Last week, I posted the 1st episode of the BBC/CNN Cold War documentary series as an overview of Soviet/US relations leading up to the Cold War. Today I want to look back at European and American society in the years leading up to WWI.
For a look at America at this time, I'd like to point you to the first episode of Ken Burns "Jazz" series. Given its importance, both as an artistic achievement and as a cultural force, the story of Jazz is an ideal lense through which to examine America's history at this time.
Ken Burns Jazz episode 1: Gumbo, beginnings to 1917
On the other side of the pond, the march toward war weighs heavily on the European political landscape. Here's episode 1 of BBC's groundbreaking WWI documentary series.
On the Idle Hill of Summer
A useful fact to keep in mind while watching the WWI doc, is that one of the key elements of the naval arms race between Britain and Germany is the transition from coal to oil. With the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, competition for territory has been building since the Crimean War. Deployments to Iraq by both sides are among the first of the conflict.
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