America, 1920-1973: Opportunity and Inequality

1. AQA GCSE History Question Guide Book. Paper 1 – Section A America, 1920-1973: Opportunity and Inequality Name………………………. Tutor Group………………

3. Paper 1 – Section A America, 1920-1973: Opportunity and Inequality This section has questions on 3 topics: Topic 1 American people and the ‘Boom’ Topic 2 Americans’ experience of the Depression and New Deal Topic 3 Post-war America

4. Assessment Objectives. GCSE History is designed to test you in lots of different ways. The exams will measure how you have achieved the following four assessment objectives: AO1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the key features and characteristics of the period studied. AO2 Explain and analyse historical events and periods studied using second-order historical concepts. AO3 Analyse, evaluate and use sources (contemporary to the period) to make substantiated judgements in the context of events studied. AO4 Analyse, evaluate and make substantiated judgements about interpretations (including how and why they differ)

5. Paper 1 – Section A – America 1920-1973: Opportunity and Inequality In section A you will have 6 questions following the same structure. Use this guide to learn the questions types and how to answer them! Questions 1, 2 and 3 are all based around two Interpretations of an event. How does interpretation B differ from interpretation A about…? Explain your answer using Interpretations A and B. (4 Marks) 2. Why might the authors of Interpretations A and B have a different interpretation about…? Explain your answer using Interpretations A and B and your contextual knowledge. (4 Marks) 3. Which Interpretation do you find more convincing about…? Explain your answer using Interpretations A and B and your contextual knowledge. (8 Marks)

6. Paper 1 – Section A – America 1920-1973: Opportunity and Inequality Questions 4, 5 and 6 focus on your knowledge of the time, the ways that people’s lives were affected and reasons for significant events. Questions ask you to explain historic events in detail, consider the impact of events on others and reach a reasoned judgement on reasons for events. 4. Describe two…features/problems/characteristics…of a particular time period. (4 Marks) 5. In what ways were the lives of…changed/affected by…(8 Marks) • 6. Which of the following achieved more/was a more important reason for… • Group/Factor/Reason 1 • Group/Factor/Reason 2 • Explain your answer with reference to both bullet points. (12 Marks)

7. Provenance N O P C What type of source is it? Is it a diary entry, a letter, a cartoon, a photograph, a part of a speech…? Working with sources involves a range of different skills. To write really good answers it helps to know about nature, origins and purpose. Nature When was the source produced and who was the source produced by? Origin Why was the source produced? What is it for? Is it giving a particular message? Is it propaganda? Top Tip! Use NOP when you are comparing sources, making judgements about usefulness or reliability. Purpose What does the source say? What are the key phrases? What are the key parts of the image? Content

8. Key Terms Infer – To draw a conclusion about something using evidence and reasoning. Analyse – To discover or reveal something through close examination Evaluate – To form an opinion about something using evidence and criteria. Interpret – To understand the meaning of something in a particular way.

9. Example Interpretations – Interpretation A Interpretation A – John Gates, in his book ‘The Story of an American Communist’ published in 1959. In the early 1930s Gates was a student. He had discovered the writings of Karl Marx in which he said that he ‘found the answers to the causes of the Depression, socialism and a world of brotherhood of man’. Soon afterwards he joined the Young Communist League. We planned a demonstration of the unemployed during President Roosevelt's inauguration on March 4, 1933. I was chosen to open the demonstration and was arrested because we didn’t have a permit to hold it. Listening to the broadcast when I was in jail, it did not sound exactly like a New Deal to me. I did not believe the President and had no confidence in him. He announced the closing of the banks and the introduction of a New Deal for the American people. It sounded to me like a possible dictatorship.

10. Example Interpretations – Interpretation B Interpretation B – Rexford Tugwell in his book ‘The Democratic Roosevelt’ published in 1957. Tugwell was a member of the Democratic Party and a close friend of Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1932 he joined a team to advise Roosevelt during the presidential election. Roosevelt consulted Tugwell about the banking crisis and the New Deal. When Roosevelt died our society was much further forward than when he became President. It is true that there was a change from the old rugged individualism and laissez-faire ideas towards more government regulation. And a move away from individual responsibility for sickness, unemployment and old age to security for all. This helped those with the least power to bargain. We are a lucky people. If it had not been for this democrat we might have fallen to a dictatorship. For that being talked about when he took charge.

