A documentary exploring the impact of racism around the world as part of the 200th anniversary of the abolitionist season. Beginning with an assessment of the impact of fifteenth-century relations between Europe, Africa, and the Americas, it examines how racist ideas and practices developed in major religious and secular institutions, and how they were developed by European philosopher Aristotle and in the writings of Immanuel Kant.
Consider the invention of scientific racism in the 19th century, an ideology that exploited now-discredited practices like phrenology and provided an ideological justification for racism and slavery. These theories eventually led to eugenics and National Socialist race policies. Some disturbing scenes.
The third and final episode of Racism: A History explores the impact of racism in the 20th century. By 1900, European colonial expansion had penetrated deep into the heart of Africa. Under King Leopold II, the Belgian Congo was transformed into a giant rubber plantation. The limbs of men, women and children who did not meet the latex quota were mutilated. When an estimated 10 million Africans died under colonial rule, the country became the scene of one of the worst genocides of the century. Contains scenes that some viewers may find disturbing.
Episodes include:
1. The Color of Money,
2. Deadly Influence, and
3. A Savage Legacy.
