Search results for: japan
Japan in the Heian Period and Cultural History: Crash Course World History #227
In which John Green teaches you about what westerners call the middle ages and the lives of the aristocracy…in Japan. The Heian period in Japan lasted from 794CE to 1185CE, and it was an interesting time in Japan. Rather than being known for a thriving economy, or particularly interesting politics, the most important things to…
Read MoreJapan, Kabuki, and Bunraku: Crash Course Theater #23
We’re headed back to Japan, this time in the Edo period to follow up on Noh theater, which had gone out of style last time we checked in. Now, under the Shoguns, there are a couple of really interesting types of drama on the scene. Kabuki is a sort of successor to Noh, with wilder…
Read MoreHow Did Religion Spread Along the Silk Road?: Crash Course Geography #31
Today we’re going to talk about the collection of routes known as the Silk Roads, and explore how worldview and other ideas spread along those trade routes. The Silk Roads are responsible for everything from the spices we use when we cook to the cloth we see as beautiful, but today we’re going to focus…
Read MoreWorld War II: Crash Course European History #38
Only a couple of decades after the end of the First World War–which was supposed to be the War that Ended All Wars–another, bigger, farther-flung, more destructive, and deadlier war began. Today, you’ll learn about how the war in Europe progressed, from the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and the invasion of Poland to the Western and Eastern…
Read MoreEconomic Depression and Dictators: Crash Course European History #37
We’re still leading up to World War II, but first, we gotta talk about the rise of the dictators. Today we talk about the rise of militaristic dictatorships in Germany, the Soviet Union, Japan, and Spain, and the economic depression that set the stage for their rise. Sources -Hunt, Lynn et al. Making of the…
Read MoreWorld War II, A War for Resources: Crash Course World History #220
In which John Green teaches you about World War II, and some of the causes behind the war. In a lot of ways, WWII was about resources, and especially about food. The expansionist aggression of both Germany and Japan was in a lot of ways about resources. There were other reasons, to be sure, but…
Read MoreWorld War II: Crash Course World History #38
In which John Green teaches you about World War II, aka The Great Patriotic War, aka The Big One. So how did this war happen? And what does it mean? We’ve all learned the facts about World War II many times over, thanks to repeated classroom coverage, the History channel, and your grandfather (or maybe…
Read MoreCommunists, Nationalists, and China’s Revolutions: Crash Course World History #37
In which John Green teaches you about China’s Revolutions. While the rest of the world was off having a couple of World Wars, China was busily uprooting the dynastic system that had ruled there for millennia. Most revolutions have some degree of tumult associated with them, but China’s 20th-century revolutions were REALLY disruptive. In 1911…
Read MoreSamurai, Daimyo, Matthew Perry, and Nationalism: Crash Course World History #34
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…
Read MoreWorld War II, Part 2 – The Homefront: Crash Course US History #36
In which John Green teaches you about World War II, as it was lived on the home front. You’ll learn about how the war changed the country as a whole and changed how Americans thought about their country. John talks about the government control of war production, and how the war probably helped to end…
Read MoreJust Say Noh. But Also Say Kyogen: Crash Course Theater #11
This week on Crash Course Theater, Mike is taking you to Japan to have a look at Noh theater. Noh and its counterpart, Kyogen, are some of the most revered theater forms in Japan and are still performed today. Today you’ll learn how Noh grew out of traditional Shinto dances, what a Noh theater looks…
Read MoreMythical Mountains: Crash Course World Mythology #33
Our mythical places series continues, and this week Mike Rugnetta is talking about some stories that revolve around mountains. Mountains loom large in human stories, not least because mountains are, well, large. So ascend with us to the lofty peaks of The Ten Thousand Treasure Mountain in China, and Mount Fuji in Japan.
Read MoreGreat Goddesses: Crash Course World Mythology #13
This week on Crash Course Mythology, we’re talking archetypes. Specifically, we’re talking about archetypes as they’re applied to female deities. Goddesses, man. You’ll learn about prehistoric fertility goddesses like the Venus of Willendorf, and life and death goddesses like the Ancient Greek Fates and the Norse Norns. And we’ll learn about regeneration goddesses like Ireland’s…
Read MoreSocial Orders and Creation Stories: Crash Course World Mythology #5
In which Mike Rugnetta sits you down for a little talk about myth as a way to construct or reinforce social orders. Specifically, we’re going to look today at stories from around the world that establish or amplify the idea that the errors of women have brought bad things into the world. We’re talking about…
Read MorePlaystation and More Immersive Video Games: Crash Course Games #9
So by the mid-90s, the video game industry was once again booming and this attracted the attention of the Japanese electronics giant Sony. In 1994, Sony introduced their Playstation console which successfully coupled cutting-edge technologies with some great games. But Nintendo and Sega weren’t just sitting around. In the 90s, we would see the introduction…
Read MoreNintendo and a New Standard for Video Games: Crash Course Games #7
So we ended the last episode with the North American Video Game Crash of 1983, and even though the video game market had collapsed in the United States, demand for video games remained strong in Europe and Asia. Nintendo of Japan, originally a playing card company, which had seen some success in arcades, saw this…
Read MoreWorld Cinema – Part 1: Crash Course Film History #14
The world is a big place and cinema isn’t limited to just the U.S. and Europe. There are a lot of vibrant and influential film movements and cultures from all over the world. In this episode of Crash Course Film History, Craig talks to us a little about some of the big moments in Asian…
Read MoreThe Cold War and Consumerism: Crash Course Computer Science #24
Today we’re going to step back from hardware and software, and take a closer look at how the backdrop of the cold war and space race and the rise of consumerism and globalization brought us from huge, expensive codebreaking machines in the 1940s to affordable handhelds and personal computers in the 1970s. This is an…
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