Crash Course is the teacher everyone wishes they had, insightful but with a great sense of humor. The channel was co-found by vlogbrothers creators, John and Hank Green four years ago and has gone on to offer series on topics ranging from biology to economics. Each video gives an overview of a topic that could take up a weeks worth of class time, in about 15 minutes apiece.
This set includes videos from the US History, World History and World History 2 series, all of which are hosted by John Green, who you also might know as the author of Young Adult novels such as The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska. Without further-a-do, here are the Crash Course history videos you need to see.
Did you know that the southern states used to vote almost exclusively for democrats? This video discusses the rise of Conservatism as a reaction to the liberation movements we are more inclined to discuss today and how Richard Nixon gave a voice to a silent majority.
Most think that China is a Communist nation as a result of the Revolution of 1949, but how about the Revolution of 1911 which put an end to over 2000 years of Dynasty's in the nation? John talks about the importance of this movement, and how disastrous the following decades were to come for China after the Revolution failed to unify the country under one government.
The cause of famine is not just national disaster or drought. John reminds us of the infamous famine in the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin. However, he also brings up a less discussed series of famines in India in the late 19th century. These famines bring up many of the reasons famine can occur outside of weather pattern.
Bill Clinton was great, right? As John has pointed out before, history resists simplicity. With a discussion mostly focused on domestic policies, we begin to understand how the centrist-democratic platform made Clinton electable but also pushed him to make some decisions that make his legacy questionable.
The Dark Ages is thought of as an unenlightened era, which is only remotely true when looking at Europe where the Western Roman Empire had collapsed and trade had decreased. John discusses how during this same period in the Islamic world, there was great intellectual progress.
Disease has, in part, shaped the world we live in. We like to believe history is human-centric, but as John points out, there are many other factors on this planet besides us, and until recently diseases controlled us, not the other way around. He goes in depth on how disease was documented (or not) in history and how it may be the reason the world became Eurocentric.
Bottomline: Crash Course makes learning fun for those who are apathetic about traditional lectures. So whether it's for a quick refresher before an exam or just for the sake of learning, Crash Course probably has it.
