04: John F Kennedy | Walden on Heroes

Duration: 28'11''

Synopsis

Young and talented, JFK embodied a new spirit of optimism in postwar America and his assassination in 1963 immortalised him as a political hero. However, Brian Walden examines if Kennedy's image-first methodology has proved detrimental to democracy.

Further Information

More clips from Walden on Heroes

01: Winston Churchill | Walden on Heroes

01: Winston Churchill | Walden on Heroes

BBC Two | 1998 | 29'08''

The man credited with leading the nation to victory in the Second World War was, according to Walden, arrogant, callous and a milita...

02: Abraham Lincoln | Walden on Heroes

02: Abraham Lincoln | Walden on Heroes

BBC Two | 1998 | 28'21''

Brian Walden contends that the civil-war president did not, as is popularly believed, devote his life to a fight to abolish slavery. B...

03: Alexander the Great | Walden on Heroes

03: Alexander the Great | Walden on Heroes

BBC Two | 1998 | 28'15''

Brian Walden examines Alexander the Great's reputation as the hero's hero and claims that it doesn't stand up to close scrutiny. H...

05: Nelson Mandela | Walden on Heroes

05: Nelson Mandela | Walden on Heroes

BBC Two | 1998 | 28'11''

The series ends controversially as Brian Walden claims that Nelson Mandela does not deserve to be regarded as a hero. While admiring Ma...

06: Mahatma Gandhi | Walden on Heroes

06: Mahatma Gandhi | Walden on Heroes

BBC Two | 1998 | 28'51''

Gandhi did more than drive the British out of India using "passive resistance". He also fought for better conditions for workers, persu...

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More from Brian Walden

02: Saddam Hussein | Walden on Villains

02: Saddam Hussein | Walden on Villains

BBC Two | 1999 | 29'01''

Walden argues that the west's demonisation of Saddam Hussein has only helped strengthen his position in Iraq.

06: Mahatma Gandhi | Walden on Heroes

06: Mahatma Gandhi | Walden on Heroes

BBC Two | 1998 | 28'51''

Gandhi did more than drive the British out of India using "passive resistance". He also fought for better conditions for workers, persu...

03: Nero | Walden on Villains

03: Nero | Walden on Villains

BBC Two | 1999 | 28'56''

Nero can be seen as the archetypal villain. He murdered his two wives and mother, subjected the Christians to gruesome persecution and burned d...

04: Machiavelli | Walden on Villains

04: Machiavelli | Walden on Villains

BBC Two | 1999 | 29'03''

Today, the name of Niccolo Machiavelli is usually invoked to condemn cynical and ruthless acts of self-interest, especially in politics....

05: Stalin | Walden on Villains

05: Stalin | Walden on Villains

BBC Two | 1999 | 28'55''

A look at Joseph Stalin , leader of Soviet Russia and the biggest mass murderer in history, who ordered the deaths of 22 million people but w...