HISTORY Civilization: The West and the Rest with Niall Ferguson PBS, 8 p.m. ET/PT Scottish-born historian and author Niall Ferguson documents the rise – and inevitable fall – of Western civilization in this new documentary series. Airing tonight and next Tuesday, the four-hour historical treatise is the TV version of Ferguson's book of the same name, wherein he identifies six “killer apps” that enabled the West to rise to global dominance. His six principles of prosperity: competition, science, modern medicine, democracy, consumerism and work ethic. To drive home his point, Ferguson repeatedly compares civilizations modern and ancient during visits to sprawling city centres. On respective trips to the Yangtze and Thames rivers, he recounts the events that turned the tide of power flowing from East to West; while touring Dakar and Paris, he explains how the advent of medicine revolutionized Europe's colonial control in Africa.