Course Content
Component 1: The Making of a Superpower: The USA 1865-1975
This Unit provides an overview of US history in the period 1865–1975 as it responded to a series of challenges both from outside and within the USA. Students will examine the role of individual presidents, the factors working for and against change, and how foreign and domestic policy changed to meet the various crises. There will be opportunities to consider interpretations of how the USA developed during this period and to engage in the various debates over key incidents in US history. The study of events between 1865 and 1975 will enable students to compare, explain and assess the nature, pace and extent of change and its impact on domestic and foreign policy.
Component 2: The Making of Modern Britain 1951-2007
This Unit promotes an understanding of change and continuity over approximately 50 years of British history, during which Britain enjoyed a period of post-war affluence and boom, followed by an era of reaction. Through the study of key events in depth, candidates will be able to demonstrate an understanding of important individuals such as Macmillan, Wilson, Thatcher and Blair, and the interrelationship of such individuals with the ideas that helped bring about the developments in Britain’s changing relations with the world after 1951 and the enduring debate over European involvement. As a result of the study of the period as a whole, candidates will be able to demonstrate how issues such as economic performance, party-political reinvention and multiculturalism have changed in Britain by 2007.
Component 3: Historical Enquiry
This is the coursework unit. The students study one topic over a 100 year period. They consider a range of sources in order to resolve a historical issue. The unit emphasises the use of various historical sources in order to provide synoptic understanding of the issues in question in combination with an exploration of interpretations of the past.
| Component | Assessment | Duration | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1: The Making of a Superpower: The USA 1865-1975 | Written exam | 2h 30m | 40% |
| 2: The Making of Modern Britain 1951-2007 | Written exam | 2h 30m | 40% |
| 3: Historical Enquiry | Historical Enquiry | 3000-4500 words | 20% |
Year 12
The making of a Superpower: USA, 1865–1975
Half Term 1 (Sept-Nov)
Half Term 2 (Nov – Dec)
Half Term 3 (Jan – Feb)
Half Term 4 (Feb – March)
Half Term 5 (April – May)
Half Term 6 (May – July)
Half Term 1 (Sept-Nov)
Focus and Topic
- Reconstruction
Core Knowledge
- The weaknesses of Federal Government: Johnson, Grant and the failure of Radical Reconstruction
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view…
Assessment
- End of Unit assessment
Half Term 2 (Nov – Dec)
Focus and Topic
- The politics of the Gilded Age and the era of weak presidents; political corruption
Core Knowledge
- Social, regional and ethnic divisions: divisions within and between North, South and West; the position of African-Americans
- Economic growth and the rise of corporations: railways; oil; developments in agriculture; urbanisation
- Laissez-faire dominance and consequences; the impact of the ending of the frontier
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view
Assessment
- N/A
Half Term 3 (Jan – Feb)
Focus and Topic
- The limits of foreign engagement and continuation of isolationism:
Core Knowledge
- The continuation of the Monroe Doctrine; territorial consolidation (Alaska) and tensions over Canada 1890–1920
- Political tensions and divisions: the reaction against Big Business at national and state level
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view
Assessment
- End of Unit assessment
Half Term 4 (Feb – March)
Focus and Topic
- Populism, progressivism and imperialism
Core Knowledge
- The ideas and influence of Bryan, Roosevelt and Taft; Populism, Progressivism and Wilson’s New Freedom
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view
Assessment
- End of Unit assessment
Half Term 5 (April – May)
Focus and Topic
- Economic change and developments:
Core Knowledge
- The rise of US dominance as an economic and industrial power and the consequences of this
- Social developments: mass immigration and urbanisation and their consequences; the position of African-Americans
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view
Assessment
- End of Unit assessment
Half Term 6 (May – July)
Focus and Topic
- Foreign affairs
Core Knowledge
- Imperialism; engagement in international affairs; Spain and the Philippines; the Panama Canal; the First World War, neutrality and entry
- The USA by 1920: economic power; social and ethnic divisions; political reaction and renewed isolationism
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view
Assessment
- End of Unit assessment
The Making of Modern Britain, 1951–2007
Half Term 1 (Sept-Nov)
Half Term 2 (Nov – Dec)
Half Term 3 (Jan – Feb)
Half Term 4 (Feb – March)
Half Term 5 (April – May)
Half Term 6 (May – July)
Half Term 1 (Sept-Nov)
Focus and Topic
