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solidarity

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After decades of a communist regime in Poland, the creation of the first independent trade union behind the Iron Curtain was a decisive moment. In 1980 workers in the Lenin shipyard in Gdansk founded Solidarnosc (Solidarity), which eventually brought down communism.

How a Trade Union Defeated Communism

Solidarity

The story of Thomas Niedermayer, the German businessman abducted by the IRA.

In December 1973, the doorbell of the German Niedermayer family in Northern Ireland rings late at night: Renate, the younger of the two daughters, opens the door. Two men tell her that her father's car has been damaged in an accident. Thomas Niedermayer is already asleep, but Renate wake up her father. He goes outside and is abducted, becoming one of the many ‘disappeared’ in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, an event that affects his family for decades.

Face Down: The Killing of Thomas Niedermayer

Solidarność

Solidarność - La chute du mur commence en Pologne

Solidarność - Der Mauerfall begann in Polen

Solidarnosc

<p>After decades of a communist regime in Poland, the creation of the first independent trade union behind the Iron Curtain was a decisive moment. In 1980 workers in the Lenin shipyard in Gdansk founded Solidarnosc (Solidarity), which eventually brought down communism.</p>

The story of Thomas Niedermayer, the German businessman abducted by the IRA.

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In one day in April 1974, the Carnation Revolution in Portugal put an end to the Salazar dictatorship and five centuries of colonisation. This documentary is a blow-by-blow account of this momentous day that marked a turning point in the history of a nation and its people.

A blow-by-blow account of one momentous day that marked a turning point in the history of a nation and its people.

Portugal: April 1974

In April 1974, left-wing factions in the Portuguese military staged a coup against the authoritarian regime which had been in power for half a century. The uprising was largely peaceful and went down in history as the Carnation Revolution. But the path to a democratic Portugal was not easy and not without obstacles.

Carnations against Dictatorship

On the night of 24 April 1974, a peaceful uprising put an end to the Salazar dictatorship, paving the way for a democratic Portugal.

Portugal

Tracks East finds out how militarisation, migration, and an increasing polarisation within society are affecting the mood in Poland as elections approach.

The Polish Paradox

Tracks East finds out how militarisation, migration and an increasing polarisation within society are affecting the mood in Poland as elections approach.

Tracks East

Rowing, and the eight in particular, has a long tradition that is not just about sport: political influence, relationships and women's fight for equal rights have also played a major role. This documentary follows the German men's eight as it prepares for Paris 2024 as well as the historic Boat Race between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

With all eyes on the Olympic Games in Paris, the documentary sheds light on the myth of the eight-man rowing team.

Eight on Board: A History of Rowing

Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong was the most densely populated area on Earth. 33,000 people settled on 2.5 hectares of land that was disputed between Chinese and British - meaning neither country asserted its authority there. This vertical slum was a hotbed of crime, but also full of factories, cheap shops and a strong community. This is a case for Crazy Borders. 

Kowloon: The Lawless Super City

This vertical slum was a hotbed of crime, but also full of factories, cheap shops and a strong community.

Crazy Borders

Did you know that the last war between France and Spain took place in the 1970s? It was the war of the stop signs in Llívia, a Spanish town - but in France, in the Pyrenees. This bizarre quirk is due to a treaty signed centuries ago. This really is a case for Crazy Borders! 

Llivia, Between France and Spain

Did you know that the last war between France and Spain took place in the 1970s?

Forget bombardments, skirmishes, ambushes and attacks: The future of warfare is online.

Cyberwarfare

Stories of Conflict

If a woman gave birth at the top of Mont Blanc, what nationality would the child be? For France, of course, the baby would be French. But not for Italy! The quarrel has been going on since 1860, when the divison of territory at the top of the mountain was unclearly defined... leaving each country to interpret the boundary more or less as they saw fit. This really is a case for Crazy Borders!

Mont Blanc: A High Altitude Dispute

If a woman gave birth at the top of Mont Blanc, what nationality would the child be?

Bonuses and Extracts

Discover more

Across Europe, the far right is embedding itself into the political landscape and daily life. But behind an increasingly smooth and respectable façade lies an ideology that remains fundamentally racist and violent. An in-depth focus into an ecosystem of extreme ideology in France, Germany, and Belgium.

Inside Europe's Far-Right Movement

Across Europe, the far right is embedding itself into politics and daily life, but remains fundamentally violent and racist. 

White Power

Chinese men are suffering. There are simply not enough women to go around since China implemented its one-child policy in 1979.  This means that 1 in 5 Chinese men will not be able to find a partner in five years’ time.

ARTE Reportage

Chinese men are suffering. There are simply not enough women to go around since China implemented its one-child policy in 1979. 

China: Men without Women

Diwa is only 11 years old. She is one of the thousands of victims of a crime that is hardly reported on in Europe but which is causing havoc in the Philippines. She was raped by her parents, live on the internet, to satisfy the desires of foreign paedophiles who paid for the spectacle of her rape, giving instructions from a distance.

Philippines: Child Rape Online

Thousands of children in the Philippines have been abused, live on the internet. Report on a shocking crime.

From his standout performances in Walk the Line, Joker, and Gladiator, to his tumultuous private life, this biography traces the rise of a magnetic, committed actor who is also a fierce defender of his privacy and a campaigner for animal rights.

An Actor of Extremes

From performances in Walk the Line, Joker, and Gladiator, this biography traces the rise of a magnetic actor

Joaquin Phoenix

AIR perform their iconic album Moon Safari at London's prestigious Royal Albert Hall. Return to the tail end of the 1990s with this exceptional concert, when the "French Touch" scene was conquering hearts and minds from the European continent to Hollywood.

