Five years that profoundly shaped the world
IDEAS explores great political upheavals of the tumultuous 20th century
Two world wars, the collapse of empires, the birth of new nations — the 20th century was nothing less than a reset of the existing world order. Political and social orders of the past were replaced by new shapes and structures.
In this special series of panel discussions recorded at the Stratford Festival in July 2023, IDEAS focuses on five specific years of great upheaval during the 20th century, examining the remaking of social life, the civil rights movement, new gender roles, and the corrupting effects of power.
The Year 1919: Dividing the Spoils
After the First World War, the Western powers create new borders and carve out spheres of influence, leaders from the Global South fight for self-determination and a new future, unrest in China foreshadows the future, and the League of Nations and the Communist International are formed.
Guests in this episode:
Amitava Chowdhury is a historian and chair of the department of history at Queen's University. Much of his research is about global histories of diasporas within the British Empire, colonialism, identity and nationalism.
Renée Worringer is a professor of Islamic and Middle East history at the University of Guelph. She is the author of Ottomans Imagining Japan and A Short History of the Ottoman Empire.
Oleksa Drachewych is an assistant professor of history at Western University, focusing on the history of international communism, transnational human and civil rights movements, and transnational anti-imperialism.
The Year 1938: The Winds of War
On the eve of the Second World War, Hitler annexes Austria and escalates antisemitic persecution, Japan wages war on China, and the parallel collapse of democracy in both the East and West sets the stage for war.
Guests in this episode:
Deborah Neill is an associate professor of history at York University, specializing in the histories of Germany, France, European colonialism in Africa, and the history of colonial medicine.
Joseph Wong is a professor of political science and serves as the Vice President, International, for the University of Toronto. His books include From Development to Democracy: The Transformations of Modern Asia.
Tomaz Jardim is an associate professor of history at Toronto Metropolitan University, where he teaches courses on the World Wars and the Holocaust.
The Year 1963: Social Revolutions
Martin Luther King, Jr. leads a march on Washington, the Pan-African movement ushers in a new era for Africa, President Kennedy is assassinated, and the war in Vietnam heats up.
Guests in this episode:
Candace Sobers is an associate professor of Global and International Studies at Carleton University. She is a historian of Cold War international relations and intellectual history.
Paul Lawrie is a historian of Afro-America, whose research examines the intersections of race, labour, disability, urbanism and time in modern America.
Andrew Cohen is a professor of journalism at Carleton University. His latest book is Two Days in June: John F. Kennedy and the 48 Hours That Made History.
The Year 1973: The Dictators
Augusto Pinochet comes to power in Chile, and dictators rule Portugal, Greece, Uganda and beyond. The OPEC oil embargo sets the world on a new path. The American Supreme Court legalizes abortion in Roe v. Wade, 50 years before it would be overturned.
Guests in this episode:
Luis van Isschot is an associate professor of history and director of Latin American studies at the University of Toronto.
Akila Radhakrishnan is the former president of the Global Justice Center, where she leads its work to achieve gender equality and human rights.
Randall Hansen is a professor of political science at the University of Toronto. His latest book is called War, Work, and Want: How the OPEC Oil Crisis Caused Mass Migration and Revolution.
The Year 1989: Uprisings and Downfalls
The Berlin Wall comes tumbling down. There are democratic uprisings in Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Poland and Hungary. A riot in Tiananmen Square in Beijing is met with a fierce crackdown.
Guests in this episode:
Miglena Todorova is an associate professor in social justice education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. She studies politics, social relations, and the lives of women in former socialist countries and societies.
Sanjay Ruparelia is the Jarislowsky Democracy Chair at Toronto Metropolitan University. He studies the politics of democracy, equality, and development in the postcolonial world.
Arne Kislenko is a professor of history at Toronto Metropolitan University. He studies 19th and 20th-Century diplomatic history, U.S. foreign policy and modern southeast Asia.
To hear more from our exploration of hinge moments in history and how change happens, listen to the 2022 IDEAS at Stratford series.
*This series was produced by Pauline Holdsworth and Philip Coulter, with assistance from Annie Bender.
