Episode 1
The Dawn of History
The origins of the human race are traced from anthropoid ancestors to the agricultural revolution.
Where to watch The Western Tradition
TV series
The Western Tradition
1989TV-G1 season7.0 / 10
Covering the ancient world through the age of technology, this illustrated lecture by Eugen Weber presents a tapestry of political and social events woven with many strands — religion, industry, agriculture, demography, government, economics, and art. A visual feast of over 2,700 images from the Metropolitan Museum of Art portrays key events that shaped the development of Western thought, culture, and tradition.
Availability
Not streaming in United States
Checked Jul 22, 2026
The Western Tradition premiered January 1, 1989. We don't have a confirmed streaming, rental or purchase option yet.
Synopsis
Covering the ancient world through the age of technology, this illustrated lecture by Eugen Weber presents a tapestry of political and social events woven with many strands — religion, industry, agriculture, demography, government, economics, and art. A visual feast of over 2,700 images from the Metropolitan Museum of Art portrays key events that shaped the development of Western thought, culture, and tradition.
Season 1 episodes
Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.
Episode 2
The Ancient Egyptians
Egyptian irrigation created one of the first great civilizations.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 3
Mesopotamia
Settlements in the Fertile Crescent gave rise to the great river civilizations of the Middle East.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 4
From Bronze to Iron
Metals revolutionized tools, as well as societies, in the empires of Assyria, Persia, and Neo-Babylonia.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 5
The Rise of Greek Civilization
Democracy and philosophy arose from Greek cities at the edge of the civilized world.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 6
Greek Thought
Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle laid the foundation of Western intellectual thought.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 7
Alexander the Great
Alexander's conquests quadrupled the size of the world known to the Greeks.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 8
The Hellenistic Age
Hellenistic kingdoms extended Greek culture throughout the Mediterranean.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 9
The Rise of Rome
Through its army, Rome built an empire that shaped the West.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 10
The Roman Empire
Rome's civil engineering contributed as much to the empire as did its weapons.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 11
Early Christianity
Christianity spread despite contempt and persecution from Rome.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 12
The Rise of the Church
The old heresy became the Roman empire's official religion under the Emperor Constantine.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 13
The Decline of Rome
While enemies slashed at Rome's borders, civil war and economic collapse destroyed the empire from within.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 14
The Fall of Rome
Despite the success of emperors such as Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius, Rome fell victim to barbarian invasions.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 15
The Byzantine Empire
From Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire carried on the traditions of Greece and Rome.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 16
The Fall of Byzantium
Nearly a thousand years after Rome's fall, Constantinople was conquered by the forces of Islam.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 17
The Dark Ages
Barbarian kingdoms took possession of the fragments of the Roman Empire.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 18
The Age of Charlemagne
Charlemagne revived hopes for a new empire in Western Europe.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 19
The Middle Ages
Amid invasion and civil disorder, a military aristocracy dominated the kingdoms of Europe.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 20
The Feudal Order
Bishop, knight, and peasant exemplified some of the social divisions of the year 1000 A.D.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 21
Common Life in the Middle Ages
Famine, disease, and short life expectancies were the conditions that shaped medieval beliefs.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 22
Cities and Cathedrals of the Middle Ages
The great churches embodied the material and spiritual ambitions of the age.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 23
The Late Middle Ages
Two hundred years of war and plague debilitated Europe.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 24
The National Monarchies
A new urban middle class emerged, while dynastic marriages established centralized monarchies.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 25
Renaissance & the Age of Discovery
Renaissance humanists made man "the measure of all things." Europe was possessed by a new passion for knowledge.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 26
Renaissance & the New World
The discovery of America challenged Europe.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 27
The Reformation
Voiced by Martin Luther, Protestantism shattered the unity of the Catholic Church.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 28
The Rise of the Middle Class
As the cities grew, new middle-class mores had an impact on religious life.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 29
The Wars of Religion
For more than a century, the quarrels of Protestants and Catholics tore Europe apart.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 30
The Rise of the Trading Cities
Amid religious wars, a few cities learned that tolerance increased their prosperity.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 31
The Age of Absolutism
Exhausted by war and civil strife, many Europeans exchanged earlier liberties and anarchies for greater peace.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 32
Absolutism and the Social Contract
Arguments about the legitimate source of political power centered on divine right versus natural law.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 33
The Enlightened Despots
Monarchs considered reforms in order to create more efficient societies, but not at the expense of their own power.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 34
The Enlightenment
Intellectual theories about the nature of man and his potential came to the fore.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 35
The Enlightenment and Society
Scientists and social reformers battled for universal human rights during a peaceful and prosperous period.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 36
The Modern Philosophers
Freedom of thought and expression opened new vistas explored by French, English, and American thinkers.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 37
The American Revolution
The British colonists created a society that tested Enlightenment ideas and resisted restrictions imposed by England.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 38
The American Republic
A new republic, the compromise of radicals and conservatives, was founded on universal freedoms.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 39
The Death of the Old Regime
In France the old order collapsed under revolutionaries' attacks and the monarchy's own weakness.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 40
The French Revolution
Liberty, equality, and fraternity skidded into a reign of Terror.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 41
The Industrial Revolution
Technology and mass production reduced famine and ushered in higher standards of living.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 42
The Industrial World
A consumer revolution was fueled by coal, public transportation, and new city services.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 43
Revolution and Romantics
Leaders in the arts, literature, and political theory argued for social justice and national liberation.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 44
The Age of the Nation-States
The great powers cooperated to quell internal revolts, yet competed to acquire colonies.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 45
A New Public
Public education and mass communications created a new political life and leisure time.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 46
Fin de Siècle
Everyday life of the working class was transformed by leisure, prompting the birth of an elite avant-garde movement.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 47
The First World War and the Rise of Fascism
Old empires crumbled during World War I to be replaced by right-wing dictatorships in Italy, Spain, and Germany.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 48
The Second World War
World War II was a war of new tactics and strategies. Civilian populations became targets as the Nazi holocaust exterminated millions of people.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 49
The Cold War
The U.S. and Soviet Union dominated Europe and confronted each other in Korea.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 50
Europe and the Third World
Burdened with the legacy of colonial imperialism, the Third World rushed development to catch up with its Western counterparts.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 51
The Technological Revolution
Keeping up with the ever-increasing pace of change became the standard of the day.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode 52
Toward the Future
Modern medicine, atomic energy, computers, and new concepts of time, energy, and matter all have an important effect on life in the 20th century.
Where to watch The Western TraditionEpisode information updated Jul 22, 2026
Available now in United States
What to watch instead
These shows are available now and closely match The Western Tradition.
Available nowAmerican Masters
Similar story and audience
Available nowAmerican Experience
Similar story and audience
Available nowBaseball
Similar story and audience
Available nowNatural World
Similar story and audience
Available nowAntiques Roadshow
Similar story and audience
Biography
Similar story and audience
More about The Western Tradition
Credits
- Created by
- Eugen Weber