Introduction

A vivid account of a year regarded as one of history’s most fateful, as the escalated global conflict drew to a tragic close.

Outline

The series’ narrative thread is an examination of the power struggle over who will win the peace. The fight takes place between the big three wartime allies: The Soviet Union, Britain and America. Each country and leader is embedded in each programme as central characters; we become familiar with their approach and their particular cocktail of double-dealing.

This series documents the struggles of Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin in the last year of World War II as each sought to impose his conception of the post-war world on the others. The war would soon be over, but who would win the peace and dominate the world? The US wanted to convert the world to its blend of democracy and capitalism; Britain sought to re-impose the pre-war colonial system and stem the tide of communism; and the USSR sought to create as wide a zone of protection and dominion as possible. This comprehensive set of programs covers the attitudes and actions, the deceptions and double-dealings, the leaders and events that set the stage for the Cold War.

The five programmes follow a chronological order which enable us to track the shifting fortunes of the big three as a new world order is established. At the start of 1945 the Allies know that the war will be over – it is a matter of time – so while the actual military victory still has to be won the real intrigue takes place behind the scenes as World rule for the next 50 years is thrashed out.

1945: The Year That Changed The World Series

• Episode 01: The Beginning of the End.
• Episode 02: The End of the Dictators.
• Episode 03: Victory in Europe.
• Episode 04: The War in the Pacific.
• Episode 05: The Future Takes Shape.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s):
  • Gabi Kent.
  • Paul Oremland.
• Producer(s):
• Writer(s):
• Music:
• Cinematography:
• Editor(s):
• Production:
  • UKTV.
• Distributor(s):
  • Landmark Media (2004) (USA) (video).
• Release Date: 2004.
• Rating: Unknown.
• Running Time: 45 minutes (per episode).
• Country: UK.
• Language: English.

Video Link(s)