Mussolini seized power in Italy in 1922, after his March on Rome. He would hold it in his grasp until his death in 1945, establishing a dictatorship that lasted more than 20 years. Long considered a buffoon and a second-rate dictator, Il Duce invented fascism that was imitated by Hitler, who viewed the Italian as his political master. He wanted to transform his country into a warrior nation and promised Italians a return to the grandeur of the Roman Empire. He governed by violence and trickery and was one of the first populist leaders of modern times, leading his country into the catastrophe of the World War II. But who was Mussolini, this former teacher who came from the extreme left to become a newspaper editor and creator of the Fascist Party? Why did he ally himself with Hitler? Were the Italians really behind him? With archives and interviews with the last-surviving witnesses of the era, this portrait takes a look back at one of the most notorious dictators of the 20th century.
The decline of Hitler’s empire from the inside out by exploring the decline of the Nazis through the perspective of Hitler's bumbling generals and a paranoid Fuhrer.
Hitler’s Secret Sex Life exposes the myriad of rumours, theories and disputed historical accounts of Adolf Hitler's sexual psychology. There is no shortage of experts on Hitler's sex life who consider his predictions to be a barometer of the dictator's twisted psyche. Each episode will address a specific time period of Hitler's alleged and proven sex life and explores the role it played in shaping his behaviour.
Beneath the big marquee names of WWII was the magnificent layer of heroes who performed with enormous valour but made few headlines - this is their story.
Late in the 10th century, the Liao dynasty is at the zenith of its power. The omnipotent Liao rule much of what is now Northeast China, Mongolia, Russia, and much of the Korean Peninsula. Prime Minister Xiao Si Wen and Princess Yan have three daughters, with the youngest, Xiao Chao, their favourite. Her heart belongs to the aspiring military commander, Han De Rang, whose family have served the Liao loyally for decades. However, her parents have other plans, sucessfully arranging her marriage to Liao Emperor, Jin Zhong, whom she eventually concedes to marry. As the Emperor’s queen, she becomes a fierce defender of the Liao by assisting in mobilizing the army, heading a 10,000-strong cavalry and providing support to the civil administration. Eventually, she will earn the title of Empress.
Politician Peter Laurence's private life is falling apart. Shamelessly untroubled by guilt or remorse, he seeks to further his own agenda whilst others plot to bring him down. Can he out-run his own secrets to win the ultimate prize?
The most eminent fighters in human history, detailing the greatest achievements on the battlefields, command of their armies, brilliant strategies and unique fighting styles that enabled them to conquer their enemies in overwhelming force.
Nearly 1,000 years ago, the Vikings left Scandinavia and settled across Europe - giving their name to Normandy along the way - before their Norman descendants seized the English throne at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. But what do we really know about them? By combining expert analysis with compelling drama, 'The Last Journey of the Vikings' (Swedish title: 'Vikingarnas sista resa') tells a new and often surprising story about this complex people.
For nearly 25 years, Harald Sandner, a history enthusiast, has accurately traced the Führer's itinerary from one place to another, from his childhood to the end of his life.
Where was he ? Where was he sleeping? Where did he lead the war? How was he moving? Which places have witnessed the biggest decisions?
Harald Sandner left nothing to chance. We will film his unique and exclusive discoveries. A collection that enters for the first time into the details of the daily life and life of the most bloodthirsty dictator of the twentieth century with the aim of decrypting the premises of the Nazi ideology.
Polina Lebedeva, daughter of the childless prince Alexei Petrovich Golovin, is the most enviable bride of the Yamburg district. During the ball in honor of her birthday, Alexei Petrovich dies of a heart attack. This grief is only the beginning of hard trials, destined for the girl ..
Myths die hard, and the history of the 20th century is no exception to this rule. Even today, we hold popular beliefs that we take for Evangelical truths. Thus, we believe that Hiroshima caused Japan to surrender, that the Marshall Plan saved Europe, that Adolf Hitler was a military genius, or that Mao Zedong was a necessary evil for China’s modernization. Of course, these judgements contain some truth; but, too broad-stroked to be accurate, they contradict the historical reality by denying its complexity. What if the truth was slightly different? Through an exploration of great national or international myths, this full archive documentary collection revisits the key moments of the 20th century with a new perspective in order to provide a new, smarter and more subtle interpretation, bringing elements to light that have been forgotten or sometimes overshadowed.
Actor and British national treasure Sir David Jason travels around the UK and beyond to reveal the secret places and people who act as guardians and gatekeepers of the incredible but true story of Britain’s spy history.