Ideas like liberty, freedom, and self-determination were hot stuff in the late 18th century, as evidenced by our recent revolutionary videos. Although freedom was breaking out all over, many of the societies that were touting these ideas relied on slave labor. Few places in the world relied so heavily on slave labor as Saint-Domingue, France's most profitable colony. Slaves made up nearly 90% of Saint-Domingue's population, and in 1789 they couldn't help but hear about the revolution underway in France. All the talk of liberty, equality, and fraternity sounded pretty good to a person in bondage, and so the slaves rebelled. This led to not one but two revolutions and ended up with France, the rebels, Britain, and Spain all fighting in the territory. Spoiler alert: the slaves won. So how did the slaves of what would become Haiti throw off the yoke of one of the world's great empires? John Green tells how they did it, and what it has meant in Haiti and in the rest of the world.

Chapters:
Introduction: The Haitian Revolution
The Saint-Domingue Colony
Slavery in Haiti
Radical Petit Blancs
Toussaint L'ouverture Leads Saint-Domingue to Independence
Revolution Part 2: France Returns
An Open Letter to Disease
Haiti Gains Independence
Why the Haitian Revolutions Matter
Credits

In which John Green teaches you about European Imperialism in the 19th century. European powers started to create colonial empires way back in the 16th century, but businesses really took off in the 19th century, especially in Asia and Africa. During the 1800s, European powers carved out spheres of influence in China, India, and pretty much all of Africa. While all of the major (and some minor) powers in Europe participated in this new imperialism, England was by far the most dominant, once able to claim that the "sun never set on the British Empire." Also, they went to war for the right to continue to sell opium to the people of China. Twice. John will teach you how these empires managed to leverage the advances of the Industrial Revolution to build vast, wealth-generating empires. As it turns out, improved medicine, steam engines, and better guns were crucial in the 19th-century conquests. Also, the willingness to exploit and abuse the people and resources of so-called "primitive" nations was very helpful in the whole enterprise.

Chapters:
Introduction
Opium in China
The Treaty of Nanjing and British Control of Hong Kong
The Scramble for Africa
Why Europeans Previously Failed to Conquer Africa
How Technology Enabled European Colonization of Africa
An Open Letter to Hiram Maxim
African Resistance to European Invasion
European Domination Through Indirect Rule
Why Native Rulers Cooperated with Indirect Rule
Native Resistance to Imperialism Around the World
Khedive Ismail of Egypt & Business Imperialism
Credits

In which John Green teaches you about the Indus Valley Civilization, one of the largest of the ancient civilizations. John teaches you the who, how, when, where, and why of the Indus Valley Civilization, and dispenses advice on how to be more successful in your romantic relationships.

Chapters:
Introduction: Why Do We Study History?
What Does 'Civilization' Mean?
Characteristics of a Civilization
The Indus Valley Civilization
An Open Letter to Historians
What Happened to the Indus Valley Civilization?
Credits

In which John Green teaches you the history of the Indian Ocean Trade. John weaves a tale of swashbuckling adventure, replete with trade in books, ivory, and timber. Along the way, John manages to cover advances in seafaring technology, just how the monsoons work, and there's even a disembowelment for you Fangoria fans.

Chapters:
Introduction
Indian Ocean Trade
Monsoon Winds
How did trading work along the Indian Ocean?
An Open Letter to Kota Rani
Benefits of seaborne trade
How Indian Ocean trade facilitated the spread of technology
Indian Ocean Trade and the spread of Islam
Geography, Politics, and Indian Ocean Trade
Review

In which John Green teaches you the history of Islam, including the revelation of the Qu'ran to Muhammad, the five pillars of Islam, how the Islamic empire got its start, the Rightly Guided Caliphs, and more. Learn about hadiths, Abu Bakr, and whether the Umma has anything to do with Uma Thurman (spoiler alert: it doesn't). Also, learn a little about the split between Sunni and Shia Muslims, and how to tell if this year's Ramadan is going to be difficult for your Muslim friends. Let's try to keep the flame wars out of this reasoned discussion.

