Customer Reviews

Mastering Modern World History

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I would give this book 10 stars if it were possible, this is the best modern history book I have read so far. It's the perfect book for people who hated history at school and now find it difficult to understand modern world affairs. The author writes in a concise, to-the-point, clear way providing simple explanations to the most important events which took place during the 20th century: the two World Wars, Vietnam War, Cold War, Communism, Fascism, Decolonization, Middle-East, United Nations, etc. He also provides the reader with interesting questions, hyphotesis, excerpts, and pictures which make the reader "participate" in an original kind of way. If you are having trouble watching the news daily because you never quite understand the basis of current affairs and politics, this book will provide you with the necessary insight to better understand the world today.

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

This book corresponds perfectly to the IB SL History syllabus (HL might need additional resources) and as such has been extremely useful for reviewing and studying for IB exams in May. The text is organized around topic questions such as, "What caused World War I?" or "What were the failures of the League of Nations" with supporting perspectives and snippets from historians with various points of view, extremely helpful for the broad essay questions.

The fourth edition is practically identical to the first, second and third editions, but with minor revisions and reformatting, some additional pictures, aside from the newly created "history" which occurs between revisions of the book.

As with any review book, I wouldn't recommend using this to learn new topics if studying for an exam. It's useful only for bringing back and refreshing old, perhaps forgotten concepts or events. All in all I'm confident I'll continue to use this in college!

I recommend this book highly for any student of modern world history. I bought this book because a friend recommended it, and used it as a supplement to my history class - and I am so impressed with this book that I cannot recommend this enough - in fact, I would say that this book gave me an A for the class.

Great book; great detail in the events that took place throughout the world and international relations are especially covered in detail; used the book and an online website (sparknotes.com) and did pretty well; great analysis, author should be commended. If you are studying GCSE/O levels/A Levels/IGCSE courses/syllabuses, this definetly should be used as a textbook throughout your studies rather than just a reference book. deserves all the praise it can get