- The Affluent Society, 1951–1964
Core Knowledge
- Conservative governments and reasons for political dominance: Churchill, Eden, Macmillan and Home as political leaders; domestic policies; internal Labour divisions; reasons for Conservatives’ fall from power
- Economic developments: post-war boom; balance of payments issues and ‘stop-go’ policies
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view…
Assessment
- End of Unit assessment
Half Term 2 (Nov – Dec)
Focus and Topic
- The Affluent Society, 1951–1964
Core Knowledge
- Social developments: rising living standards; the impact of affluence and consumerism; changing social attitudes and tensions; class and ‘the Establishment’; the position of women; attitudes to immigration; racial violence; the emergence of the ‘teenager’ and youth culture
- Foreign relations: EFTA and attempts to join the EEC; relations with and policies towards USA and USSR; debates over the nuclear deterrent; Korean War; Suez; the ‘Winds of Change’ and decolonisation
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view…
Assessment
- End of Unit assessment
Half Term 3 (Jan – Feb)
Focus and Topic
- The Sixties, 1964–1970
Core Knowledge
- Wilson and the Labour governments: Wilson’s ideology and leadership; economic policies and problems; devaluation; industrial relations; the trade unions; other domestic policies; Labour divisions; the beginning of the ‘troubles’ in Northern Ireland; the end of post-war consensus; loss of 1970 election
- Liberal reforming legislation: private members’ bills and the end of capital punishment; divorce reform; the legalisation of abortion; the legalisation of homosexual relations; educational reform
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view…
Assessment
- End of Unit assessment
Half Term 4 (Feb – March)
Focus and Topic
- The Sixties, 1964–1970
Core Knowledge
- Social and cultural change: the expansion of the mass media; growth in leisure activities; the impact of scientific developments; the reduction in censorship; progress towards female equality; changes in moral attitudes; youth culture and the ‘permissive society’; anti-Vietnam war riots; issues of immigration and race
- Relations with and policies towards USA, particularly issue of Vietnam; response to world affairs and relations with Europe; decolonisation including ‘withdrawal East of Suez’ and Rhodesia.
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view…
Assessment
- End of Unit assessment
Half Term 5 (April – May)
Focus and Topic
- The end of Post-War Consensus, 1970–1979
Core Knowledge
- Heath’s government: Heath as leader; political and economic policies; industrial relations and the miners’ strikes; the ‘troubles’ in Northern Ireland, including the Sunningdale Agreement
- Labour governments of Wilson and Callaghan: political, economic and industrial problems and policies; problems of Northern Ireland
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view…
Assessment
- End of Unit assessment
Half Term 6 (May – July)
Focus and Topic
- The end of Post-War Consensus, 1970–1979
Core Knowledge
- Society in the 1970s: progress of feminism; the Sex Discrimination Act; race and immigration; youth; environmentalism
- Britain’s entry into and relations with Europe; the state of the ‘special relationship’ with USA; attitudes to USSR and China
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view…
Assessment
- End of Unit assessment
Year 13
Crisis of identity, 1920–1945
Half Term 1 (Sept-Nov)
Half Term 2 (Nov – Dec)
Half Term 3 (Jan – Feb)
Half Term 4 (Feb – March)
Half Term 5 (April – May)
Half Term 6 (May – July)
Half Term 1 (Sept-Nov)
Focus and Topic
- Domestic politics
Core Knowledge
- Social and cultural developments: ‘the Jazz Age’ in the 1920s; new social values and the role of women; the failure of prohibition and its significance; social impact of the Depression and the Second World War
- Social, regional and ethnic divisions: countryside versus city; divisions between North, West and South; African-Americans and the rise of the Ku Klux Klan
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view
Assessment
- End of Unit assessment
Half Term 2 (Nov – Dec)
Focus and Topic
- The economy
Core Knowledge
- Boom to bust and recovery; structural weaknesses and the impact of the New Deals and the Second World War on economic recovery
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view
Assessment
- End of Unit assessment
Half Term 3 (Jan – Feb)
Focus and Topic
- The Depression
Core Knowledge
- Harding, Coolidge and Republican conservatism; Hoover and the Depression
- FD Roosevelt and the New Deals: conflict of ideas over the role of the Federal Government
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view
Assessment
- End of Unit assessment
Half Term 4 (Feb – March)
Focus and Topic
- The Depression
Core Knowledge
- The USA and international relations: the extent of isolationism; FDR and the end of isolationism and the Second World War
- The Superpower, 1945–1975
- Domestic politics: Truman, Eisenhower and post-war reconstruction
