AD America, 1920-1973: Opportunity and inequality revision notes

AD America, 1920-1973: Opportunity and inequality

Historical Context AD America, 1920-1973: Opportunity and inequality belongs within Paper 1 Section A: Period studies for AQA GCSE History 8145. The period focus is 1920-1973. Students should place the named events and developments in chronological order before making a judgement. The central curriculum points include hire purchase, flappers, prohibition, Depression, Roosevelt.

Key Events Key people, groups and developments should be connected to the approved learning objectives rather than treated as isolated facts. The Boom, including benefits, advertising, consumer society, hire purchase, mass production, Ford, the motor industry, wealth inequalities, Republican policies and stock market boom. Social and cultural developments, including cinema, jazz and the position of women in society including flappers. 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. American society during the Depression, including unemployment, farmers, businessmen, Hoover's responses, Hoover's unpopularity and Roosevelt's election. These points help students choose precise evidence for short-answer, narrative and essay questions.

Causes Causal explanation should separate long-term conditions from short-term triggers. Evidence should be named, dated where possible, and linked directly to the claim being made. In this topic, useful evidence comes from the specified events, periods, individuals and groups in the source curriculum.

Consequences Consequences should be explained as outcomes of events or developments, not confused with causes. Interpretations should be compared by identifying what each interpretation claims, why it may differ, and how contextual knowledge supports or challenges it.

Historical Significance Significance is more than importance. It asks why an event, person or development mattered at the time and over time. Keep source and interpretation, causation and consequence, change and continuity, similarity and difference, and evidence and opinion clearly separated.

Exam Focus In exam answers, start with the command word, select precise historical evidence, and keep the response anchored to the selected route. Use chronology where it clarifies the argument. For extended responses, make a judgement and support each paragraph with evidence. Revision focus 1: The Boom, including benefits, advertising, consumer society, hire purchase, mass production, Ford, the motor industry, wealth inequalities, Republican policies and stock market boom. Anchor this point to Part one: American people and the Boom, use specific evidence, and explain whether it is best used for context, cause, consequence, change, continuity, significance, source utility or interpretation evaluation. Revision focus 2: Social and cultural developments, including cinema, jazz and the position of women in society including flappers. Anchor this point to Part one: American people and the Boom, use specific evidence, and explain whether it is best used for context, cause, consequence, change, continuity, significance, source utility or interpretation evaluation. Revision focus 3: 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. Anchor this point to Part one: American people and the Boom, use specific evidence, and explain whether it is best used for context, cause, consequence, change, continuity, significance, source utility or interpretation evaluation. Revision focus 4: American society during the Depression, including unemployment, farmers, businessmen, Hoover's responses, Hoover's unpopularity and Roosevelt's election. Anchor this point to Part two: Bust: Americans' experiences of the Depression and New Deal, use specific evidence, and explain whether it is best used for context, cause, consequence, change, continuity, significance, source utility or interpretation evaluation. Revision focus 5: 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. Anchor this point to Part two: Bust: Americans' experiences of the Depression and New Deal, use specific evidence, and explain whether it is best used for context, cause, consequence, change, continuity, significance, source utility or interpretation evaluation. Revision focus 6: The impact of the Second World War, including America's economic recovery, Lend Lease, exports and social developments affecting African-Americans and women. Anchor this point to Part two: Bust: Americans' experiences of the Depression and New Deal, use specific evidence, and explain whether it is best used for context, cause, consequence, change, continuity, significance, source utility or interpretation evaluation. Revision focus 7: Post-war American society and economy, including consumerism, causes of prosperity, the American Dream, McCarthyism and popular culture including Rock and Roll and television. Anchor this point to Part three: Post-war America, use specific evidence, and explain whether it is best used for context, cause, consequence, change, continuity, significance, source utility or interpretation evaluation.