About this season
An eight-part chronicle of armed conflict from the beginning of recorded history to modern times, exploring the political and cultural motivations for---and consequences of---warfare.
Episodes (8)
1. First Blood
Aired 2 August 1998 • 52 min
A look at the origins of modern warfare, when ancient Greek soldiers marched in formations called phalanxes. Also: Alexander the Great's foray into Asia Minor in the 4th century B.C. Narrated by Walter Cronkite..
2. Empires and Armies
Aired 9 August 1998 • 52 min
The empires of ancient Rome and China, begun before the birth of Christ, which were hubs of cultural development despite being terribly violent. Also: fighting barbarians at their borders; and the legacies of these empires. Narrated by Walter Cronkite.
3. Horse Warriors
Aired 16 August 1998 • 52 min
A look at the impact that horses had on warfare, which enabled Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan to rule over vast territories. Also: building fortifications of stone; and the rise of the samurai in Japan. Narrated by Walter Cronkite.
4. Gunpowder
Aired 23 August 1998 • 52 min
"Gunpowder" forever changed the way wars were fought, both in an army's weapons and methods of defense. Also: arming ships with cannons; and the spread of European domination. Narrated by Walter Cronkite.
5. Revolution
Aired 30 August 1998 • 52 min
England gains a stronghold in America after the Seven Years' War in 1763, but is eventually challenged, and defeated, by a new nation. Also: revolution in France; and the rise of Napoleon. Narrated by Walter Cronkite.
6. Blood and Iron
Aired 6 September 1998 • 52 min
The Industrial Revolution creates more mechanized warfare, as trains and mass-produced weapons are tested in the Crimea and the American Civil War. Also: a united Germany; and war correspondents report from the front. Walter Cronkite narrates.
7. War Machines
Aired 13 September 1998 • 52 min
Included: America fulfills its "manifest destiny"; colonialism expands in Africa and India; and World War I spawns the tank and the airplane. Also: the Russo-Japanese War; and World War II rises from the ashes of its predecessor. Walter Cronkite narrates.
8. The Price of War
Aired 20 September 1998 • 52 min
"The Price of War" looks at the end of World War II and the atomic bomb, and the tension of the Cold War. Also: fighting communism in Korea and southeast Asia; and the fear of nuclear annihilation. Narrated by Walter Cronkite.