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AD America, 1920-1973: Opportunity and inequality
Study political, economic, social and cultural developments in the USA from the Boom through the New Deal to post-war America.
9
Objectives
45
Flashcards
45
Questions
90 min
Study time
AQAGCSEHistoryPaper 1 Section A: Period studies
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Syllabus checklist
What you need to know
9 objective pages available
Part one: American people and the Boom3 objectives
- Study the Boom, including benefits, advertising, consumer society, hire purchase, mass production, Ford, the motor industry, wealth inequalities, Republican policies and stock market boom.
- Study social and cultural developments, including cinema, jazz and the position of women in society including flappers.
- Study divided society, including organised crime, prohibition, racial tension, immigrant experiences, immigration impact, the Ku Klux Klan, the Red Scare and the Sacco and Vanzetti case.
Part two: Bust: Americans' experiences of the Depression and New Deal3 objectives
- Study American society during the Depression, including unemployment, farmers, businessmen, Hoover's responses, Hoover's unpopularity and Roosevelt's election.
- Study the effectiveness of the New Deal on different groups, including successes, limitations, opposition from the Supreme Court, Republicans and Radical politicians, Roosevelt's contribution and popular culture.
- Study the impact of the Second World War, including America's economic recovery, Lend Lease, exports and social developments affecting African-Americans and women.
Part three: Post-war America3 objectives
- Study post-war American society and economy, including consumerism, causes of prosperity, the American Dream, McCarthyism and popular culture including Rock and Roll and television.
- Study racial tension and Civil Rights campaigns in the 1950s and 1960s, including segregation laws, Martin Luther King, peaceful protest, Malcolm X, Black Power and the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968.
- Study America and the Great Society, including Kennedy and Johnson's social policies on poverty, education and health, feminist movements, equal pay, the National Organisation for Women, Roe v Wade 1973, the 1972 Supreme Court equal-rights ruling and opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment.
Key terms
hire purchaseBoomflappersprohibitionKu Klux KlanDepressionHooverRooseveltNew DealLend LeaseAfrican-AmericansMcCarthyism
Exam tips
- Exam focus: hire purchase: Support each point about hire purchase with precise historical evidence.
- Exam focus: flappers: Support each point about flappers with precise historical evidence.
Common mistakes
- Avoid confusing hire purchase: Anchor the answer to Part one: American people and the Boom, use precise evidence, and state whether hire purchase is a cause, consequence, change, continuity or significant development.
- Avoid confusing flappers: Anchor the answer to Part one: American people and the Boom, use precise evidence, and state whether flappers is a cause, consequence, change, continuity or significant development.
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