Welsh Journals

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particularly to be complimented for having sponsored, sometimes in the face of ill-informed criticism, the recent publication of Key Stage 3 and now Key Stage 4 textbooks to meet a dire need. The publishers, too, have done their task admirably. These books are handsome A4 volumes which will stand with any comparable publications in England. Most praise must go to the author who has followed up an excellent Key Stage 3 text on the Tudors and Stuarts with this book. In both, his expertise as an academic historian and as a practising history teacher are exploited to the full. He divides his material into two sections, the first dealing with the Edwardian era and the first World War, the second with Depression, the second World War and post-war recovery. Political, economic, social and religious changes are particularly emphasised in the first section, along with substantial coverage of the War. The second section inevitably concentrates on the second World War, particularly as it affected British society, and concludes with an informed survey of the post-war period. On two counts the material is particularly commendable. The first is that it is beautifully presented. Clear, confidently written and well-informed text is integrated with a rich and appropriate range of sources. These comprise primary and secondary written material, charts, graphs, cartoons and posters, the last of which, of course, are particularly stimulating for this period. Choice of sources is exemplary. While some are familiar, such as the Punch cartoon of 1909, 'The great Uoyd-Gorgibuster', what is notice- able is the less familiar material which the author has ferreted out. The whole is divided into easily accessible units, normally of four pages, each of which is consolidated by exercises based on skills tested at GCSE Each unit opens with a key issue, for example that on economic developments in the period 1906 to 1919 asks whether the years 1906 to 1914 were the golden age of Welsh heavy industry. Within each unit more general treatment of each theme is broken up by a profile and a focus chapter-in this section on economic development the profile is of D. A. Thomas and the focus is on Tonypandy, 1910. The second source of satisfaction is the skilful way in which Welsh, British and European material and perspectives are integrated in balanced and coherent form. It is precisely such a blend which it was hoped would underpin the whole of the History National Curriculum in Wales and it is particularly encouraging to see it done so constructively in an influential textbook. For example, the author has given due weight to the foreign policy background to the second World War, the rise of Fascism, the attempts by the British government to appease Hitler and the impact of war on British society. At the same rime when the topic is appropriate, as with the depression years, he has seen wider British and international