Royal Albert Hall

Air bring their totemic French Touch founding album to London's Royal Albert Hall.

Air play "Moon Safari"

On 4 April 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty was signed, enshrining the creation of NATO just four years after the end of the Second World War. The primary objective of this military alliance of twelve European and North American countries was to prevent war in Europe and to counter the expansion of the Soviet bloc. Since its creation in the Cold War, the organisation has grown from 12 to 31 member states - including several former Eastern Bloc nations. Weakened by its turbulent history, NATO is facing a growing number of challenges: the difficulty of coordinating its members, the logistical obstacles in the event of an attack on European soil, and the threat, raised by Donald Trump, of an American withdrawal, at a time when European defence is almost entirely dependent on the United States.

A look back at the turbulent history of the military alliance facing unprecedented challenges in the face of Putin's Russia.

Putin, NATO, and Europe

The former President of the United States is on a roll with some polls showing him favourite to win the election scheduled for November 2024. But what does he want to do if elected? A potential Trump second term is likely to be more radical than his first.

But does Donald Trump want to do if re-elected president? A potential second-term could be more radical than his first.

USA: Trump's Radical Election Programme

Melbourne in 1986, a newsreader (Anna Torv) and a young reporter (Sam Reid) team up in the hope of getting ahead in their careers. This Australian series takes us behind the scenes of a TV news programme in a fast-paced drama.

1980s Melbourne is the setting for this smart drama taking us behind the scenes of the cuthroat world of TV news.

The Newsreader

During the first televised debate of the 2024 US presidential elections, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris laid our their clearly different visions for foreign policy. Whereas Harris called for multilateralism with America’s allies, Trump set out his transactional ‘America First’ approach.

Trump-Harris: Opposing World Views

During the first debate of the presidential elections, Trump and Harris laid our their clearly different visions for foreign policy

Mapping the World Essentials

Entire generations have learned about sex through mainstream porn, blurring the lines between personal desires and platform-driven fantasies. But if our sexuality is shaped by algorithms, can’t we take back some control? The post-porn movement is doing exactly that. Aimed at creating pornography that reflects honest, consensual sex – its creators are making waves online.

Can Post-porn Awaken Our True Desires?

What if porn reflected our true desires? Post-porn aims to be more ethical, more honest and more revolutionary.

Tracks

Yetundey is originally from Leipzig and mixes styles and influences. Layla Boe wants to make the German language smoother in her music.

Germany

Girlhood - Women in Rap (1/4)

In Paris and other French cities, a new wave of cabaret is renewing the artform. The glittering and glamourous shows are often queer, self-referential, political, and very funny. Tracks takes you into the liminal spaces of the new underground cabaret.

Punk, Glitter, Glamour: The New Underground Cabaret

Tracks takes you into the liminal spaces of the new underground cabaret in France which is often queer, political, and very funny.

Julia Fischer sublimates Brahms's Violin Concerto alongside the Orchestre National de France, conducted by Cristian Măcelaru. An eclectic programme that also highlights works by Elsa Barraine and Claude Debussy.

Brahms, Debussy and Barraine

Julia Fischer performs Brahms's Violin Concerto with the Orchestre National de France.

Cristian Măcelaru & Julia Fischer

Saudi Arabian citizens are languishing in prison, and some have even been sentenced to death. Their crime: they resisted expropriation of their homes for the Neom project, the city of the future built on a 170km line in the desert that is Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s pet project.

Saudi Arabia: Victims of Neom

Opposing the Neom project in Saudi Arabia can get you put in prison or killed.

Data Sources

One third of the Latvian population is Russian, a hangover from the Soviet past. The Latvian and Russian speaking communities have been living side by side since independence in 1991 but this cohabitation is not always easy. The government has taken a tougher stance on the integration of Russian speakers since the war in Ukraine, with some now risking deportation.

The Latvian authorities are taking a tougher stance with the country’s Russian-speaking minority since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Re: Latvia’s Unwanted Russians

In 1983 legendary London gay-club Heaven was the setting for a memorable performance by Eurhythmics. The band had recently broken through into the mainstream and Annie Lennox had just become a global pop icon.  

In 1983 legendary London gay-club Heaven was the setting for a memorable performance by newly-famous pop duo, Eurhythmics.

Eurythmics Live from Heaven

Ever more people are travelling abroad for medical procedures. Hungary is a major destination for dental health tourism from Germany as the price for implants and crowns are significantly cheaper whereas wealthy individuals from Russia and the Arab world come to Germany for the health sector’s reputation for quality care.

Going Abroad for Treatment

Ever more people are travelling abroad for medical procedures with Hungary a major destination for dental health tourism.

Re: Health Tourism

The number of migrants crossing the border from Mexico into the USA has increased over the last few years. The USA’s southern frontier and how to welcome (or not) migrants into the states is a major issue at this year’s presidential elections. ARTE visited both sides of the border to find out more about this burning issue.

USA: Trump's Wall

In spite of Trump’s wall, thousands of migrants are continuing to cross the border from Mexico into the United States.

In a career spanning more than half a century, Alain Delon made over 80 films, thrilling audiences and critics alike with his performances. .As the world-famous French actor passed away on 18 August at the age of 88, we say goodbye to a legend of cinema.

As the world-famous French actor passed away on 18 August at the age of 88, we say goodbye to a legend of cinema.

SolidarityHow a Trade Union Defeated Communism

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