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The Western Tradition series offers concise lectures on important events and trends in the history of the western world. The lectures are delivered by Eugen Weber, a noted scholar and instructor at UCLA, and supported by images from the archives of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Intended for use in high school or college classrooms, each tape is a broad overview of a particular era in western history, offering information on art, politics, economics, and a glimpse of what everyday life must have been like in the period. This episode documents a time when the increase in commerce helped trading cities grow rapidly. With the increase in capital, there was an age of great scientific advancement. The program profiles the work of Galileo, Newton, and Copernicus.