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The Western Tradition
Season 1
Episode 32

Absolutism and the Social Contract

January 1, 1989

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The Western Tradition - S1 - E32

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Arguments about the legitimate source of political power centered on divine right versus natural law.

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The Western Tradition: Season 1 - 52 Episode s

1x1 - The Dawn of History
January 1, 1989
The origins of the human race are traced from anthropoid ancestors to the agricultural revolution.
1x2 - The Ancient Egyptians
January 1, 1989
Egyptian irrigation created one of the first great civilizations.
1x3 - Mesopotamia
January 1, 1989
Settlements in the Fertile Crescent gave rise to the great river civilizations of the Middle East.
1x4 - From Bronze to Iron
January 1, 1989
Metals revolutionized tools, as well as societies, in the empires of Assyria, Persia, and Neo-Babylonia.
1x5 - The Rise of Greek Civilization
January 1, 1989
Democracy and philosophy arose from Greek cities at the edge of the civilized world.
1x6 - Greek Thought
January 1, 1989
Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle laid the foundation of Western intellectual thought.
1x7 - Alexander the Great
January 1, 1989
Alexander's conquests quadrupled the size of the world known to the Greeks.
1x8 - The Hellenistic Age
January 1, 1989
Hellenistic kingdoms extended Greek culture throughout the Mediterranean.
1x9 - The Rise of Rome
January 1, 1989
Through its army, Rome built an empire that shaped the West.
1x10 - The Roman Empire
January 1, 1989
Rome's civil engineering contributed as much to the empire as did its weapons.
1x11 - Early Christianity
January 1, 1989
Christianity spread despite contempt and persecution from Rome.
1x12 - The Rise of the Church
January 1, 1989
The old heresy became the Roman empire's official religion under the Emperor Constantine.
1x13 - The Decline of Rome
January 1, 1989
While enemies slashed at Rome's borders, civil war and economic collapse destroyed the empire from within.
1x14 - The Fall of Rome
January 1, 1989
Despite the success of emperors such as Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius, Rome fell victim to barbarian invasions.
1x15 - The Byzantine Empire
January 1, 1989
From Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire carried on the traditions of Greece and Rome.
1x16 - The Fall of Byzantium
January 1, 1989
Nearly a thousand years after Rome's fall, Constantinople was conquered by the forces of Islam.
1x17 - The Dark Ages
January 1, 1989
Barbarian kingdoms took possession of the fragments of the Roman Empire.
1x18 - The Age of Charlemagne
January 1, 1989
Charlemagne revived hopes for a new empire in Western Europe.
1x19 - The Middle Ages
January 1, 1989
Amid invasion and civil disorder, a military aristocracy dominated the kingdoms of Europe.
1x20 - The Feudal Order
January 1, 1989
Bishop, knight, and peasant exemplified some of the social divisions of the year 1000 A.D.
1x21 - Common Life in the Middle Ages
January 1, 1989
Famine, disease, and short life expectancies were the conditions that shaped medieval beliefs.
1x22 - Cities and Cathedrals of the Middle Ages
January 1, 1989
The great churches embodied the material and spiritual ambitions of the age.
1x23 - The Late Middle Ages
January 1, 1989
Two hundred years of war and plague debilitated Europe.
1x24 - The National Monarchies
January 1, 1989
A new urban middle class emerged, while dynastic marriages established centralized monarchies.
1x25 - Renaissance & the Age of Discovery
January 1, 1989
Renaissance humanists made man "the measure of all things." Europe was possessed by a new passion for knowledge.
1x26 - Renaissance & the New World
January 1, 1989
The discovery of America challenged Europe.
1x27 - The Reformation
January 1, 1989
Voiced by Martin Luther, Protestantism shattered the unity of the Catholic Church.
1x28 - The Rise of the Middle Class
January 1, 1989
As the cities grew, new middle-class mores had an impact on religious life.
1x29 - The Wars of Religion
January 1, 1989
For more than a century, the quarrels of Protestants and Catholics tore Europe apart.
1x30 - The Rise of the Trading Cities
January 1, 1989
Amid religious wars, a few cities learned that tolerance increased their prosperity.
1x31 - The Age of Absolutism
January 1, 1989
Exhausted by war and civil strife, many Europeans exchanged earlier liberties and anarchies for greater peace.
1x32 - Absolutism and the Social Contract
January 1, 1989
Arguments about the legitimate source of political power centered on divine right versus natural law.
1x33 - The Enlightened Despots
January 1, 1989
Monarchs considered reforms in order to create more efficient societies, but not at the expense of their own power.
1x34 - The Enlightenment
January 1, 1989
Intellectual theories about the nature of man and his potential came to the fore.
1x35 - The Enlightenment and Society
January 1, 1989
Scientists and social reformers battled for universal human rights during a peaceful and prosperous period.
1x36 - The Modern Philosophers
January 1, 1989
Freedom of thought and expression opened new vistas explored by French, English, and American thinkers.
1x37 - The American Revolution
January 1, 1989
The British colonists created a society that tested Enlightenment ideas and resisted restrictions imposed by England.
1x38 - The American Republic
January 1, 1989
A new republic, the compromise of radicals and conservatives, was founded on universal freedoms.
1x39 - The Death of the Old Regime
January 1, 1989
In France the old order collapsed under revolutionaries' attacks and the monarchy's own weakness.
1x40 - The French Revolution
January 1, 1989
Liberty, equality, and fraternity skidded into a reign of Terror.
1x41 - The Industrial Revolution
January 1, 1989
Technology and mass production reduced famine and ushered in higher standards of living.
1x42 - The Industrial World
January 1, 1989
A consumer revolution was fueled by coal, public transportation, and new city services.
1x43 - Revolution and Romantics
January 1, 1989
Leaders in the arts, literature, and political theory argued for social justice and national liberation.
1x44 - The Age of the Nation-States
January 1, 1989
The great powers cooperated to quell internal revolts, yet competed to acquire colonies.
1x45 - A New Public
January 1, 1989
Public education and mass communications created a new political life and leisure time.
1x46 - Fin de Siècle
January 1, 1989
Everyday life of the working class was transformed by leisure, prompting the birth of an elite avant-garde movement.
1x47 - The First World War and the Rise of Fascism
January 1, 1989
Old empires crumbled during World War I to be replaced by right-wing dictatorships in Italy, Spain, and Germany.
1x48 - The Second World War
January 1, 1989
World War II was a war of new tactics and strategies. Civilian populations became targets as the Nazi holocaust exterminated millions of people.
1x49 - The Cold War
January 1, 1989
The U.S. and Soviet Union dominated Europe and confronted each other in Korea.
1x50 - Europe and the Third World
January 1, 1989
Burdened with the legacy of colonial imperialism, the Third World rushed development to catch up with its Western counterparts.
1x51 - The Technological Revolution
January 1, 1989
Keeping up with the ever-increasing pace of change became the standard of the day.
1x52 - Toward the Future
January 1, 1989
Modern medicine, atomic energy, computers, and new concepts of time, energy, and matter all have an important effect on life in the 20th century.

