Rear Vision — How History Shaped Today

Rare earth minerals are in the headlines. Their supply and who control’s them, are ringing alarm bells, as Tariff negotiations put world trade on edge. Rear Vision looks into their backstory, their significance, and their role in today's geopolitics.

Periods of rapid technological and social unrest are not unique. Over 100 years ago, many of the same conditions existed. What can we learn from this period in American history known as The Gilded Age - and what might it tell us about where the country is heading.

Rear Vision puts contemporary events in their historical context.

100 years ago there were more electric vehicles on the road than gasoline or petrol cars.

Last Sunday a far-right anti-European candidate won the first round of the Romanian presidential election with 40 per cent of the vote. The stage is now set for the second-round runoff between the far-right candidate George Simion and the progressive pro-European Mayor of Bucharest Nicusor Dan. So why has a far-right candidate done so well in Romania and how might the election result reshape Romania and possible the European Union?

Kashmir is a mountainous region bordering India and Pakistan. The Pakistanis will tell you that Kashmir is in the north east corner of Pakistan. The Indians, that it is in the north west corner of India. Today on Rear Vision we take a look at the long history of this dispute.

As the world becomes an increasingly dangerous and uncertain place – how prepared are we in Australia to face these new challenges? This week on Rear Vision the story of one nation that take security and preparedness very seriously – Finland.

Chocolate is one of our most popular indulgences but there is a darker side to the industry – one connected with colonialism, the industrial revolution and modern-day slavery.

Is the liberal international rules-based order – that has underpinned international relations for the past 80 years - about to collapse. The United States once its greatest champion is withdrawing funding from hundreds of international organisations, and at the same time unending the global economy by imposing of tariffs across the board. What might this mean for global security, and the global economy and can we blame Donald Trump and his wrecking ball or are there deeper forces at play?

While many children miss out on vaccines due to poor health services, some parents choose not to have their children vaccinated. This Rear Vision looks at the political history behind this trend.

President Trump not only want to make America great, he also wants to make it bigger and incorporating Canada as the 51st state would certainly do that – except for the fact that Canada is a sovereign nation. The story of Canada and the United States and why President Trump wants to turn Canada into the 51st States of the Union.

President Trump loves tariffs but most economists hate them.We look at how tariffs work and what history can tell us about their impact on economies. And the industries protected by them.

Over 95% of the world’s communications travels over undersea cables. In the last few months, in two of the most politically volatile regions of the world, the Baltic Sea and the waters around Taiwan, communication cables have been cut. So just how vulnerable are these cables to both accidental and malicious damage and what does this mean for the security of are our communications networks.

In his first weeks in office, President Donald Trump has made a point of purging the federal government of D.E.I. - Diversity Equity and Inclusion initiatives. For many Americans the message is clear – women, African Americans and non-white communities are less capable, and if they are in positions of power or authority in business or government, it’s because the standards were lowered.​ The story of race relations and inclusion in America has a long history. Over three weeks we trace that history from the end of the Civil War through to the presidency of Donald Trump. In part one we looked at the period from the end of the Civil War through to the beginning of the 20th century, and part two we move into the 20th century and the events at led to the Civil Rights movement. And in this the final program, why - segregation and discrimination remains stubbornly entranced in America today.

In his first weeks in office, President Donald Trump has made a point of purging the federal government of D.E.I. - Diversity Equity and Inclusion initiatives. For many Americans the message is clear – women, African Americans and non-white communities are less capable, and if they are in positions of power or authority in business or government, it’s because the standards were lowered.​ The story of race relations and inclusion in America has a long history. Over three weeks we trace that history from the end of the Civil War through to the presidency of Donald Trump. In part one we looked at the period from the end of the Civil War through to the beginning of the 20th century. In this episode part two - the civil Rights movement and its impact on 20th century America.

In his first weeks in office, President Donald Trump has made a point of purging the federal government of D.E.I. - Diversity Equity and Inclusion initiatives. For many Americans the message is clear – women, African Americans and non-white communities are less capable, and if they are in positions of power or authority in business or government, it’s because the standards were lowered.​ The story of race relations and inclusion in America has a long history. Over three weeks we trace that history from the end of the Civil War through to the presidency of Donald Trump. In this part one - the end of the Civil War and the freeing of millions of slaves through reconstruction and the emergence of the Jim Crow laws

Historically Germany has been one of the most politically stable nations in Europe and an economic powerhouse. But over the past few year’s things have changed – the German economy has started to slow; politics has become more fragmented and the extreme far right party the Alternative for Germany or AfD has doubled its political support. Last year the centre left three-party coalition government of Olaf Scholz collapsed. Next Sunday Germany goes to the polls to elect a new government, also likely to be a coalition. What are the key election issues, will the new collation government be any more stable and why does this election matter not just in Germany but also across Europe?

President Donald Trump wants Panama to hand back, one of the most important waterways on the planet, the Panama Canal, to the United States and he hasn’t ruled out force if Panama won’t agree. It’s a far cry from 48 years ago when another very different US President - formally gave the Panama canal to the nation of Panama. This week from the Rear Vision archives - the story of the building of the Panama Canal and a US president who believed that fairness and not force should lie at the heart of the United States dealing with the nations of the world.

President Trump wants to buy or take control of Greenland from Denmark. But Denmark has made very clear, they don’t have the right to sell Greenland because Greenland is owned by the people of Greenland. Donald Trump is not the first US president to try and buy Greenland. The story of Greenland and America’s many attempts to gain control of the largest island on the planet.

On 26 January 1788, the ships of the First Fleet started unloading the first of more than a thousand people – convicted criminals, officers, marines, women and children – who would set up camp in what became the city of Sydney. What happened during the first days, weeks and months of contact between the British who arrived and the Aboriginal people who lived there?