Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #122611 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 664 pages

Synopsis
The fourth edition of this best-selling coursebook is designed to help college and first year university students. It requires no previous knowledge and covers international relations and major conflicts during the Twentieth Century, as well as the internal affairs of the great powers - USA, Russia/USSR and China. Coverage is brought right up to the present, with sections on September 11th and the war against global terrorism, the war in Iraq, global warming and the AIDS/HIV pandemic.

About the Author
Norman Lowe has had many years' experience of teaching history at all levels in schools and colleges and for twenty years was head of history at Nelson and Colne Tertiary College in Lancashire, UK. He is the author of Mastering Modern British History and Mastering Twentieth-Century Russian History, and is a freelance writer and lecturer.

Customer Reviews

Excellent for general reading for adults.
This book is excellent for all those adults who, like me, hated history at school, but now find that they know nothing about world affairs. For those adults who watch the news daily but never quite understand the basis of current affairs and politics. Simple explanations are given for questions like "What started the war in Yugoslavia?" and "What happened in the World Wars? And why?". The book is divided into sections of: International Relations and Wars, Communism, USA's History, Decolonisation, etc. It is so easy to read, and I reckon that even those people who pretend to understand current affairs do not know about their foundations, their history. A book for all ages, it is an eye-opening experience, and you are sure to impress people with your newfound knowledge!!

Oustanding
This book is unique among most books I used for history. The important topics are highlighted, and very often the answer to an essay that may be set in an exam is found within the text e.g. what were the factors behind Mussonlini's rise to power. I used this book almost exclusively and was rewarded with an A in GCSE history so it DOES do the job.

Clear but doesn't oversimplify ...
Can I recommend this book too many times?. I don't think so. In my opinion, Lowe's book is a great way to start studying history, or even to learn more if you have already started.

The reasons for that statement are many. "Mastering Modern World History" is clear but doesn't oversimplify the events it talks about. It isn't long, but it gives you a brief summary of the subjects under study and the motivation to investigate more. Also, I would like to point out that the author includes at the end of each chapter some interesting questions that are eerily similar to those a teacher might ask in an exam. If you are a student, don't panic: take advantage of this opportunity :)

"Mastering Modern World History" has many interesting illustrations, and also quite a few useful maps. This third edition includes relatively new historical events, for example the collapse of communism. All the same, I wish I could have the 4th edition, that unfortunately hasn't been published yet, because many relevant things have happened since 1997 and I would like to read about them here. That is the only reason I give this book 4 stars instead of 5.

To sum up, I think this is a wonderful book, and as such a great gift to yourself and others. Lowe manages to write clearly about subjects that are not simple, and surprisingly enough for those who aren't fond of history books, he also happens to write quite well. What else can I say?. Strongly recommended!.

Belen Alcat