11. How does Interpretation B differ from Interpretation A about…? Explain your answer using Interpretations A and B. (4 Marks) To answer this question you need to……… Explain what Interpretation A tells you about the topic 2. Explain what Interpretation B tells you about the topic. 3. Make a point about their differences. 4. Explain their differences – in what way are the Interpretations different? What quotes show that they are different?

12. How does Interpretation B differ from Interpretation A about…? Explain your answer using Interpretations A and B. (4 Marks) Model Answer Example Question How does Interpretation B differ from Interpretation A about President Roosevelt’s New Deal? Explain your answer using Interpretations A and B. “In interpretation A, John Gates criticises the New Deal and emphasises the idea that Roosevelt acted like a dictator because he ‘announced the closing of the banks’. In Interpretation B, on the other hand, Tugwell supports the New Deal, stating that America might have ‘fallen to a dictatorship’ without Roosevelt becoming President. Interpretation B differs from Interpretation A because it gives a positive point of view about the New Deal. Tugwell’s argument that Americans were ‘lucky people’ is different to the critical argument made by Gates. 1 2 3 4 4 Marks 4 Minutes!

13. 2. Why might the authors of Interpretations A and B have a different interpretation about…? Explain your answer using the Interpretations A and B and your contextual knowledge. (4 Marks) To answer this question you need to……… Explain who the author of Interpretation A is and make a comment on the provenance. 2. Explain who the author of Interpretation B is and make a comment on the provenance. 3. State why the authors might have different interpretations by comparing their views and the provenance of each interpretation. 4. Use your contextual knowledge to explain the reason for the different interpretations in detail.

14. 2. Why might the authors of Interpretations A and B have a different interpretation about…? Explain your answer using Interpretations A and B and your contextual knowledge. (4 Marks) Model Answer Example Question Why might the authors of Interpretations A and B have a different interpretation about President Roosevelt’s New Deal? Explain using interpretations A and B and your contextual knowledge “Interpretation A was written by Gates who was a communist writing in 1959 about his experiences living in America. Interpretation B on the other hand was written by Tugwell, a man who worked as an advisor to President Roosevelt before and after he was elected. The authors of Interpretation A and B might have a different interpretation about the New Deal because they have very different political opinions. Gates was a communist and so would have been critical of the capitalist American Government. Tugwell however was clearly pro-capitalist and was happy to commemorate his President’s achievements as well as his own. Having lived through the Red Scare and McCarthyism in the 1950s, it is not surprising that by 1959, when Gates was writing, he had a different opinion to Tugwell.” 1 2 3 4 4 Marks 4 Minutes!

15. 3. Which interpretation do you find more convincing about…? Explain your answer using the Interpretations A and B and your contextual knowledge. (8 Marks) Explain what Interpretation A tells you about the topic. 2. Explain what you know about the topic and compare this to the Interpretation. Use this to make a statement on how convincing you find the Interpretation. 3. Compare how convincing Interpretation B is to Interpretation A using your knowledge. 4. Reach a final judgement on which Interpretation is more convincing.

16. 3. Which interpretation do you find more convincing about…? Explain your answer using the Interpretations A and B and your contextual knowledge. (8 Marks) Example Question Which interpretation do you find more convincing about President Roosevelt’s New Deal? Explain your answer using the Interpretations A and B. Model Answer “Interpretation A is critical of President Roosevelt’s New Deal and states that the introduction of the New Deal was like a ‘dictatorship’ because Roosevelt closed the banks. I know that one of Roosevelt’s first acts as President was to close the banks, however this was done as a temporary measure and regulated, reliable banks were soon reopened. Interpretation B gives a more balanced view of the New Deal in comparison to A. Whilst the government did regulate the banks, there was a lot more to it than Interpretation A’s critical view. I know that the New Deal did help lots of people through Alphabet Agencies such as the NRA that improved working conditions. This is shown in Interpretation B when it states that the New Deal helped people with the least power to ‘bargain’. Overall Interpretation B is more convincing about the New Deal because it is more balanced than Interpretation B’s wholly critical view.” 8 Marks 8 Minutes

17. 4. Describe two…features/problems/characteristics of a particular time period…(4 Marks) To answer this question you need to……… 1. Make a point by stating one feature, problem or characteristic of a time period. 2. Explain the point in detail using evidence or examples to support your explanation. 3. Make a second point by stating a second feature, problem or characteristic of a time period. 4. Explain the second point in detail using evidence or examples to support your explanation.

