ARTE Distribution

As 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, have a look at our specially curated collection of powerful documentaries. These films provide a profound look at the events, stories, and untold experiences that shaped the course of the 20th century. This milestone invites remembrance, learning, and reflection on the enduring impact of the most destructive and devastating war in history.
 
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How did a failed coup d’état carried out by a handful of generals in July 1936 turn into one of the most brutal civil wars in history? Largely because of General Franco’s rallying who joined the insurgents with Hitler’s support.
For its part, the Republic realized that it was being abandoned by the Western democracies and could only count on the International Brigades - and on the limited, yet very interventionist, support of the USSR. 

Brazil, 1964. With support from the United States government, the first military dictatorship, also referred to as the Fifth Brazilian Republic, was established. Many opponents of the regime fled to Chile. But in 1973, with the support of President Nixon, General Pinochet overthrew Salvador Allende. Right-wing dictatorships across South America launched Operation Condor to coordinate their repression. Carter’s rise to power brought hope: he returned control of the Panama Canal to Panama and allowed the Sandinistas to take power in Nicaragua. But Reagan being elected in 1980, marked the beginning of a new era.

Spring 1939. After 1,000 days of fighting, 400 000 deaths, the guns finally fell silent. But that didn’t mean peace was back in the country. Franco continued his crusade against the Republicans who had dared to oppose his coup. By 1940, over 240 000 prisoners were crammed in concentration camps and between 150 000 and 200 000 people were missing. From then on, state Catholicism governed every aspect of Spanish life. Women were reduced to the roles of wives and mothers, and the babies of Republican women were taken from them. The resistance fighters who had continued the armed struggle against Franco never managed to overthrow him. Franco outlived his allies, Hitler and Mussolini.

Nicaragua then went through a bloody civil war where the Sandinistas and the “Contras”, who were backed by the United States, were opposed. In Panama, Manuel Noriega, a longtime ally of the CIA, turned his country into a drug hub before being overthrown during a US invasion. In Chile, the United States eventually turned its back on General Pinochet. While democracy was gaining ground across the continent, Venezuela was hit by a crisis. In 1992, Hugo Chávez attempted to carry out a coup d’état. Although he failed, he became a popular hero.

World history through a few major dates: history comes to life under our eyes with bold and entertaining visuals, revisited through the prism of memory.

A date is a snapshot, a flashback which requires crossing disciplines such as history, art, archeology and literature for a vibrant and sensitive reading of the past. It arouses our childhood curiosity, recalling when we dreamed of a time machine.
The series is conceived to potentially become a key reference in teaching history.