Crickhowell High School History Department 2014-15

Recommended reading list for AS and A2

“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.” “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.”

At A-Level, in most subjects there is an expectation that you will read. History is no exception! This does not mean you have to go down to the library and get out 30 different books on Hitler and read them all from over to cover - unless you want to of course! The idea is that you read around topics. What this means is that you might read a particular chapter of a book that relates to the aspect of the course you are studying. Your teacher might tell you to read particular pieces and give you a list of suggested books to delve into - it will be up to you to delve into those books and others. If you are writing an essay - you should use quotes of the opinions of the historians whose books you have read parts of in order to support your argument. The list is not exhaustive- view it as a work in progress which can be added to! (Source: The Historical Association, June 2010)

Some of these texts are A Level specific whilst others are classic under-graduate texts. However, independent study is essential if you aspire to the top grades! Core texts have been underlined.

CHS Library does have at least one copy of each text. However, all public libraries will be able to help you. Many students even invest in purchasing one textbook for each course. You might recoup the outlay by selling them to History students in the year below.

A) International Relations, c.1918-1945

 Germany 1919-45, Martin Collier  SHP, Fascist Italy, John Hite, Chris Hinton  War in Europe, Anthony Wood, Longman  International Relations 1879-2004, Collins  Mussolini and Fascist Italy, Martin Blinkhorn  Nazi Germany 1933-1945, Chris Culpin, Harper Collins  Germany 1848-1914, Heinemann Advanced History  Mussolini and Italy, Heinemann Advanced History  The Second World War, John Keegan  The Origins of the Second World War, Richard J. Overy  Germany 1866-1945, Gordon R. Craig  The Third Reich, D.G. Williamson, Longman  The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, Paul Kennedy  Age of Extremes, Eric Hobsbawm  Stalingrad, Anthony Beevor  Berlin: The Downfall, Anthony Beevor  Peacemakers, Margaret Macmillan  Aspects of European History, Stephen J. Lee  The European Dictatorships, Stephen J. Lee  The Origins of the Second World War, AJP Taylor  The Illusions of Peace, Sally Marks  The Inter-War Crisis, Richard J. Overy  The Origins of the First and Second World War, Frank McDonough  Hitler and Stalin: A Study, Alan Bullock  Access to History: Italy: The Rise of Fascism 1915-1945  The Rise of Italian Fascism, Alan White  D-Day, Stephen Ambrose  Band of Brothers, ditto  From D-DAY to Victory, ditto  All Hell Let Loose, Max Hastings  Fighter Boys, Patrick Bishop  Bomber Boys, ditto  The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, William L. Shirer  Munich: 1938 Appeasement Crisis, David Faber  Why the Allies Won, Richard J. Overy  History Today, historical journal

B) Russia, 1881-1989

 Flagship History: Russia 1885-1964, Derrick Murphy  Communist Russia under Lenin and Stalin, Corin and Fiehn  The Russian Revolution, Anthony Wood, Longman  SHP- Russia under Tsarism and Communism, 1881-1953, Chris Corin  Stalin’s Russia, Michael Lynch  Stalin and Stalinism, Martin McCauley  Lenin’s Russia, Alan White  Stalin’s Russia, Martyn Whittock  Tsarist Russia 1855-1971, OUP/AQA  Stalinist Russia, Steve Phillips, Heinemann Advanced History  A Modern History of Russia, Robert Service  Re-thinking the Russian Revolution, Edward Acton  Russia, Revolution and Counter-Revolution, John Daborn  A History of the Soviet Union 1917-1991, Geoffrey Hosking  Russia 1848-1917, Jonathan Bromley  Access to History: Reaction and Revolution, Michael Lynch  Russia and the USSR 1855-1991, Stephen J. Lee  Access to History: Russia and its Rulers, Andrew Holland  Years of Russia and the USSR, 1851-1991, David Evans  The Modernisation of Russia, 1856-1985, John Laver  Years of Russia, the USSR and the Collapse of Communism, Jane Jenkins  Russia 1855-1991: From Tsars to Commissars (Oxford Advanced History) by Peter Oxley  History Today, historical journal