Chapters:
Introduction: Islam
Origins of Islam
The Quran
The Five Pillars of Islam
An Open Letter to the 72 Virgins
Sharia Law
Muhammad, Medina, and Mecca
The First Caliph
How did Islam spread?
The Islamic Empire's Legacy
Credits

In which John Green talks about the many revolutions of Latin America in the 19th century. At the beginning of the 1800s, Latin America was firmly under the control of Spain and Portugal. The revolutionary zeal that had recently created the United States and had taken off Louis XVI's head in France arrived in South America, and a racially diverse group of people who felt more South American than European took over. John covers the soft revolution of Brazil, in which Prince Pedro boldly seized power from his father, but promised to give it back if King João ever returned to Brazil. He also covers the decidedly more violent revolutions in Mexico, Venezuela, and Argentina. Watch the video to see Simón Bolívar's dream of a United South America crushed, even as he manages to liberate a bunch of countries and get two currencies and about a thousand schools and parks named after him.

Chapters:
Introduction: Latin American Revolutions
Spheres of Influence: Spain, the Catholic Church, and the Patriarchy
Latin American Culture
Brazilian Independence
Mexican Independence
Venezuelan Independence
An Open Letter to Simón Bolívar
The Legacy of the Latin American Revolutions
Credits

In which John Green teaches you about Sub-Saharan Africa! So, what exactly was going on there? It turns out, it was a lot of trade, converting to Islam, visits from Ibn Battuta, trade, beautiful women, trade, some impressive architecture, and several empires. John not only covers the West African Malian Empire, which is the one Mansa Musa ruled, but he also discusses the Ghanian Empire and even gets over to East Africa as well to discuss the trade-based city-states of Mogadishu, Mombasa, and Zanzibar. In addition to all this, John considers emigrating to Canada.

Chapters:
Introduction: African History
King Mansa Musa of Mali
Mali, the Berbers, and the Islamization of West Africa
An Open Letter to Ibn Battula
The End of the Malian Empire
The Swahili Civilizations of Eastern Africa
Credits

In which John presents Mesopotamia and the early civilizations that arose around the Fertile Crescent. Topics covered include the birth of territorial kingdoms, empires, Neo-Assyrian torture tactics, sacred marriages, ancient labor practices, the world's first law code, and the great failed romance of John's undergrad years.

Chapters:
Introduction: Ancient Mesopotamia
The City of Uruk
The Importance of Writing
Hammurabi
The Assyrians
An Open Letter to the Word 'Awesome'
What Happened to the Assyrians?
Credits

In which John compares and contrasts Greek civilization and the Persian Empire. Of course, we're glad that Greek civilization spawned modern western civilization, right? Maybe not. From Socrates and Plato to Darius and Xerxes, John explains two of the great powers of the ancient world, all WITHOUT the use of footage from 300.

Chapters:
Introduction
The Persian Empire
An Open Letter to Aristophanes
Ionian Greek City-States
The Persian Wars
The Peloponnesian War
Did the Right Side Win the Persian Wars?
Credits

In which John Green teaches you about the European Renaissance. European learning changed the world in the 15th and 16th centuries, but was it a cultural revolution, or an evolution? We'd argue that any cultural shift that occurs over a couple of hundred years isn't too overwhelming to the people who live through it. In retrospect though, the cultural bloom in Europe during this time was pretty impressive. In addition to investigating what caused the Renaissance and who benefitted from the changes that occurred, John will tell you just how the Ninja Turtles got mixed up in all this.

Chapters:
Introduction: The Renaissance
Themes in Renaissance Art
Humanist Scholars of the Renaissance Era
When was the Renaissance?
Why the Renaissance Happened in Italy
Florentine Textiles
How Islamic Scholars Helped Create the European Renaissance
An Open Letter to Copernicus
Why the Renaissance Didn't Happen
Credits

In which John Green explores exactly when Rome went from being the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire. Here's a hint: it had something to do with Julius Caesar, but maybe less than you think. Find out how Caesar came to rule the empire, what led to him getting stabbed 23 times on the floor of the senate, and what happened in the scramble for power after his assassination. John covers Rome's transition from city-state to dominant force in the Mediterranean in less than 12 minutes. Well, Rome's expansion took hundreds of years, he just explains it in under 12 minutes. The senate, the people, Rome, the caesarian section, the Julian calendar, and our old friend Pompey all make appearances, but NOT the Caesar Salad, as Julius had nothing to do with it.