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view
Assessment
- End of Unit assessment
Half Term 5 (April – May)
Focus and Topic
- Economic change and developments
Core Knowledge
- The rise of the consumer society and economic boom
- Ideological, social, regional and ethnic divisions: McCarthyism; civil rights; youth culture; protest and the mass media
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view
Assessment
- End of Unit assessment
Half Term 6 (May – July)
Focus and Topic
- The USA and international relations:
Core Knowledge
- The Cold War and relations with the USSR and China; the Vietnam War
- The USA by 1975: its place as a Superpower; the limits of social cohesion; new cultural developments, including the role of women and the position of African-Americans
- Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon; New Frontier; the Great Society; Nixon and Republican revival
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view
Assessment
- End of Unit assessment
The impact of Thatcherism, 1979–1987
Half Term 1 (Sept-Nov)
Half Term 2 (Nov – Dec)
Half Term 3 (Jan – Feb)
Half Term 4 (Feb – March)
Half Term 5 (April – May)
Half Term 6 (May – July)
Half Term 1 (Sept-Nov)
Focus and Topic
- The impact of Thatcherism, 1979–1987
Core Knowledge
- The Thatcher governments: Thatcher as leader, character and ideology; ministers; support and opposition; electoral success; internal Labour divisions and the formation of the SDP; Northern Ireland and the troubles
- Thatcher’s economic policies and their impact: monetarism; privatisation; deregulation; issues of inflation, unemployment and economic realignment
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view
Assessment
- End of Unit assessment
Half Term 2 (Nov – Dec)
Focus and Topic
- The impact of Thatcherism, 1979–1987
Core Knowledge
- Impact of Thatcherism on society: sale of council houses; miners’ strike and other industrial disputes; poll tax; extra-parliamentary opposition
- Foreign Affairs: the Falklands; the ‘special relationship’ with USA; moves to end the Cold War; Thatcher as an international figure; attitudes to Europe, including Thatcher’s policies; divisions within the Conservative Party
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view
Assessment
- End of Unit assessment
Half Term 3 (Jan – Feb)
Focus and Topic
- Towards a new Consensus, 1987–1997
Core Knowledge
- Fall of Thatcher and her legacy; Major as leader; economic developments, including ‘Black Wednesday’ and its impact; political sleaze, scandals and satire; political policies; approach to Northern Ireland; Conservative divisions
- Realignment of the Labour Party under Kinnock, Smith and Blair; reasons for Labour victory in 1997
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view
Assessment
- End of Unit assessment
Half Term 4 (Feb – March)
Focus and Topic
- Towards a new Consensus, 1987–1997
Core Knowledge
- Social issues: the extent of ‘social liberalism’; anti-establishment culture; the position of women and race-relations
- Foreign affairs: relations with Europe, including the impact of the Single European Act and Maastricht Treaty; interventions in the Balkans; contribution and attitude to the end of the Cold War
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view
Assessment
- End of Unit assessment.
Half Term 5 (April – May)
Focus and Topic
- The Era of New Labour, 1997–2007
Core Knowledge
- The Labour governments: Blair as leader, character and ideology; constitutional change; domestic policies; Brown and economic policy; Northern Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement
- The Conservative Party: leaders and reason for divisions; reason for electoral failures in 2001 and 2005
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view
Assessment
- End of Unit assessment
Half Term 6 (May – July)
Focus and Topic
- The Era of New Labour, 1997–2007
Core Knowledge
- Social issues: workers, women and youth; the extent to which Britain had become a multicultural society
- Foreign affairs: attitudes to Europe; the ‘special relationship’ with USA; military interventions and the ‘war on terror’; Britain’s position in the world by 2007
Core Skills
- Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the arguments in these three extracts are in relation to …
- To what extent…/How far…/Assess the validity of the view
Assessment
- End of Unit assessment
Key Info
- Start Date: September 2026
- Awarding Body: AQA
- Study Mode: Full Time
- Course Length: 2 Years
Entry Requirements
TBC
Complementary Subjects
Studying History will help you with other A-level essay subjects like: English Literature, Geography, Law, Philosophy, Psychology, and Sociology.
Career Opportunities
With your excellent analytical, writing, debate and detective skills, you’ll be primed for a huge range of careers in history and beyond. Areas you could go into include: Law, Politics, Public Sector, Business, Marketing, Journalism, Economics, Teaching, Academia, Insurance, Social research, Archaeology and Curation (museums, galleries, archives and libraries)