A View of Europe in the Twentieth Century
A television history in 13 parts Written and narrated by John Terraine
With personal comments by Peter Ustinov
3: A World to Win
The Mighty Continent in the first decade of this century was parading the rivalries of the European nations, their aspirations and their feuds. This programme reveals the other side of the coin.
Under the glitter of monarchy and aristocracy, Europe in 1900 was still chiefly a continent of peasants tied to the soil and the back-breaking labour of the fields. But we see the continent changing: a new industrial proletariat expanding. We see it formulating new demands to mitigate the harshness of industrial society. We see an artistic avant-garde also in revolt. In 1909 the Futurist, Filippo Marinetti , launched his manifesto: ' We wish to glorify war-militarism, patriotism, the destructive arm of the anarchist - the beautiful Ideas that kill.' The first decade produced the violent upsurge of all those who had, in Marx's words: ' A world to win.'
Film editor ALLAN TYRER
Associate producer BRIAN LEWIS Producer PETER MORLEY
Book (same title), £5.95, to be published on 28 November