The Triumph of the West


The Triumph of the West was a thirteen part BBC television series written and presented by John Roberts, historian and Warden of Merton College, Oxford, and first broadcast in 1985. The series was subtitled A View of History by John Roberts.

Premise

The 13 one-hour episodes examined the socio-economic, political, and cultural movements that shaped world history. The series painted a broad canvas but avoided simplistic solutions, encouraging the audience to think and reach its own conclusions. In one episode, Roberts asks the question why, during the age of European expansion, as European traders circled the globe, no Arab dhows or Chinese junks ever docked in the British port of Southampton. As the NY Times reviewer put it: "at least it is a provocative question".

Episodes