Chapters:
Introduction: SPQR
The Roman Republic
The Roman Senate
Cincinnatus
Gaius Julius Caesar
The First Triumvirate: Pompey, Crassus, and Caesar
The End of Caesar's Reign
The Second Triumvirate: Octavian, Mark Antony, and Lepidus
An Open Letter to the Roman Senate
Power Struggles in the SPQR
The Punic Wars
Credits

In which John Green teaches you how Russia evolved from a loose amalgamation of medieval principalities known as the Kievan Rus into the thriving democracy we know today. As you can imagine, there were a few bumps along the road. It turns out that our old friends the Mongols had quite a lot to do with unifying Russia. In yet another example of how surprisingly organized nomadic raiders can be, the Mongols brought the Kievan Rus together under a single leadership and concentrated power in Moscow. This set the stage for the various Ivans (the Great and the Terrible) to throw off the yoke and form a pan-Russian nation ruled by an autocratic leader. More than 500 years later, we still have autocratic leadership in Russia. All this, plus a rundown of some of our favorite atrocities of Ivan the Terrible, and a visit from Putin!

Chapters:
Introduction
The Kievan Rus
Trade in 11th-century Kiev (Kyiv)
Leadership & Government in Kiev (Kyiv)
Mongol Rule and the Era of Appanage Russia
The Mongols' Influence on Russia
How did Moscow become so prominent?
An Open Letter to Basil and Basil
Ivan the Great (Ivan III) Expands Moscow's Power
Ivan the Terrible (Ivan IV)
Credits

In which John Green teaches you about Nationalism. Nationalism was everywhere in the 19th century, as people all over the world carved new nation-states out of old empires. Nationalist leaders changed the way people thought of themselves and the places they lived by reinventing education, military service, and the relationship between government and governed. In Japan, the traditional feudal society underwent a long transformation over the course of about 300 years to become a modern nation-state. John follows the course of Japanese history from the emergence of the Tokugawa Shogunate to the Meiji Restoration and covers Nationalism in many other countries along the way. All this, plus a special guest appearance, plus the return of an old friend on an extra-special episode of Crash Course.

Chapters:
Introduction: Nationalism
Nationalism Around the World
The Modern Nation-State
The Tokugawa Bakufu of Japan
The Meiji Era and Japanese Nationalism
An Open Letter to Public Education
The Dark Side of Nationalism
Credits

In which John teaches you about the Seven Years' War, which may have lasted nine years. Or as many as 23. It was a very confusing war. The Seven Years War was a global war, fought on five continents, which is kind of a lot. John focuses on the war as it happened in the Americas, Asia, and Africa. the "great" European powers were the primary combatants, but they fought just about everywhere. Of course, this being a history course, the outcomes of this war still resonate in our lives today. The Seven Years' war determined the direction of the British Empire and led pretty directly to the subject of Episode 28, the American Revolution.

Chapters:
Introduction: War
The Seven Years War: When, Where, and Why
The British vs. the French
Native American Participation in The Seven Years War
Fighting in the Caribbean, West Africa, and India
An Open Letter to Robert Clive
The Outcome of the Seven Years War
Credits

The Silk Road and Ancient Trade: In which John Green teaches you about the so-called Silk Road, a network of trade routes where goods such as ivory, silver, iron, wine, and yes, silk were exchanged across the ancient world, from China to the West. Along with all these consumer goods, things like disease and ideas made the trip as well. As is his custom, John ties the Silk Road to modern life, and the ways that we get our stuff today.

Chapters:
Introduction: The Journey of a T-Shirt
What Was the Silk Road?
Nomads, Caravans, and Traders
The Rise of Silk
An Open Letter to Billionaires
Economic Impact of the Silk Road
The Silk Road and Buddhism
The Silk Road and Disease
Credits

In which John Green explores how Spain went from being a middling European power to one of the most powerful empires on Earth, thanks to their plunder of the New World in the 16th and 17th centuries. Learn how Spain managed to destroy the two biggest pre-Columbian civilizations, mine a mountain made of silver, mishandle their economy, and lose it all by the mid-1700s. Come along for the roller coaster ride with Charles I (he was also Charles V), Philip II, Atahualpa, Moctezuma, Hernán Cortés, and Francisco Pizarro as Spain rises and falls, and takes two empires and China down with them.