The Western Tradition: All seasons

S1: Season 1
52 Episode s

1x1 - The Dawn of History

1x2 - The Ancient Egyptians

1x3 - Mesopotamia

1x4 - From Bronze to Iron

1x5 - The Rise of Greek Civilization

1x6 - Greek Thought

1x7 - Alexander the Great

1x8 - The Hellenistic Age

1x9 - The Rise of Rome

1x10 - The Roman Empire

1x11 - Early Christianity

1x12 - The Rise of the Church

1x13 - The Decline of Rome

1x14 - The Fall of Rome

1x15 - The Byzantine Empire

1x16 - The Fall of Byzantium

1x17 - The Dark Ages

1x18 - The Age of Charlemagne

1x19 - The Middle Ages

1x20 - The Feudal Order

1x21 - Common Life in the Middle Ages

1x22 - Cities and Cathedrals of the Middle Ages

1x23 - The Late Middle Ages

1x24 - The National Monarchies

1x25 - Renaissance & the Age of Discovery

1x26 - Renaissance & the New World

1x27 - The Reformation

1x28 - The Rise of the Middle Class

1x29 - The Wars of Religion

1x30 - The Rise of the Trading Cities

1x31 - The Age of Absolutism

1x32 - Absolutism and the Social Contract

1x33 - The Enlightened Despots

1x34 - The Enlightenment

1x35 - The Enlightenment and Society

1x36 - The Modern Philosophers

1x37 - The American Revolution

1x38 - The American Republic

1x39 - The Death of the Old Regime

1x40 - The French Revolution

1x41 - The Industrial Revolution

1x42 - The Industrial World

1x43 - Revolution and Romantics

1x44 - The Age of the Nation-States

1x45 - A New Public

1x46 - Fin de Siècle

1x47 - The First World War and the Rise of Fascism

1x48 - The Second World War

1x49 - The Cold War

1x50 - Europe and the Third World

1x51 - The Technological Revolution

1x52 - Toward the Future

S1: Season 1