Britain 1851-1918: A Leap in the Dark: Advancing History Core Texts:

Summary:
SHP Advanced History Core Texts are the Schools History Project's acclaimed new books for A level History. These books apply SHP's two decades of curriculum development experience to the challenge of helping students make the leap from GCSE to A level.

They offer:
- clear and penetrating narrative - comprehensively explaining the content required for examination success
- thought provoking and relevant activities that explore the content and help students think analytically about the subject
- thorough exam preparation through carefully designed tasks that address the distinctive requirements of A Level history
- a wide range of revision strategies including structured content summaries

Additional features include:
- A focus route pathway for independent learners
- Learning Trouble Spots - which address common misunderstandings
- diagrammatic summaries of key areas of content and historical issues
- accessible summaries of recent historical debates.

Britain 1851–1918 is a comprehensive core text from the Schools History Project covering the history of Britain from the mid-nineteenth century to the end of the First World War. It is ideal for students studying nineteenth-century British history for A level or equivalent, for any examination board.

It provides a clear and penetrating narrative which gives students a deep insight into how people and governments responded to the twin challenges of political and economic change at home, and of Britain's evolving role as a world power.

It also provides thorough exam preparation through carefully designed tasks that bridge the gap between GCSE and A level, and addresses the distinctive requirements of AS and A2 examinations through a wide range of revision strategies, including structured content summaries.

The companion volume to this book is Britain 1783–1851 (ISBN 0 7195 7482 X)

• Comprehensive coverage of the key themes of the period including the extension of the franchise to working men and to women; the ministries of Gladstone and Disraeli; the origins of the Labour Party and the decline of the Liberal Party; foreign policy including the growth of the Empire, the Irish question and the causes and consequences of the Great War
• Thorough exam preparation and integrated revision strategies including structured content summaries
• Accessible analysis of relevant historical debates
• 'Learning trouble spots' help students overcome particularly common misunderstandings
• A 'Focus Route' pathway specifically designed for independent learning
• Extensive tasks for 'active learning' such as decision making exercises
• Activities to develop key skills - particularly enquiry and communication

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Section 1 How far did Britain move towards democracy 1851-1918?
1 How democratic was Britain by 1900?
2 Why did it take so long for women to get the vote?
Section 2 Gladstone and Disraeli - how great were the differences between them?
3 Why did the ‘People’s William’ lose the 1874 election?
4 Did Disraeli offer a practical alternative to Liberalism?
5 Should Gladstone have stayed in retirement?
Section 3 How successfully did Britain maintain and defend its empire?
6 How was British policy changing 1885-1902?
7 How did Britain's foreign policy change after 1900?
Section 4 Who should the working classes vote for?
8 How did trade unions try to get a better deal for workers?
9 How important was the Labour Party before the First World War?
10 How did the Conservatives become a successful mass party after 1885?
11 What was the significance of the Liberal victory in the 1906 election?
12 Was care for the poor revolutionised by the Liberal reforms of 1906-14?
13 Was the Liberal Party dying by the First World War?
Section 5 Hitting home - how did events in Ireland and the First World War affect Britain?
14 What was the Irish question and could the British government answer it?
15 Who gained from the First World War (and how much did everybody lose)?
Conclusion

About the Author(s):
Michael Willis teaches History at Brentwood School in Essex. Ian Dawson (Series Editor) is a Publications Director of the Schools History Project.

Readership:
A Level and HE students