Unit AS 1
Historical Investigations and Interpretations
- ENGLAND 1509–58
- ENGLAND 1603–49
- BRITAIN IN THE AGE OF REFORM 1830–80
- ITALY AND GERMANY 1815–71
- GERMANY 1919–45
CCEA AS History, memorised in year one.
Everything the AS examines and nothing from the second year. Drill the 11 topics you are actually sitting in Northern Ireland this summer.
- AS of 4010
- 11 topics
- 173 subtopics
CCEA AS-Level History 4010
England 1509–58AS Unit 1
Topic overviewThe Church in England on the eve of the ReformationCriticism of the Church and the early reformersHenry VIII, Catherine of Aragon and the case for annulmentThe struggle for the divorce and the men who shaped itThe Reformation Parliament and the break with RomeOpposition to religious changeThe dissolution of the monasteriesThe Pilgrimage of GraceGovernment under Somerset and NorthumberlandRebellion in 1549: the Western Rising and Kett's rebellionMary I, female monarchy and the succession crisesWyatt's rebellionThe Edwardian religious reforms 1547–53The Marian restoration and the persecutionsEconomic and social problems of the period
England 1603–49AS Unit 1
Topic overviewJames I's Elizabethan inheritanceJames I, the Church of England and the PuritansJames I, the Catholics and the Gunpowder PlotThe financial problems of James IThe foreign policy of James IRoyal favourites and the politics of the courtCharles I, war and Parliament 1625–29The decision to rule without ParliamentFinancing the Personal RuleLaudianism and religious reform in the 1630sThe court culture of Charles IScotland, Ireland and the collapse of the Personal RuleThe Long Parliament and the outbreak of war 1640–42The campaigns and battles of the Civil WarWhy Parliament won the Civil WarThe search for a settlement 1646–49Radicalism, the Levellers and the ArmyThe regicide and the birth of the Commonwealth
Britain in the Age of Reform 1830–80AS Unit 1
Topic overviewThe case for and against parliamentary reformThe passing of the Reform Act 1830–32The terms and consequences of the Reform ActThe Whig reforms of the 1830s and the impulse behind themThe New Poor Law of 1834The rise of ChartismThe People's Charter, Lovett and O'ConnorChartist methods and the reasons for failureThe Anti-Corn Law LeaguePeel and the making of the Conservative PartyPeel's ministry 1841–46The repeal of the Corn Laws and the split of 1846Disraeli and Tory DemocracyThe Second Reform Act of 1867Disraeli's ministry 1874–80Gladstone from Peelite to LiberalGladstone's first ministry 1868–74Gladstone and Disraeli as leaders
Italy and Germany 1815–71AS Unit 1
Topic overviewGerman nationalism, liberalism and cultural revival 1815–48Economic change, the Zollverein and Prussian prosperityThe 1848 revolutions in the German statesThe Frankfurt Parliament and the reasons for its failureOlmütz, army reform and the Prussian constitutional crisisBismarck's aims, methods and the debate about his roleSchleswig-Holstein and the Austro-Prussian WarThe North German Confederation and the southern German statesThe Franco-Prussian War and the proclamation of the German EmpireThe international climate and why Germany was unifiedItalian nationalism, culture and the ideas of the RisorgimentoThe 1848–49 revolutions in Italy and their failurePiedmont, Cavour's reforms and the war of 1859Garibaldi, the Thousand and his relations with CavourThe Papal States, Rome and why Italy was unified
Germany 1919–45AS Unit 1
Topic overviewThe Weimar Constitution and the Treaty of VersaillesPolitical threats from left and right 1919–23Reparations, the Ruhr and the hyperinflation of 1923The Weimar economy 1924–29Stresemann's foreign policy and the 'golden years'The Nazi Party from the Munich putsch to 1929The Wall Street Crash and the end of parliamentary governmentThe Nazi electoral breakthrough and Hitler's appointment as ChancellorThe creation of the Nazi dictatorship 1933–34Anti-Semitism and persecution 1933–39Youth, women and the churches 1933–39Schacht, Göring and the Nazi economy 1933–39Culture, the arts and the media in the Third ReichThe war economy: Todt, Speer and total warThe home front: rationing, bombing, labour and moraleOpposition and resistance in wartimeThe Holocaust: ghettos, Barbarossa, Wannsee and genocide
Spain and Europe 1556–98AS Unit 2
