Series from 2004
An examination of the events that lead up to the attack on Pearl Harbor.
President Wilson's hopes of world peace through collective security clash at Versailles with European politicians who want to punish Germany, sowing the seeds of World War II.
The U.S. Senate wins a battle with the president for control of foreign policy; President Wilson suffers a stroke while traveling by train to promote the League of Nations.
In 1921, the world's first major disarmament conference limits the post war arms race, and the most important strategic weapon of the times, the battleship. General Billy Mitchell demonstrates the strength of air power by bombing obsolete battleships in the Chesapeake Bay. While the American military remains unconvinced, the Japanese were impressed as they would later demonstrate at Pearl Harbor.
Disillusioned by the horrors of World War I, the U.S. tries to isolate from the rest of the world. Strict immigration quotas are imposed and a mistrust of foreigners and minorities ushers in an ugly period of racism and ethnic discrimination. The advent of radio helps to project a standard image of the "good American," but at the same time lets in news of foreign nations.
The traumatic Great Depression shatters U.S. self-confidence and paralyzes foreign policy, leading to further isolationism while dictators rise to power abroad.
Contrasting the styles of FDR and Hilter to show how individual charisma and technological changes can change history.
