“The big story,” historian Niall Ferguson argues, is that after 500 years of Western domination, “the world is tilting to the East.” In this absorbing two-part documentary, the Harvard professor travels to Beijing, London, Turkey, and Peru to elucidate his theory that the West long benefited from its embrace of “six killer apps”: competition, science, democracy, medicine, consumerism, and a strong work ethic. The history he traces and the future he predicts add up to a fascinating cautionary tale. Tuesdays, May 22 and 29, at 8 p.m., PBS; check local listings
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.