Topic overviewSpain in 1556 and the legacy of Charles VPhilip II's kingship and working methodsConciliar government, faction and the Pérez affairThe revolts of the Moriscos and of AragonThe Spanish economy in 1556 and the king's revenuesAgriculture, industry and commerce 1556–98Bullion, debt, inflation and the royal bankruptciesThe Spanish Church, Tridentine reform and the papacyThe Inquisition, Conversos, Jews and ProtestantsThe Spanish Empire and the aims of Philip II's foreign policyFrance, from Cateau-Cambrésis to VervinsThe Mediterranean war with the Turks and the annexation of PortugalThe Netherlands and the Dutch RevoltEngland, the sea dogs and the ArmadaPhilip II's Spain in 1598
The Ascendancy of France in Europe 1660–1714AS Unit 2
Topic overviewThe foundations of French power under Louis XIVThe War of Devolution 1667–68The Dutch War 1672–78 and the Treaties of NijmegenThe Reunions and the Truce of RatisbonThe League of Augsburg and the alarm of EuropeThe Revocation of the Edict of Nantes and the quarrel with RomeThe Cologne incident and the outbreak of the Nine Years' WarFrench successes in the Nine Years' WarAllied successes and the stalemate of the Nine Years' WarThe Peace of Ryswick 1697The Partition Treaties and the Spanish succession problemLouis XIV's acceptance of the will and the road to warMarlborough and the great battles of the warWhy the Grand Alliance won and France failedUtrecht, Rastatt and Europe after 1714
Ireland 1823–67AS Unit 2
Topic overviewO'Connell and the Catholic AssociationThe Clare election and Catholic EmancipationThe impact of Emancipation and the Tithe WarThe Lichfield House CompactThe Repeal Association and the monster meetingsClontarf and the failure of RepealPeel's Irish reformsYoung Ireland and the split with O'ConnellThe rising of 1848The long-term causes of the FamineThe course and extent of the FaminePeel, Russell and famine relief 1845–49The consequences of the Famine to 1867The origins, leadership and aims of the FeniansThe Fenian Rising of 1867
France 1815–70AS Unit 2
Topic overviewThe restoration of the Bourbons and the Charter of 1814Louis XVIII: the White Terror, moderation and the turn to the rightCharles X, the ultras and the ChurchEconomy, society and culture in France 1815–48The July revolution of 1830 and the fall of Charles XLouis Philippe, Guizot and the bourgeois monarchyOpposition to Louis PhilippeLouis Philippe's foreign policyThe banquet campaign and the February revolution of 1848The Second Republic: the National Workshops and the June DaysThe presidency of Louis Napoleon 1848–51The coup of 1851 and the making of the Second EmpireThe authoritarian Empire and its liberalisationEconomic modernisation, Haussmann's Paris and social changeNapoleon III's foreign policy and the collapse of 1870
Russia 1914–41AS Unit 2
Topic overviewThe impact of the First World War on RussiaNicholas II, the Tsarina and RasputinThe February Revolution and the abdication of the TsarThe Provisional Government, the Petrograd Soviet and dual authorityLenin, the April Theses and the road to OctoberThe October Revolution and the consolidation of Bolshevik powerThe Civil War and the Bolshevik victory 1918–21Lenin's economic policies 1917–24Society and culture under LeninThe struggle to succeed Lenin 1924–29Collectivisation and the peasantryIndustrialisation and the Five Year PlansThe social impact of Stalin's economic policiesTerror and the purges 1934–39Culture, propaganda and the cult of personality
Italy's Quest for Great Power Status 1871–1943AS Unit 2
Topic overviewThe aims and challenges of Italian foreign policy after 1871Colonisation in Africa: Tunisia, Eritrea, Abyssinia and LibyaThe Triple Alliance and relations with the Great PowersGiolitti and Italy's internal divisionsFrom neutrality to intervention 1914–15Italy's war 1915–18 and its impact at homeThe mutilated victory, the peace settlement and FiumeThe crisis of the Liberal state and the Biennio RossoThe rise of the Fascist movement 1919–22The March on Rome and Mussolini's appointmentThe consolidation of Fascist power 1922–26The aims of Fascist foreign policy and the years 1922–34Abyssinia and the Spanish Civil WarItaly, Germany and the road to war 1935–40Defeat and the fall of Mussolini 1940–43
What CCEA AS History covers, and what it leaves out
CCEA AS History is the first year of the 4010 course and a qualification in its own right, examined in 2 units, AS Unit 1 and AS Unit 2. This page holds only what the AS examines: 11 topics across 173 subtopics, 2,235 active recall questions, starting with England 1509–58, England 1603–49 and Britain in the Age of Reform 1830–80. The 9 topics kept back for the second year are not shown, so nothing here is content you have not been taught yet.
