Product Description

Heinemann Advanced History is a series which supports the AS and A-Levels starting September 2000. The series provides coverage of all the most popular topics, so you can cover the whole of the specification with up-to-date resources. Each book begins with an AS-level section which is very accessible, dealing with narrative and explanation of the topic. There are extra notes, biography boxes and definitions in the margin and summary boxes to help students assimilate the information. This should help them make the trasition from GCSE to A-level. The second section reflects the different demands of the higher level examination by concentrating on analysis and historians' interpretations of the material covered in the AS sections. This text concentrates on the Cold War.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #56027 in Books
• Published on: 2001-07-25
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 250 pages

Customer Reviews

The Cold War by Phillips
This book is a great help to those understanding the aspects for the first time. The side headings make it easy reading. However, perhaps other books are needed if you are studying for your A-levels because there is not enough depth.

A classic case of dumbing down
This is one of a series of books that is written especially for the 'new' AS and A2 exams.

Whilst the book has its uses as a reference guide, it really does show how badly A levels have been dumb downed. Interpretations are simplistic, tables of historiography are included so that students don't even have to read other books and complex arguments are bullet pointed to such an extent that this is really just a glorified GCSE textbook.

In addition, the book is littered with inaccuracies. Please avoid.

Lacks depth, but makes up for it with concise analysis.
Let me make things clear, just because you've bought this book doesn't mean that you have to limit your Cold War readings to it. I've used this despite the fact that I actually did IB History HL (A lot more difficult than what you would ever expect from A-levels) and this was one of the most helpful Cold War books i have had to read over the past two years. Also, my final mark for History HL was a 6 - just a point behind the highest possible mark which is a 7.

I must reiterate that further reading would be required after having finished this book. But that's the true beauty of it. It's so simple and so concise that when you read more complex works such as John Lewis Gaddis' 'The Cold War', you end up analysing as you read - making valuable connections between Gaddis' points and Philips' conclusions. Philips' 'The Cold War' provides its reader with the fundamental knowledge required to understand the more basic and simplistic elements of this 20th Century war.

The problem I've noticed about other reviewers is that they tend to rate this book with the assumption that this isn't meant for easy reading. Which is an absolutely wrong approach, because it is. I recommend this to anyone who's thinking of delving into Cold War studies, General History, or International Relations. But once again, let me just say that this book is best treated as a stepping stone to more complex history books rather than a main source.