Icons

Episode
Leaders
Broadcast Info
2019 (58 mins)
Description
The 20th Century was a time of extraordinary change. One hundred years of progress which shaped not only the society of the day, but generations to come. A century of seismic shifts, that saw countless breakthroughs and innovations, which would impact our world in ways never seen before. Behind this progress were incredible individuals who chose to defy convention, and in doing so changed the world forever. The life’s work of these Icons represent benchmarks now set for humanity - from scientists whose discoveries changed the life of billions and redefined what we know about our world, to the sports stars and explorers who pushed the boundaries of what humankind thought possible - their stories represent the pinnacle of society’s achievements. To select the Icons on the shortlist, juries were formed for each of the seven categories. These were made up of experts in each field, who selected the icons in each category, based on their achievements and their legacies. Tonight’s episode sees a man who has spent his career asking difficult questions of the people in charge, Sir Trevor McDonald, examine the lives of four of the 20th Century’s greatest leaders. 20th Century leaders oversaw great victories, unimaginable hardships, sweeping social change, and the worst conflicts in human history. This film charts some of the qualities that made the century’s most iconic leaders stand out, and we quickly learn that the scale of their responsibilities at times of great social change mean that their legacies are often far from straightforward. The programme also demonstrates how leadership changed over the course of 100 years - and the role emerging communication technologies played in that shift. In part because of what we wanted from them; our rulers went from men of empire, determined to maintain an established world order - to people with newly found freedoms, equally determined to start a new way of doing things. Newly emerging technologies affected not only what we saw and heard of the people in charge - but what we wanted from them. Trevor will examine the lives of Winston Churchill, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Margaret Thatcher and Nelson Mandela - he’ll discover exactly what made each of them stand out, and how we’re still living with their legacies to this day. Churchill - From the battlefields of the Boer war, to the blitzed streets of wartime London, Trevor examines the qualities that made Churchill such a towering figure in 20th Century leadership. Roosevelt - Paralysed from the waist down, FDR’s bold social and economic reforms turned a country on the brink of catastrophe into a superpower, and helped end World War Two along the way. Thatcher - Britain’s first female prime minister, Thatcher was marked out not only by her gender, but for pushing through reforms so bold they have shaped the political landscape ever since. Mandela - At the trial that saw him sent to prison, Mandela made a speech that galvanised international condemnation of Apartheid South Africa. 27 years later the former prisoner was made President.
Genre
History; Politics

How to cite this record

The Open University, "Icons". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ou/search/index.php/prog/232795 (Accessed 10 Jan 2025)