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Imperium
13 December 2006 Volume 3, Issue 4 A year ago I flew to Rome to talk about world history with the largest gathering of history documentary film makers, the World Congress of History Producers. I had no idea what I was doing, really, but I had a conviction that the story of human history—and big history—needs film treatment.
As you probably know, publications like the Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History involve hundreds of top scholars, and amazing talent and knowledge. While I haven’t figured out quite how a small company like ours can move into such a challenging and expensive new area, I feel sure that with the right partnerships we can be involved in some wonderful new things, working with our existing networks of experts and creating new materials for your teaching, as well as for general audiences. These general audiences are interested in broad historic panoramas as well as the fascinating stories of the past, and who need them, too. As Bill McNeill pointed out in his introduction to the encyclopedia, “Genuinely inclusive world history is such a helpful, even necessary, guide for survival in the crowded world in which we live.” I have no doubt that you agree! A year later, I’ve just returned from the World Congress of History Producers, which took place this year in London. I’m more convinced than ever that we’ll be working with professional producers and film makers to tell the stories of history in different ways, in ways that will help all of us—and especially your students—to engage with world history, and to understand the global community we are part of. Musing on Rome and London, this issue of World History to Go focuses on the topics of empire and immortal leaders who lived during the Roman and British empires, respectively—Julius Caesar and Winston Churchill. Imperium
Synonymous With Ruler
Inside the Berkshire Encyclopedia:
For more on these subjects, see articles on British Empire, Roman Empire and World War II. Sir Winston Spencer ChurchillSir Winston Spencer Churchill, British politician and writer, is best known as his country’s prime minister during the Second World War. In 1940, when Britain looked defeated, he defiantly rejected any deal with Nazi Germany. Determined to fight on, he inspired his people with oratory that called them to be heroes. At the time of supreme crisis, he promised nothing “but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.” [. . .] Egocentric, energetic, and extravagant, Churchill often appeared larger than life. Although short in stature and unathletic in build, he seemed a giant. His image was that of a jaunty, confident, cigar-smoking, hard-drinking, bulldog-obstinate John Bull. Few people knew that he suffered from debilitating bouts of depression that he called his “black dog.” Other than his wife Clementine, he had few close friends. [From the article “Winston Churchill,” by David M. Fahey in the Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History.] 
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This Fleeting WorldI expect to do a lot of podcasting in 2007, as we begin to get our audio/video legs, and in the meantime I hope you’ll take a few minutes to listen to or watch the clips we’ve prepared from lengthy interviews with some of the leading figures in world history. These inspiring explanations of how the field you know and teach came to be, and why the work you do is so very important, come from William H. McNeill, and also from David Christian, whose guide for teachers, This Fleeting World, we’ll be publishing next year. With warm regards, |
The term empire derives from the Latin imperium, which originally meant the sovereignty held by a magistrate, but later evolved to refer to the authority that the ancient Romans established over much of Europe and the Near East. Its etymology indicates the main source and standard for its usage. The Roman empire became the archetype of what an empire should look like and how it should behave, a positive model for the Europeans who sought to emulate its achievements. In the east, the Byzantine empire kept its heritage alive for nearly a millennium. In the west, the Carolingian empire, the Napoleonic empire, the British empire, Hitler’s Third Reich, and various other expansionist European states consciously evoked the Roman empire in their iconography and ideological claims to legitimacy. The Roman model made its mark on European historiography as well, acquiring a prominent place in literature that sought to discern the patterns of history and distill its lessons. [From the article “Empire,” by Dane K. Kennedy in the 
(Gaius) Julius Caesar’s extraordinary talents and ambitions allowed him to expand Roman control, promote domestic reforms, and become the leader of Rome. [. . .] Caesar bridged the gap between the Republic and the Empire. As he had predicted, a civil war followed his death, and his grandnephew Octavian (Gaius Octavius Augustus) became Caesar Augustus, the first Roman emperor, in 27 BCE. Julius Caesar’s legacy includes his unquestioned abilities as a military commander and his reforms, including protections for Jews, which set the stage for an empire that would last five hundred years. His move toward a government dominated by one man stemmed the growing power of the generals and may have saved Rome as a unified empire. His name has become synonymous with ruler: the terms Kaiser and Czar are derivatives of Caesar. Other great leaders, such as Napoleon Bonaparte, sought to emulate his greatness, and Roman symbols were the inspiration for the styles of the French and other empires. William Shakespeare, the greatest of the English-language playwrights, immortalized the glorified Julius Caesar in his play of the same name. [From the article “Julius Caesar,” by J. David Markham in the
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