Starting the second year? The full CCEA A-Level History page adds the A2 topics on top of everything here.
CCEA GCE History, subject code 4010, qualification number 601/8552/1 (A level), first teaching September 2019. Read the CCEA specification ↗
How it is assessed
Unit AS 2
Historical Conflict and Change
- SPAIN AND EUROPE 1556–98
- THE ASCENDANCY OF FRANCE IN EUROPE 1660–1714
- IRELAND 1823–67
- FRANCE 1815–70
- RUSSIA 1914–41
- ITALY'S QUEST FOR GREAT POWER STATUS 1871–1943
The full specification
11 topics, 173 subtopics. Open any topic to see what is inside it.
01England 1509–58AS Unit 115 subtopicsOpen topic
- The Church in England on the eve of the Reformation
- Criticism of the Church and the early reformers
- Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon and the case for annulment
- The struggle for the divorce and the men who shaped it
- The Reformation Parliament and the break with Rome
- Opposition to religious change
- The dissolution of the monasteries
- The Pilgrimage of Grace
- Government under Somerset and Northumberland
- Rebellion in 1549: the Western Rising and Kett's rebellion
- Mary I, female monarchy and the succession crises
- Wyatt's rebellion
- The Edwardian religious reforms 1547–53
- The Marian restoration and the persecutions
- Economic and social problems of the period
02England 1603–49AS Unit 118 subtopicsOpen topic
- James I's Elizabethan inheritance
- James I, the Church of England and the Puritans
- James I, the Catholics and the Gunpowder Plot
- The financial problems of James I
- The foreign policy of James I
- Royal favourites and the politics of the court
- Charles I, war and Parliament 1625–29
- The decision to rule without Parliament
- Financing the Personal Rule
- Laudianism and religious reform in the 1630s
- The court culture of Charles I
- Scotland, Ireland and the collapse of the Personal Rule
- The Long Parliament and the outbreak of war 1640–42
- The campaigns and battles of the Civil War
- Why Parliament won the Civil War
- The search for a settlement 1646–49
- Radicalism, the Levellers and the Army
- The regicide and the birth of the Commonwealth
03Britain in the Age of Reform 1830–80AS Unit 118 subtopicsOpen topic
- The case for and against parliamentary reform
- The passing of the Reform Act 1830–32
- The terms and consequences of the Reform Act
- The Whig reforms of the 1830s and the impulse behind them
- The New Poor Law of 1834
- The rise of Chartism
- The People's Charter, Lovett and O'Connor
- Chartist methods and the reasons for failure
- The Anti-Corn Law League
- Peel and the making of the Conservative Party
- Peel's ministry 1841–46
- The repeal of the Corn Laws and the split of 1846
- Disraeli and Tory Democracy
- The Second Reform Act of 1867
- Disraeli's ministry 1874–80
- Gladstone from Peelite to Liberal
- Gladstone's first ministry 1868–74
- Gladstone and Disraeli as leaders
04Italy and Germany 1815–71AS Unit 115 subtopicsOpen topic
- German nationalism, liberalism and cultural revival 1815–48
- Economic change, the Zollverein and Prussian prosperity
- The 1848 revolutions in the German states
- The Frankfurt Parliament and the reasons for its failure
- Olmütz, army reform and the Prussian constitutional crisis
- Bismarck's aims, methods and the debate about his role
- Schleswig-Holstein and the Austro-Prussian War
- The North German Confederation and the southern German states
- The Franco-Prussian War and the proclamation of the German Empire
- The international climate and why Germany was unified
- Italian nationalism, culture and the ideas of the Risorgimento
- The 1848–49 revolutions in Italy and their failure
- Piedmont, Cavour's reforms and the war of 1859
- Garibaldi, the Thousand and his relations with Cavour
- The Papal States, Rome and why Italy was unified
05Germany 1919–45AS Unit 117 subtopicsOpen topic
- The Weimar Constitution and the Treaty of Versailles
- Political threats from left and right 1919–23
- Reparations, the Ruhr and the hyperinflation of 1923
- The Weimar economy 1924–29
- Stresemann's foreign policy and the 'golden years'
- The Nazi Party from the Munich putsch to 1929
- The Wall Street Crash and the end of parliamentary government
- The Nazi electoral breakthrough and Hitler's appointment as Chancellor
- The creation of the Nazi dictatorship 1933–34
