THE WEST

THE WEST is the New Culture Forum's landmark six-part documentary series exploring the history, achievements and genius of Western civilisation. Inspired by legendary TV programmes such as Civilisation, Kenneth Clark's 1969 masterpiece, The West is a bold reminder of who we are - and why our culture is worth defending.

  • "This documentary series is an honest yet straightforward exploration — and celebration — of a unique and remarkable history. It's beautiful to look at and inspiring to hear. It should not be missed."

    Andrew Klavan

  • "Congratulations on an incredible documentary - I learned so much about the history of our civilisation, which only makes me more determined to see it grow and prosper."

    Konstantin Kisin

  • "The West provides a huge public service in properly presenting the full story of Western civilisation and its achievements. Everyone should watch it to understand why our societies are as they are and why Western values need defending."

    David, Lord Frost

Ep 1.

Liberty or Death?

Whatever happened to Western self-confidence? NCF Senior Fellow Marc Sidwell introduces this landmark series, and investigates the mystery of how the West lost faith in itself after the end of the Cold War. We then turn to the even greater mystery – how did the West emerge from primitive poverty in the ruins of Rome to dominate the world? Debunking the myth that the West's exceptional achievements are founded on plunder and exploitation, we explore its unconventional and decidedly uncivilised origins in the rivalrous and individualistic culture of the barbarians and the patchwork of powers that emerged after the fall of Rome's empire in Western Europe. But the West's "long road to civilisation" would never have got started without a revolutionary faith from the East...

Ep 2.

The Christian Revolution

“These that have turned the world upside-down are come hither also!” In Episode 2, Marc Sidwell traces the influence of Christianity on the West, from its shocking arrival in Europe, to its encounter with Roman power and its adoption by the post-Roman barbarian world of the Franks and Saxons. The importance of women in spreading the faith gets particular attention – from Saint Photina to Queen Bertha of Kent and the remarkable story of Bathilde, slave turned liberator. Christianity’s revolutionary doctrines emphasised individual choice in line with god-given reason, and a spirit of moral equality that raised up the low and the weak – transforming Western society.

Ep 3.

Rule of Law

The West is a place where even kings must kneel before the law. Starting with the scourging of King Henry II for the murder of St Thomas a Becket, this episode explores how the West's uniquely decentralised and distributed structure unleashed human possibility. The competition between Western nations and the conflicting power centres within, including between church and state, created spaces in which shocking new ideas, projects and inventions could emerge and take hold. But it was the power of law to hold even kings and emperors to account – symbolised in the sealing of Magna Carta – which was the greatest secret of Western success.

Ep 4. Invention & Science

From the beginning, the West was technically innovative, embracing water mills to compensate for its lack of slave labour. This episode explores the story of how the ingenious West took that to new heights. We travel from the rational vision of creation offered by Christianity to the mechanical clocks and glass lenses of the Middle Ages, to the revolutionary discoveries of Isaac Newton and his successors. But the West’s dangerous inventions also upset established truths and leave us with the hardest question of all: how should we use the terrifying powers we have unlocked?

Ep 5. The Wealth of the West

Beginning with the age of exploration, this episode plunges into the West’s tumultuous and at times traumatic expansion out of Europe. From the accidental discovery of the Americas to the British Empire’s ending of the slave trade, Marc Sidwell offers a nuanced account of the West’s imperial and colonial phase. He also demolishes the persistent myth that slavery and plunder made the West rich, revealing instead the real answer: economic growth powered by industrial capitalism.

Ep 6.

Is The West History?

It has become easy, almost tempting to imagine the West in decline. In this concluding episode, Marc Sidwell argues that the West’s distributed, individual energy keeps it vibrant and capable of reinvention – so long as it does not lose touch with its own roots. The episode traces the two paths taken by the Enlightenment to illustrate the point. One path rejected Western tradition and led to totalitarianism, gulags and mass death. The other, consciously rooted in the Western past, produced the American dream, peace and plenty.