18. 4. Describe two…features/problems/characteristics of a particular time period…(4 Marks) Model Answer Example Question Describe two problems faced by President Roosevelt from the opposition to the New Deal. “The first problem faced by President Roosevelt was that the some people argued that the New Deal didn’t do enough. Opposition gained support and a large following in the 1930s with characters such as Huey Long and Father Coughlin arguing that the New Deal should have gone further to help the people of America. The second problem faced by President Roosevelt was the Supreme Court’s refusal to co-operate. President Roosevelt felt that there were too many Republican judges. Roosevelt wanted to add more Democrat judges to ensure that the Supreme Court agreed with him. These changes were ruled to be unconstitutional and caused Roosevelt problems in passing laws. 1 2 3 4 Marks 4 Minutes! 4

19. 5. In what ways were the lives of…changed/affected by…? (8 Marks) To answer this question you need to……… State one of the ways that the lives of the group were changed or affected. 2. Support this point with your knowledge (relevant evidence, examples, statistics etc) 3. Repeat 1 & 2 with a second way that lives were changed or affected. 4. Explain how change/affect was different between groups/time/classes/areas.

20. 5. In what ways were the lives of…changed/affected by…? (8 Marks) Example Question In what ways were the lives of Women affected by the America’s economic Boom in the 1920s? “Firstly changing attitudes during the Boom of the 1920s affected American women’s lives by giving them more social freedom. Younger urban women, known as ‘flappers’ wore more daring clothes and were able to smoke in public. In the 20s women could also go out with men on their own and kiss in public. This was very different to the traditional conservative behaviour of women before the 20s. Secondly the economic Boom of the 1920s changed women’s lives by giving them more free time. New electrical goods such as vacuum cleaners and washing machines were mass produced and meant that the domestic work undertaken by women was made easier, freeing them up to have a more active social life. The lives of American women changed considerably during the 1920s however the changes were greater for some than for others. Women living in the countryside, particularly in the religious bible belt, did not experience the same changes as urban women.” 1 2 3 8 Marks 8 Minutes 4

21. 6. Which of the following achieved more/was a more important reason for…(an event/group of people) • Group/Reason 1 • Group/Reason 2 • Explain your answer with reference to both bullet points. (12 Marks) To answer this question you need to……… Explain group 1/reason 1 (what the group achieved/why reason 1 was important for the named group/event) 2. Support your explanation with specific knowledge (evidence, examples, statistics, quotes etc) 3. Explain group 2/reason 2 (what the group achieved/why reason 2 was important for the named group/event) 4. Support your explanation with specific knowledge (evidence, examples, statistics, quotes etc) 5. Reach a final judgement on which group achieved more/which reason was more important.

22. 6. Which of the following achieved more/was a more important reason for…(an event/group of people) • Group/Reason 1 • Group/Reason 2 • Explain your answer with reference to both bullet points. (12 Marks) • Example Question • Which of the following was a more important reason for the economic boom in America in the 1920s: • World War One • Republican Policies • Explain your answer with reference to both bullet points. “World War One was an important reason for the economic boom in America in the 1920s because it left America in a strong position. America tried to stay out of the war for as long as possible, and joined in 1917, later than the countries of Europe. Throughout the War America sold arms and munitions to Britain and France. Before the war Germany had one of the world’s most successful chemical industries. During the war America overtook Germany as the biggest supplier of chemical products. The Republican policies of the 1920s were another reason for the economic boom because they allowed American companies to grow rapidly. One of these policies was import tariffs which made it expensive to import foreign goods. In 1922 Harding introduced the Fordney-McCumber tariff which made foreign goods expensive in the USA. This allowed Amerian companies to grow even more quickly. Overall I believe that the Republican Policies of the 1920s was a more important reason for the economic boom than World War One. The Laissez Faire policies allowed businesses to do what they do best: make money. World War One put America in a strong position, but the Republican policies allowed America to take advantage.” 12 Marks 12 Minutes