Chapters:
Introduction
The Aztec Civilization
An Open Letter to Human Sacrifice
The Inca Civilizaiton
Spanish Conquistadors in South America
Spanish Silver Mines in the Americas
Charles V and Sons
Silver in China
Credits

In which John Green teaches you about the American Revolution and the American Revolutionary War, which it turns out were two different things. John goes over the issues and events that precipitated rebellion in Britain's American colonies, and he also explores the ideas that laid the groundwork for the new American democracy. Find out how the tax bill from the Seven Years' War fomented an uprising, how the Enlightenment influenced the Founding Fathers, and who were the winners and losers in this conflict. (hint: many of the people living in the Colonies ended up losers) The Revolution purportedly brought freedom and equality to the Thirteen Colonies, but they weren't equally distributed. Also, you'll learn about America's love affair with commemorative ceramics and what happens when rich white guys take the reins from rich white guys and put together a society of, by, and for rich white guys.

Chapters:
Introduction: The American Revolution
Tensions Rising: The Stamp Act, Townsend Act, and Boston Massacre
An Open Letter to Tea
How Colonists Protested Unfair Taxation
British Loyalists & Sympathizers
Revolutionary Ideas: No Taxation
All Men are Created Equal?
The Enlightenment
Changes After the American Revolution
Credits

In which John Green teaches you about the Cold War, which was occasionally hot, but on average, it was just cool. In the sense of its temperature. It was by no means cool, man. After World War II, there were basically two big geopolitical powers left to divide up the world. And divide they did. The United States and the Soviet Union divvied up Europe in the aftermath of the war and then proceeded to spend the next 45 years fighting over the rest of the world. It was a great ideological struggle, with the US on the side of capitalism and profit, and the USSR pushing Communism, so-called. While both sides presented themselves as the good guy in this situation, the COLD reality is that there are no good guys. Both parties to the Cold War engaged in forcible regime changes, built up vast nuclear arsenals, and basically got up to dirty tricks. If you had to pick a bad guy though, we would point out that the USSR had no intention of bringing Laika the Cosmonaut Dog home alive. That poor dog never had a shot.

Chapters:
Introduction: The Cold War
The conflict between the USA and USSR
Soviet Sphere of Influence post-WWII
An Open Letter to Joseph Stalin
The Marshall Plan, the Berlin Wall, and NATO
The Nuclear Arms Race
The Hot Parts of the Cold War
The Lukewarm Parts of the Cold War
First-World, Second-World, and Third-World Divisions
The Failures of Soviet Socialism
The End of the Cold War
Credits

In which John Green discusses the strange and mutually beneficial relationship between a republic, the city-state of Venice, and an Empire, the Ottomans--and how studying history can help you to be a better boyfriend/girlfriend. Together, the Ottoman Empire and Venice grew wealthy by facilitating trade: The Venetians had ships and nautical expertise; the Ottomans had access to many of the most valuable goods in the world, especially pepper and grain. Working together across cultural and religious divides, they both become very rich, and the Ottomans became one of the most powerful political entities in the world. We also discuss how economic realities can overcome religious and political differences (in this case between Muslims and Christians), the doges of Venice, the sultans of the Ottoman empire, the janissaries, and the so-called slave aristocracy of the Ottoman Empire, and how money and knowledge from the Islamic world helped fuel and fund the European Renaissance. Also, there's a They Might Be Giants joke.

Chapters:
Introduction
Venice
Venetian Trade
Piazza San Marco
Venetian Imports, Exports, & Economy
Venetian Government
The Ottomans
Ottoman Sultans
An Open Letter to Ottoman Eunuchs
The Ottomans' and Venetians' Relationship
Credits

In which John Green teaches you, at long last, about the most exceptional bunch of empire-building nomads in the history of the world, the Mongols! How did the Mongols go from being a relatively small band of herders who occasionally engaged in some light hunting-gathering to being one of the most formidable fighting forces in the world? It turns out Genghis Khan was a pretty big part of it, but you probably already knew that. The more interesting questions might be, what kind of rulers were they, and what effect did their empire have on the world we know today? Find out, as John FINALLY teaches you about the Mongols.

Chapters:
Introduction: Wait for it...The Mongols!
What does it mean to be a nomad?
Genghis Khan
An Open Letter to Genghis Khan's Descendants
The Mongols After Genghis Khan
Five Reasons the Mongols Were Awesome
Five Reasons the Mongols Weren't Awesome
Credits