Civilization: Is the West History?
Channel 4, 1/6, series 1 A Tale of Two Rivers
8:00pm - 9:00pm, Sunday 06 March
After 500 years of Western dominance in world affairs Niall Ferguson wonders aloud, "Are we the generation on whose watch the Western ascendancy is going to end?" As China looks to reclaim the superiority it enjoyed back in the 15th century, when the Ming emperor dispatched vast ships around the world, Ferguson tells a fascinating tale of how small, squabbling European states such as Portugal and England overtook the mighty empire of the East to spread their own version of civilisation across the globe. Ferguson always relates history with a grand sweep: everything slots neatly into his big idea. In this case the theory is that Western dominance came from a number of 'killer apps' including science, democracy and - tonight's theme - commercial competition.
Radio Times reviewer - David Butcher
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Subtitled, High definition Radiotimes
