Historical Documentaries on Netflix
Last updated December 21, 2024
Ken Burns: The Civil War
1990 | NR | 4.2 out of 5 StarsThis documentary masterpiece from Ken Burns depicts the strategies and action of famous Civil War battles, and relates the stories of generals, field soldiers, politicians, heroes and a beleaguered president.
Details about Ken Burns: The Civil War
Ken Burns: The Civil War
1990 | NR | 4.2 out of 5 StarsThis documentary masterpiece from Ken Burns depicts the strategies and action of famous Civil War battles, and relates the stories of generals, field soldiers, politicians, heroes and a beleaguered president.
Details about Ken Burns: The Civil War
Ken Burns: The War
2007 | NR | 4.2 out of 5 StarsA seven-part series brings World War II to life through the harrowing personal accounts of a handful of soldiers and others from "typical" American towns, recreating visceral scenes of the battles at Omaha Beach, Guadalcanal, Okinawa and more.
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Ken Burns: The Dust Bowl
2012 | NR | 4.2 out of 5 StarsThis TV miniseries chronicles the worst man-made ecological disaster in American history, when a frenzied wheat boom on the southern Plains -- followed by a decade-long drought during the 1930s -- nearly swept away the breadbasket of the nation.
Details about Ken Burns: The Dust Bowl
Ken Burns: The War
2007 | NR | 4.2 out of 5 StarsDocumentarians Ken Burns and Lynn Novick bring the harrowing history of World War II to life through the personal accounts of a handful of participants from four "typical" American towns -- proving nothing was typical during this terrible time.
Details about Ken Burns: The War
Ken Burns: The Dust Bowl
2012 | NR | 4.2 out of 5 StarsThis TV miniseries chronicles the worst man-made ecological disaster in American history, when a frenzied wheat boom on the southern Plains -- followed by a decade-long drought during the 1930s -- nearly swept away the breadbasket of the nation.
Details about Ken Burns: The Dust Bowl
Ken Burns: Prohibition
2011 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsKen Burns's fascinating multipart documentary examines the history of alcohol in America, including the events leading up to the passage of the 18th Amendment, the social and legal effects of prohibiting alcohol, and the repeal of Prohibition.
Details about Ken Burns: Prohibition
Ken Burns: Prohibition
2011 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsKen Burns's fascinating multipart documentary examines the history of alcohol in America, including the events leading up to the passage of the 18th Amendment, the social and legal effects of prohibiting alcohol, and the repeal of Prohibition.
Details about Ken Burns: Prohibition
Hiroshima: BBC History of World War II
2005 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsThis fascinating documentary recounts the world's first nuclear attack and examines the alarming repercussions. Covering a three-week period from the New Mexico test blast to dropping the bomb on Hiroshima, the program chronicles America's political gamble and the planning for the momentous event. Archival film, dramatizations and special effects take viewers aboard the &NFi;Enola Gay&NFi_; and inside the exploding bomb.
Details about Hiroshima: BBC History of World War II
Ken Burns: The West
1996 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsHistorian and Oscar nominee Ken Burns and his talented team mine vintage photographs, music, maps, letters, newspapers and more to bring to life the struggles and challenges Americans faced in the 19th century as they embarked on westward expansion.
Details about Ken Burns: The West
Ken Burns: The West
1996 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsHistorian and Oscar nominee Ken Burns and his talented team mine vintage photographs, music, maps, letters, newspapers and more to bring to life the struggles and challenges Americans faced in the 19th century as they embarked on westward expansion.
Details about Ken Burns: The West
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975
2011 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsFrom 1967 to '75, a film crew aimed cameras at major figures in the Black Power movement, creating hours of footage that remained unreleased for decades. In clips, Stokely Carmichael, Huey P. Newton and Angela Davis discuss the movement's evolution.
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Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State
2005 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsIt was the site of the largest mass murder the world has ever seen, yet few people know its full history. This landmark series puts together the most complete history of Auschwitz, from the evolution of the camp to the mentality of the perpetrators.
Details about Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State
Lost Airmen of Buchenwald
2011 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis is a documentary feature that chronicles the little-known story of Allied airmen imprisoned at the Buchenwald Concentration Camp during WWII.
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Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State
2005 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis six-part documentary series tackles one of World War II's -- and history's -- most disquieting and repugnant subjects: the Holocaust and its infamous killing factory, the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.
Details about Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State
American Experience: Death and the Civil War
2012 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis film explores how the American Civil War created a "republic of suffering" and charts the far-reaching social, political and social changes brought about by the pervasive presence and fear of death during the war.
Details about American Experience: Death and the Civil War
Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust
2004 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsFilmmaker Daniel Anker examines Hollywood's depiction of the Holocaust and its incomprehensible atrocities in this award-winning documentary narrated by Gene Hackman and featuring interviews with Steven Spielberg and Sidney Lumet. Through film clips, newsreels, scholars' comments and firsthand accounts, the documentary also questions the responsibility of filmmakers in retelling history and the effects of film portrayals on the social psyche.
Details about Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust
Seven Wonders of the Industrial World
2003 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsThrough computer-generated and dramatic re-creations, this fascinating program reveals the stories behind seven of the most ambitious manmade achievements of the industrial age and the pioneers who helped construct them.
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Seven Wonders of the Industrial World
2003 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsThis documentary series reveals the stories behind seven of the most ambitious man-made achievements of the industrial age -- including the Brooklyn Bridge, the Panama Canal and the Hoover Dam -- and the pioneers who helped construct them.
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The Last Days
1998 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsDirected by James Moll and executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, this powerful, Oscar-winning documentary recounts the harrowing stories of five Hungarian Jews who endured the horrors of the holocaust and the reign of Adolf Hitler. In addition to the testimonials of the Hungarian subjects, the heart-wrenching film also includes accounts from U.S. soldiers who participated in the liberation of the Nazi death camps in 1945.
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In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great
1998 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsIn this BBC production, documentary filmmaker and historian Michael Woods retraces the footsteps of the legendary Alexander the Great as he traveled from Greece to India on a quest for glory.
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Kimjongilia
2009 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsMarked by a long history of repression and information control, North Korea continues to scrupulously monitor the activities of its citizens. This exposé reveals daily life under a totalitarian regime as well as the stories of prison camp survivors. Filmmaker N.C. Heikin draws on her artistic sensibility as a dancer and performer to craft a stylish documentary that bears a surprising message of hope and inspiration.
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Bobby Fischer Against the World
2011 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsFilmmaker Liz Garbus sheds light on one of the most enigmatic of 20th-century personalities: Bobby Fischer, a boy who rose to fame as a world-champion child chess prodigy and later found himself embroiled in Cold War-era politics.
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Alexandria
2010 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsHistorian Bettany Hughes delves into the history of Alexandria, Egypt, revealing the story of a city founded out of the desert by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C. to become the world's first global center of culture.
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The Mexican Suitcase
2011 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsThis film tells the story of the recovery of 4,500 negatives taken by photographers Robert Capa, Gerda Taro and David Seymour during the Spanish Civil War. The film follows the journey of these negatives to Mexico and their recovery 70 years later.
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