{{Short description|British television documentary series}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} thumb|right|The Triumph of the West '''The Triumph of the West''' was a thirteen part BBC television series, with an accompanying book, 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.''<ref name="NYTimes">[https://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/17/arts/triumph-of-the-west-a-e-series.html New York Times Review By John Corry, September 17th 1986] Retrieved 12 July 2020</ref>
The series focuses on the origins and evolution of Western civilization, and the transformative challenges and influence it has exerted on the rest of the world.<ref name=imdb>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8561548/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 The Triumph of the West at the IMDB]</ref> The thirteen one-hour episodes examined the socio-economic, political, and cultural movements that helped shape world history. The programmes painted a broad canvas but avoided simplistic solutions, encouraging viewers to think and form their own conclusions.
==Episodes== * Episode 1 – Dangerous Gifts: the benefits and costs of Western influence * Episode 2 – A New Direction: Influences from Ancient Graeco-Roman and Judeo-Christian Culture * Episode 3 – The Heart of the West: The Middle Ages and Orbis Christiani * Episode 4 – The World's Debate: Islam and Christianity * Episode 5 – East of Europe: Byzantium and Russia * Episode 6 – The Age of Exploration * Episode 7 – New Worlds * Episode 8 – Age of Light * Episode 9 – Monuments to Progress: The Long Nineteenth Century * Episode 10 – India: The Ironies of Empire * Episode 11 – The East is Red: China in the Twentieth Century * Episode 12 – The Decline of the West (Two World Wars and The Great Depression) * Episode 13 – Capitulations: Third World countries learn the price of dependency on the West<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/Triumph-West-DVD-Complete-Discs/dp/B00MB92TXO The Triumph of the West Official DVD] Retrieved 13 July 2020</ref>
==Reception== In his ''Guardian'' obituary of Roberts, fellow historian Jeremy Black noted that "Far from offering attractive simplicities, [Roberts] treated his audience as intelligent, and offered food for thought."<ref name="Guardian">[https://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/jun/06/guardianobituaries.highereducation Guardian Obituary of John Roberts] Retrieved 13 July 2020</ref> In a critical article in ''The New York Times'', John Corry thought that some of Roberts's argument was idiosyncratic, while noting that the opening episode "concludes with Mr. Roberts walking by the sea, wondering why no Arab dhows or Chinese junks have ever docked in the British port of Southampton. At least it is a provocative question."
==See also== * People's Century * Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain * A History of Britain
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[http://bufvc.ac.uk/dvdfind/index.php/title/22117 British Universities Film and Video Council] Retrieved 12 July 2020 *[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01b0q1g The Triumph of the West at the BBC] Retrieved 12 July 2020 *[https://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/17/arts/triumph-of-the-west-a-e-series.html New York Times Review By John Corry, September 17th 1986] Retrieved 12 July 2020
{{DEFAULTSORT:Triumph Of The West}} Category:1985 British television series debuts Category:1985 British television series endings Category:1980s British documentary television series Category:English-language British television shows Category:BBC television documentaries about history during the 20th Century Category:British historical television series Category:BBC television documentaries about history during the 18th and 19th centuries Category:BBC television documentaries about history during the 16th and 17th centuries Category:BBC television documentaries about medieval history Category:BBC television documentaries about prehistoric and ancient history