- Anti-Semitism and persecution 1933–39
- Youth, women and the churches 1933–39
- Schacht, Göring and the Nazi economy 1933–39
- Culture, the arts and the media in the Third Reich
- The war economy: Todt, Speer and total war
- The home front: rationing, bombing, labour and morale
- Opposition and resistance in wartime
- The Holocaust: ghettos, Barbarossa, Wannsee and genocide
06Spain and Europe 1556–98AS Unit 215 subtopicsOpen topic
- Spain in 1556 and the legacy of Charles V
- Philip II's kingship and working methods
- Conciliar government, faction and the Pérez affair
- The revolts of the Moriscos and of Aragon
- The Spanish economy in 1556 and the king's revenues
- Agriculture, industry and commerce 1556–98
- Bullion, debt, inflation and the royal bankruptcies
- The Spanish Church, Tridentine reform and the papacy
- The Inquisition, Conversos, Jews and Protestants
- The Spanish Empire and the aims of Philip II's foreign policy
- France, from Cateau-Cambrésis to Vervins
- The Mediterranean war with the Turks and the annexation of Portugal
- The Netherlands and the Dutch Revolt
- England, the sea dogs and the Armada
- Philip II's Spain in 1598
07The Ascendancy of France in Europe 1660–1714AS Unit 215 subtopicsOpen topic
- The foundations of French power under Louis XIV
- The War of Devolution 1667–68
- The Dutch War 1672–78 and the Treaties of Nijmegen
- The Reunions and the Truce of Ratisbon
- The League of Augsburg and the alarm of Europe
- The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes and the quarrel with Rome
- The Cologne incident and the outbreak of the Nine Years' War
- French successes in the Nine Years' War
- Allied successes and the stalemate of the Nine Years' War
- The Peace of Ryswick 1697
- The Partition Treaties and the Spanish succession problem
- Louis XIV's acceptance of the will and the road to war
- Marlborough and the great battles of the war
- Why the Grand Alliance won and France failed
- Utrecht, Rastatt and Europe after 1714
08Ireland 1823–67AS Unit 215 subtopicsOpen topic
- O'Connell and the Catholic Association
- The Clare election and Catholic Emancipation
- The impact of Emancipation and the Tithe War
- The Lichfield House Compact
- The Repeal Association and the monster meetings
- Clontarf and the failure of Repeal
- Peel's Irish reforms
- Young Ireland and the split with O'Connell
- The rising of 1848
- The long-term causes of the Famine
- The course and extent of the Famine
- Peel, Russell and famine relief 1845–49
- The consequences of the Famine to 1867
- The origins, leadership and aims of the Fenians
- The Fenian Rising of 1867
09France 1815–70AS Unit 215 subtopicsOpen topic
- The restoration of the Bourbons and the Charter of 1814
- Louis XVIII: the White Terror, moderation and the turn to the right
- Charles X, the ultras and the Church
- Economy, society and culture in France 1815–48
- The July revolution of 1830 and the fall of Charles X
- Louis Philippe, Guizot and the bourgeois monarchy
- Opposition to Louis Philippe
- Louis Philippe's foreign policy
- The banquet campaign and the February revolution of 1848
- The Second Republic: the National Workshops and the June Days
- The presidency of Louis Napoleon 1848–51
- The coup of 1851 and the making of the Second Empire
- The authoritarian Empire and its liberalisation
- Economic modernisation, Haussmann's Paris and social change
- Napoleon III's foreign policy and the collapse of 1870
10Russia 1914–41AS Unit 215 subtopicsOpen topic
- The impact of the First World War on Russia
- Nicholas II, the Tsarina and Rasputin
- The February Revolution and the abdication of the Tsar
- The Provisional Government, the Petrograd Soviet and dual authority
- Lenin, the April Theses and the road to October
- The October Revolution and the consolidation of Bolshevik power
- The Civil War and the Bolshevik victory 1918–21
- Lenin's economic policies 1917–24
- Society and culture under Lenin
- The struggle to succeed Lenin 1924–29
- Collectivisation and the peasantry
- Industrialisation and the Five Year Plans
- The social impact of Stalin's economic policies
- Terror and the purges 1934–39
- Culture, propaganda and the cult of personality
11Italy's Quest for Great Power Status 1871–1943AS Unit 215 subtopicsOpen topic
- The aims and challenges of Italian foreign policy after 1871
