East is East - Knowledge Network

The Wall
Tuesdays at 8pm, beginning September 27
This two-part documentary marks the memorable fall of the Berlin Wall, and shows how
ordinary people brought about momentous change. Features interview with three world
leaders pivotal to the events – German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, Soviet leader Mikhail
Gorbachev, and President George H.W. Bush.
The Last Days of the USSR
Tuesday, October 11 at 8pm
It’s been nearly 20 years since the Soviet Union collapsed. This vivid chronicle of the two
years leading up to the regime’s abrupt end features candid interviews with the main players
, among them Mikhail Gorbachev, who shares his own feelings and views, in hindsight,
on the history-changing events.
Vlast (Power)
Tuesday, October 18 at 8pm
Once the wealthiest man in Russia, Mikhail Borisovich Khodorkovsky was convicted of embezzlement
and money laundering after challenging the absolute power of Vladimir Putin.
His story gives an unvarnished picture of political upheaval, consolidation of power, and the
erosion of democracy in modern Russia.
Russia
On Tuesdays, Who Rules the World marks the 20 th anniversary of
the fall of the Soviet Empire with a look at Russia then, and now.
Stalin’s Back
Tuesday, October 25 at 8pm
Joseph Stalin is back. Or is he? Reporter John Sweeney travels more than 5,000 miles
through the old Soviet Union, from Stalin’s birthplace in Georgia to a former labour camp
in Russia, to find out why there’s been a comeback in Stalin’s popularity, and how history is
being rewritten under Putin’s rule.
How the Beatles Rocked the Kremlin
Tuesday, November 1 at 8pm
During the 60s, Beatlemania swept through the world – except for the Soviet Union, where
they were banned. Yet their music still managed to have a huge impact on the lives of
young Russians. This is the extraordinary story of a secret music revolution that helped
wash away the foundations of Soviet communism.
SEPT/OCT 2011 P RO G R A M G U I D E 5