BFI bibliography
Below is a selection of books, documentaries and websites that are particularly useful for teaching the BFI History programme.
This page will be updated regularly. Please contact me if you have any other recommendations to add to the page.
Theme One
Chapter One: The Impact of the Crisis of 1929: Economic and Social Instability
1929: The Great Crash (BBC). This BBC documentary explores the causes and consequences of the Wall Street Crash.
Chapter Three: World War Two
Mark Mazower, Dark Continent. Europe’s Twentieth Century (1998)
Theme Two
Chapter One: The End of World War Two and the Beginning of the Cold War 1945-49
Bradley Lightbody, The Cold War (1999)
Robert McMahon, The Cold War: A Very Short Introduction (2003)
David Reynolds, One World Divisible. A Global History since 1945 (2000)
Cold War (BBC). The BBC’s excellent Cold War documentary series includes twenty-four episodes. Episodes 2 and 3 entitled ‘Iron Curtain’ and ‘Marshall Plan’ are particularly relevant for teaching the origins of the Cold War.
The Cold War on File, The National Archives. There are excellent free educational resources on the website of the National Archives. This collection includes original documents which explore the origins of the Cold War.
Chapter Two: The Cold War becomes global
Chen Jian, Mao’s China and the Cold War (2001)
Cold War (BBC). Episode 15 on China is excellent.
Chapter Three: Rebuilding after 1945: an in-depth study of either Britain or France
Britain 1945-51
Kenneth O. Morgan, Twentieth-Century Britain: A Very Short Introduction (2000)
Attlee’s Britain 1945-1951, The National Archives. This document collection focusing on Attlee’s Britain explores themes such as the economy, housing, the welfare state, the National Health Service and the nationalisation of coal, railways and electricity.
Theme Three
Chapter One: New crises and new economic models
Bradley Lightbody, The Cold War (1999)
Neoliberalism: The story of a big economic bust up | A-Z of ISMs Episode 14 - BBC Ideas. This short clip provides a useful introduction to Neoliberalism.
Secret History: The Winter of Discontent (Channel 4)
Chapter Two: France and Britain in the 1980s: two economic models and two societies in evolution
This Channel 4 news report produced after Thatcher’s death provides a good introduction to her life and career.
Margaret Thatcher's funeral: a street-level view and Margaret Thatcher's death celebrated in Brixton. I usually show the two clips produced by The Guardian to students in an introductory lesson about Thatcher. They reveal how controversial a figure Margaret Thatcher was and help students understand the different historical interpretations of Thatcher.
Andrew Marr’s History of Modern Britain: Revolution (BBC). This documentary is available on Dailymotion in two parts (part 1 and part 2).