A Level History

AS Level

Unit 1 – Change and Consolidation

· Britain, 1603-1642

Unit 2 - Historical Issues: Periods of Change

· The Impact of Chairman Mao: China, 1946-1976

A2 Level

Unit 3 – The State and the People: Change and Continuity

· The state and People; Britain 1918-1964

Unit 4 – Historical Enquiry

· Totalitarian Ideology in Theory and in Practice, c1848-c1941

Course Outline in Detail:

Unit 1 - Change and Consolidation

Overview:

This unit promotes the understanding of change over time, of at least 50 years. Focuses on how governments establish themselves and respond to the need for change. The student will develop a strong sense of historical perspective and understand the relationships between key feature and characteristics of the period of study.

Britain, 1603-1642

An overview is provided of the changing relationships between Crown, Parliament and people in Britain during the reigns of James I and Charles I.

Part 1

The Reign of James I: the Establishment of the Authority, 1603-1618

· The position of the monarchy, the ideas of James I and the union of the two crowns

· King James I England and VI Scotland – The man

· The divine right of kings and the royal prerogative

· The position of the Church under James I, including his response to challenges from Roman Catholics and Puritans

· The Elizabethan settlement of 1559

· James and his relationship with the various religious communities

· James I’s relationship with Parliament, including conflicts over finance

· The form of Apology of the House of Commons

· The Committee of the whole house – 1607

· The influence of Court favourites

Part 2

The Stuart Monarchy, 1618-1629

· The foreign policies of James I and Charles I

· The career and influence of Buckingham

· Religious issues and rise of Arminianism

· Parliament 1618–21

· Relations between Crown and Parliament

Part 3

The Personal Rule of Charles I, 1629-1640

· The ideas of Charles I on monarchy and the concept of Divine Right

· Charles I’s rule without parliament

· The role and influence of Wentworth

· Religious issues including Laud’s reforms, and the influence of Catholicism at Court

· 1629-40 – Personal Rule and financial issues

· Archbishop Laud

· The role and influence of Wentworth – earl of Stafford

Part 4

Charles and the Origins of the Civil War, 1640-1642

· The reasons why Charles I recalled Parliament, including his difficulties with Scotland and Ireland

· Opposition and faction within the Parliament, including the role and influence of John Pym

· The actions of Charles I in the political crisis of 1640-1642

· Reasons for the outbreak of war

· The nineteen 

Examination on Unit 1:

Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes

Three questions will be set; students will have to answer two questions. All questions will be in two parts. The First Question will focus on narrow issue or development. The Second Question will test the understanding of the links between a narrow issue or development in a wider context. Each question is worth 36 marks.

First part= 12 marks

Second part =24 marks

Unit 2 - Historical Issues: Periods of Change

Overview:

Unit 2 promotes the study of significant periods of history in depth. An understanding of the complexity of historical process is established.

The Impact of Chairman Mao: China, 1946-1976

An opportunity to analyse the extent to which Mao Zalong transformed China in the years between the start of the Civil War in 1946 and his death in 1976.

Part 1

The Impact of Chairman Mao: China, 1946-1976

· The strengths and weaknesses of the Guomindang at the start of the civil war, including the role and influence of Chiang Kai Shek

· Communist retreat

· The long march

Part 2

The Civil War, 1946-1949

· Political and military strength of the CCP in 1946

· Ideological differences between Nationalist and Communists

· The People's Republic of China is born

· Reasons for the ultimate Communist victory

Part 3

The Consolidation of Power, 1949-1953

· The ideology and leadership of Mao Zedong

· Opposition to Mao within the communist party

· Role of the communist party in the new government

· Social reforms, including the emancipation of woman and universal education

Part 4

Economic planning and its results, 1953-1967

· Move to collectivisation

· Industry and the First Five-Year Plan 1953-7

· The collectivisation of agriculture, 1953-1957

· The hundred flower campaign

Part 5

The Great Leap Forward, 1958-1960

· Ideology behind Great Leap Forward

· Agricultural Communes

· Failure of the Great Leap Forward

· The third five year plan, 1962-1967

Part 6

The Cultural Revolution and its aftermath 1966-76

· Origins of the Cultural Revolution

· The course of the Cultural Revolution

· Spread of the Cultural Revolution October 1966-Jan 1967

· Reasons for the de-radicalisation of the Cultural Revolution

Part 7

The effects of the Cultural Revolution

· Effects on Cultural and Intellectual Life

· The Shanghai Radical

· Lin Biao’s enforced exit

· How Mao’s death affected China

Examination of Unit 2:

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Three Questions will be set.

First Question will be compulsory and will be in two parts. First part will test the ability to compare two historical sources in context. Second part will evaluate the ability to combine own knowledge and sources to answer a general question on the period of study. Each question is worth 36 marks.

First part: 12 marks

Second part: 24 marks

There will be two other questions from which students choose one. The questions will have two parts. The first part will ask candidates to recall information and arrive at a substantial judgement on a historical issue. The second part will require students to evaluate the validity of a judgement contained within a quotation.

