterling
2003
Putin, Russia and the West
Arcane: Bridging the Rift
2022
Jagd auf Dagobert
Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television
Glitter and Greed: The Lisa Frank Story
Pioneer One
Boston Med
The Missiles of October
1974
