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Life or Death: The Battle Over Capital Punishment

Documentary

TV-14

47

Jun 23, 1996

At the close of the 20th Century, few subjects generate as much passion as the death penalty. But it wasn't always that way.

Season 1, 33 episodes

season 1 (33 episodes)

Monsters in our Midst,

Join Mike Wallace as he investigates the mind of the serial killer, from Charles Manson to Wayne Williams, and what drives them to their crimes.

Diplomacy and Conspiracy,

President Richard Nixon's trip to China and the Watergate break-in.

The TET Offensive and the Anti-War Movement,

In 1968 the Vietcong staged a series of attacks across South Vietnam even gaining ground in Saigon. Despite being a military disaster, the offensive provided more ammunition for the anti-war movement.

The role of the First Lady has always been defined by the women who occupy it. Take a look at some of the most influential First Ladies of our times.

Earthquakes: Living on the Edge,

Firsthand look at how people cope with living on fault lines. See what happens when powerful earthquakes strike densely populated urban areas and how those cities respond.

The Changing Face of Warfare,

Future wars will be won or lost because of the technology and information available to military commanders.

Crisis in Space: The Real Story of Apollo 13,

The real story of the third mission to land on the moon and the four days when NASA struggled to save three astronauts from becoming lost in space.

Hurricanes: Natural Born Killers,

What caused the worst natural disaster in world history, creating billions of dollars in damage, and devastating an entire city - it's a hurricane.

The Search for Hoffa and Hughes,

The story of two powerful and influential men of the 20th Century.

Mobsters & Mayhem: The Story of John Gotti,

As long as there has been organized crime in New York engaged in extortion, racketeering, theft, intimidation, drugs, murder and mayhem, there has been a public fascination with mobsters operating outside the law.

Gang Violence in America,

Gangs have been around as long as there have been cities and towns, but in the late 20th century there was an explosion of gang growth and not just in big cities.

Ronald Reagan and the Rise of the Right,

Examine the nation's historic shift to the Right because of one leader, who, with a generous spirit and oratorical mastery, was able to move a country in a new direction.

Life or Death: The Battle Over Capital Punishment,

At the close of the 20th Century, few subjects generate as much passion as the death penalty. But it wasn't always that way.

Vietnam: A Soldier's Diary,

Take a close up look at what it was like, day to day, fighting in Vietnam, and how America's' changing war policy affected soldiers' attitudes on the war and how that changed their daily lives in Vietnam.

In homes across America, there were images of unimaginable violence: four white police officers viciously beat a man on the ground. Years of accusations of police brutality suddenly became flesh and blood in a man named Rodney King.

Televangelists,

The practice of Evangelism, the spreading of the Christian Gospel, is as old as Christianity itself, but the advent of television gave the Christian crusaders a new and powerful means of communication.

In l966 Charles Whitmore barricaded himself in the bell tower at the University of Texas and randomly shot 31 people as they walked the college campus.

From the muskets of the Revolutionary War to the high-powered assault weapons of the late 20th Century, guns -- and the "Right Of The People To Keep And Bear Arms" -- have been as American as apple pie.

Falsely Accused,

Has America's quest for justice turned into a rush to judgment? False accusations and the conviction of the innocent.

Military Debacles,

The politics and the high cost of not understanding the application of military power.

The Iran-Contra Scandal,

In 1986 Ronald Reagan was one of the most popular Presidents in American history. But all that was suddenly shattered by a series of startling disclosures that rocked the White House to its foundations. The scandal that came to be known as Iran-Contra.

Cuba and Castro,

The 20th Century looks back at Fidel Castro, his Communist revolution and forty years of confrontation with the United States.

Boris Yeltsin's Russia,

In 1991 Boris Yeltsin became the first man in a thousand years to be elected by the people to be Russia's head of state.

Pioneers in Space,

Look back at the early days of America's space program and the race to space with the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War.

The Failure of National Health Insurance,

The failure of National Health Insurance chronicles the birth and death of the Clinton health care plan.

McCarthy Reconsidered,

The infamous and long-controversial cases of Alger Hiss and Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, and the role of the American Communist Party in spying for the Soviet Union, and the dramatic rise and fall of Joe McCarthy.

The massacre of the Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972 by members of the Palestine Liberation Organization set off a new wave of hostage taking for publicity that peaked in the 1970's and 1980's.

Profiling Killers,

In response to the plague of people who kill and killed again, the FBI created a new technique in the 1970’s to help track them down.

A look into lone madmen and political activists who used bombs to terrorize the American public, and the difficulty law enforcement had tracking down these bombers who became more sophisticated and dangerous.

Cons, Scams & Swindles,

Scams come in a never-ending variety of forms: The TV marketing con that promises investors returns of more than a hundred thousand dollars for an up-front payment of $10,000, and the "sweetheart swindler" who steals women's hearts and their money.

This episode of 20th Century relives four of the century's great rescues.

Murderous Rage,

In the last two decades of the 20th Century, there was a dramatic increase in acts of murderous rage. Many of those explosive acts occurred at the workplace by disgruntled workers.

Caught in the Act,

Mike Wallace chronicles the history of embarrassing moments when the United States government has been caught committing major errors.

Details

20th Century with Mike Wallace

Documentary

TV-14

1

47

Anchored by Mike Wallace, The 20th Century recounts major world events using classic television footage by CBS News and archive footage of the CBS reporters covering the events as they unfold.

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