Unit 3-The State and the People: Change and Continuity

Overview:

Unit 3 promotes an understanding of change and continuity over approximately 50 years. The relationship between the state and the people are explored. Develops students understanding of how a particular issue, such as the impact of religious belief, interacted with other issues in a short period and how this issue changed in significance over the 50- year period.

The state and People; Britain 1918-1964

Overview of change and continuity in Britain from the end of the First World Was to the election of 1964, through periods of peace and war to an era of consensus and affluence.

Part 1

Victory and Crises: 1918-1931

· Lloyd George and post-war reconstruction

· The First Labour Government 1929: aims, policies and problems

· Baldwin and the Conservative government 1924-1929

· Strengths of the Conservative Party

· Cultural changes – the role of woman and social and cultural mores

Part 2

The National Government and inter-war changes, 1931 – 1939

· Social and economic conditions

· Social impact of the depression in Britain

· Government economic policy – unemployment and poverty

· The Abdication Crisis and its impact 1936

Part 3

The impact of war and post-war reconstruction, 1939-1951

· Churchill’s coalition government 1940-1945

· The Beveridge Report 1941

· The General Election of 1945

· Leading Members of the Labour Government

Part 4

Post War Economic Problems

· Labours Nationalisation Programme

· Creation of welfare state; education and social policies

Part 5

General Election of October 1951

· Conservative Government 1951 -1964

· Churchill’s Government 1951-55

· Anthony Eden’s Government 1955-57

Part 6

Conservatives and the Economy 1951-64

· Quality of life under the Conservatives

· Main developments 1957-64

· Britain and European Economic Community

· Consensus politics

Examination of Unit 3

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Students will answer two essay questions from a choice of three. Each question is worth 45 marks.

Unit 4 – Historical Enquiry

Overview of the Module:

Students will be required to submit a Historical Enquiry, based on the investigation of a historical issue. The issue must be of sufficient depth and detail whilst covering 100 years. The issue must allow focus on a significant issue or debate.

Students should evaluate a range of sources, which may include: textbooks, biographies, diaries, TV programmes, films, paintings, newspapers, museums and the internet. A historical enquiry based on a range of appropriate secondary sources will also be acceptable.

The topic chosen must be set on either a country or period different to that studied in Unit 3. If the chosen topic covers part of the chronological period in either unit 1 or unit 2 then the focus of the enquiry must be on significantly different material. In order to avoid duplication and overlap, a chronological and thematic approach should be taken.

Additional requirements:

• the enquiry must demonstrate some awareness of historiography

• the enquiry must be based on a range of sources (either primary or secondary or both)

• the enquiry must be accompanied by a bibliography and an evaluation of approximately 500 words providing a critical evaluation of the sources used. This evaluation should include a brief bibliography.

Further details can be found on the following weblink:

http://store.aqa.org.uk/qual/gce/pdf/AQA-2040-W-TRB-CG.PDF

Totalitarian Ideology in Theory and in Practice, c1848-c1941

Overview of how totalitarian regimes functioned in various European states from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, highlighting specific issues and themes for a coursework question in the process. An opportunity to investigate three specific totalitarian regimes and the extent to which ideology shaped them.

Part 1

The USSR and Marxism

· Marxist stage theory, including the dictatorship of the proletariat and how it was adapted by Lenin and Stalin

· Bolsheviks versus the Mensheviks

· The intolerance of diversity in the 1930’s, with reference to economic, political, religious and cultural diversity, including and purges

· Three stages of Stalin’s rise to power

Part 2

Stalin’s Soviet Union in the 1930s

· State measures used to achieve economic progress

· Why did Stalin carry out the purges?

· The cult of Stalin

Part 3

Fascist Ideology and Italian Fascism

· History of Fascism

· Features of Fascist Ideology

· Different Strands within Fascism

· How Mussolini adapted Fascism

Part 4

The Italian Fascist state of the 1930s

· Suppression of political diversity

· Woman in Fascist Italy

· Racism against Germans and Slavs

· The intolerance of diversity with reference to political, economic, religious and cultural diversity

Part 5

Nazi Germany

· Nazi ideology, with reference to nationalism, socialism, race and anti-semitism and Volksgemeinschaft

· The rise to power of Adolf Hitler

· Development of Nazi Ideology

· Hitler’s rise to power 1928-33

· Political background to Hitler’s chancellorship

· Establishment of Hitler’s Dictatorship – January 1933-August 1934

Part 6

The Nazi State in the 1930s

· Nazi Germany’s intolerance of diversity

· Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass) 1938

· Propaganda and the Nazi leadership

· The Fuhrerprinzip (Principle of the Fuhrer)

· The Totalitarianism of the three regimes

Examination of Unit 4:

The purpose of the Historical Enquiry is to test the student’s ability to undertake the investigation of a specific historical question, problem or issue by drawing on knowledge, understanding and skills acquired during the course.

The Historical Enquiry will be marked out of 60 and should be between 3500 and 4000 words in length. 

Tutor support for two years. Students are required to arrange and pay for examinations, students should note exam dates for the syllabus via the exam board website. Details of examination dates and examination enrolment deadlines are included in the 'Student Welcome Pack'.