- Colonisation in Africa: Tunisia, Eritrea, Abyssinia and Libya
- The Triple Alliance and relations with the Great Powers
- Giolitti and Italy's internal divisions
- From neutrality to intervention 1914–15
- Italy's war 1915–18 and its impact at home
- The mutilated victory, the peace settlement and Fiume
- The crisis of the Liberal state and the Biennio Rosso
- The rise of the Fascist movement 1919–22
- The March on Rome and Mussolini's appointment
- The consolidation of Fascist power 1922–26
- The aims of Fascist foreign policy and the years 1922–34
- Abyssinia and the Spanish Civil War
- Italy, Germany and the road to war 1935–40
- Defeat and the fall of Mussolini 1940–43
How you work through it
Pick the mode that fits the time you have.
Try three questions
No account needed. Answer from memory first.
Your recallNot started
Key term
Explain the connection between the Church and royal government under Henry VIII.
Key term
What was the significance of the Hunne case of 1514?
Key term
Why did the risings of 1549 alarm the political nation so deeply?
Spaced Repetition Schedule
How reviews are timed
Levo will automatically distribute all of your progress into a spaced repetition calendar. Once you’ve answered, it’s scheduled for you on the next day in the spaced repetition schedule. Over time, the gaps between your recall get bigger, from a day to three years, reinforcing memorisation over a long period of time.
Interval sequence
- 1 day
- 3 days
- 7 days
- 14 days
- 30 days
- 60 days
- 4 months
- 8 months
- 1 year
- 2 years
- 3 years
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material
History revision questions
Common questions about revising CCEA AS-Level History. Tap any to open it.
What is on CCEA AS History?
11 topics across 173 subtopics, examined in AS Unit 1 and AS Unit 2. They are all listed on this page, and each one opens to the subtopics inside it. The full topic list is England 1509–58, England 1603–49, Britain in the Age of Reform 1830–80, Italy and Germany 1815–71, Germany 1919–45, Spain and Europe 1556–98 and more.
Does AS History count towards the full A level?
Yes. In Northern Ireland the AS units are marked as a standalone AS qualification and also carry forward into the full CCEA A level, which is why the first year matters more here than it does in England. Check the current weighting on the 4010 specification, as it is set by the board rather than by us.
What is the difference between AS and A level History?
AS is the first-year units only. The A level adds 9 further topics, among them Crown and Parliament in England 1625–1714, Ireland Under the Union 1800–1900, The Causes and Consequences of Great Power Conflict 1848–1945, and expects you to connect them back to the AS material. Work the AS content here, then move up to the full A level page when you start the second year.
When do you sit CCEA AS History?
Normally at the end of Year 12, in the summer series. That gives you one year to memorise 2,235 questions' worth of material, which is roughly 12 questions a day across an academic year if you start in September.
How should you revise for AS History?
By retrieval, not rereading. Cover the answer, pull it from memory, then check. Levo runs that loop across all 11 AS topics and brings each question back on a spaced schedule, so what you learn in September is still there in June.
Is it worth revising AS content again for the A level?
Yes, and it is the mistake most students make. The second-year papers assume the first year, and in Northern Ireland the AS marks usually count towards the final grade as well. Keeping the AS material on a spaced schedule through Year 13 costs far less time than relearning it.
How many questions are there for CCEA AS History?
2,235, written from the 4010 subject content and grouped into 173 subtopics so you can work one small area at a time rather than a whole topic at once.
Can you use Levo for just the AS year?
Yes. Pick your subject, choose the AS topics on the topic screen, and every mode — the 3-step method, Cram, Blank Blitz, Build It and Test It — works only that material. Add the second-year topics when you get to them.
Every question in History, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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