CNN'S MILLENNIUM SERIES: THE 18TH CENTURY, THE CENTURY OF THE FURNACE {THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY} {EPISODE 8} (TV)
Summary
One in this ten-part miniseries documenting historical events and developments around the world in the individual centuries of the past millennium. This episode focuses on the 18th century. In Finland, explorer Pierre de Maupertuis led an expedition to Lapland, a region within the Arctic Circle, to conduct experiments to determine the exact shape of the planet. Believing that scientific observation could answer any question, he and his young team took shelter with the native Sami people and built signal towers at strategic locations. Over the course of two months, during which time they were dazzled by the Northern Lights, de Maupertuis and his team braved the extreme temperatures and measured the distances between the towers. When they compared their results to similar calculations from the equator, they correctly determined that the Earth was flattened slightly at its poles. In Portugal, on 1 November 1755, a massive earthquake killed over 10,000 people, causing many to believe it was the end of the world. The country’s leaders, however, chose to take the opportunity to improve the nation, and rebuilt the city of Lisbon in a new, geometric style, making technological updates and turning the city into “a symbol of the Enlightenment.” They took advantage of its proximity to waterways to increase trade and built a massive library that included the works of recent Enlightenment thinkers, including Immanuel Kant, who encouraged the people to “dare to find out.” An encyclopedia was published, although the Pope urged his followers not to possess it, as its scientific analyses of the world were thought to be in opposition to God. Reason became its own religion, and freemasonry made its first appearance. Mozart’s famous opera, “The Magic Flute,” reflected this conflict of strong religious ideals and a pursuit of reason and wisdom. In North America, Thomas Jefferson’s lavish home, Monticello, was his own tribute to Enlightenment. He and the other founding fathers, including Ben Franklin, saw the “new world” as a departure from the old, as explored in such documents as Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” and the Declaration of Independence, penned by Jefferson. This led to the Revolutionary War, and the British eventually surrendered in Yorktown in 1781, officially declaring the United States a free country in 1783. The French, however, were more interested in building “pleasure gardens” and discovering new political ideals in nature. King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, both supported the new ideas of indulgence and hedonism, failing to see how it angered the people. When revolution came in 1789, they were among the first to face the guillotine. India was an industrial giant during the 18th century, boasting a wealth of natural resources and a massive export of textiles. Because of their excellent trading system, Britain saw the nation as a “prize,” and took advantage of its unstable government to form strategic alliances and slowly took over parts of the country. In the autonomous kingdom of Mysore, Tipu Sultan was a Muslim leader determined to maintain control over several Hindu provinces, and when the British attacked, he fought back valiantly. The British demanded a large sum of money from Tipu and then, when he could not pay, two of his sons as ransom. Eventually, in 1799, the British attacked the capital, and Tipu died in battle, still celebrated as a hero today. This began Britain’s colonial rule over India, which greatly weakened it as a world power. China prospered due to its strong agriculture, and its population tripled. However, conquerors in the previous century had wiped out much of the country, and the emperor Kangxi desired revival and expansion. He led several successful battles against invaders, striving to improve the Szechuan province. New crops were sown, and a tax freeze on farmers led to an increase in both wealth and leisure for the people of China. Tea and tea houses became increasing popular social rituals, and much labor was required to make vast numbers of ornamental cups and teapots. Such was the overseas demand for the products that they soon came to bear the name of their country of original, “china.” The trade was strictly controlled by the state, which inevitably led to a great deal of smuggling. Another emperor, Qianlong, attempted to be generous in his trade laws, but this lead to trouble for China in the following century. Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: CNN
- DATE: November 28, 1999 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:00:00
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:90864
- GENRE: Documentary
- SUBJECT HEADING: Pat Mitchell Collection, The; History
- SERIES RUN: CNN - TV, 1999
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - "CNN's Millennium Series" home video and companion book
- TV - Commercials - 1800flowers.com website
- TV - Commercials - DuPont scientific products
- TV - Commercials - Ford Outfitters automobiles
- TV - Commercials - JB Oxford banking services
- TV - Commercials - Qwest internet provider
- TV - Commercials - RealEstate.com website
- TV - Commercials - Taj Indian resorts
- TV - Commercials - Zales jewelry stores
- TV - Commercials - britannica.com website
- TV - Commercials - icruise.com website
- TV - Promos - CNN's "Morning News"
CREDITS
- Pat Mitchell … Executive Producer
- Jeremy Isaacs … Executive Producer
- Jody Gottlieb … Coordinating Producer
- Neil Cameron … Producer, Director
- Gillian Widdicombe … Associate Producer
- Fiona Garlick … Assistant Producer
- Sarah Newman … Assistant Producer
- Xiaosong Atiyahh … Assistant Producer
- Janina Stamps … Line Producer
- Emma De'Ath … Series Producer
- Vivan Schiller … Senior Producer
- Felipe Fernández-Armesto … Based on the book by
- Richard Blackford … Music by
- Ben Kingsley … Narrator
- Marie Antoinette
- Pierre de Maupertuis
- Benjamin Franklin
- Thomas Jefferson
- Immanuel Kant
- Kangxi Emperor
- King Louis XVI
- Thomas Paine
- Qianlong Emperor
- Tipu Sultan
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart