2025 AQA AS HISTORY 7041/2M Wars and Welfare: Britain in Transition, 1906–1957
Component 2M Society in Crisis, 1906–1929
Question paper and Marking scheme Merged
AS
HISTORY
Wars and Welfare: Britain in Transition, 1906–1957
Component 2M Society in Crisis, 1906–1929
Monday 19 May 2025 Afternoon Time allowed: 1 hour 30 minutes
Materials
For this paper you must have:
• an AQA 16-page answer book.
Instructions
• Use black ink or black ball-point pen.
• Write the information required on the front of your answer book. The Paper Reference is
7041/2M.
• Answer two questions.
In Section A answer Question 01.
In Section B answer either Question 02 or Question 03.
Information
• The marks for questions are shown in brackets.
• The maximum mark for this paper is 50.
• You will be marked on your ability to:
– use good English
– organise information clearly
– use specialist vocabulary where appropriate.
Advice
• You are advised to spend about:
– 50 minutes on Section A
– 40 minutes on Section B.
, 2
Section A
Answer Question 01.
Source A
From an article, ‘The Commercial Future of Great Britain’, published in ‘The Times’
newspaper, February 1911. The article compares the British economy with that of the
USA and Germany.
The profound truth is that our prosperity is based upon our trade. Are we to retain that
prosperity? Or are we to give up, in favour of foreign nations, the proud position which,
partly by good fortune and partly due to our energy and enterprise, we have been
successful in achieving? The immediate outlook for British trade is fortunately hopeful.
We have a series of reports from engineering firms which show evidence of an 5
improvement in Britain’s industrial outlook and of confidence in prospects for future years.
But we need serious reflection on the promotion of our trade. With such rivals as
Germany and the USA, we must either go forward or be left behind in the race.
Source B
From a speech in a parliamentary debate on the state of the economy by Harold Smith,
Conservative MP for Warrington, in the North West of England, February 1912.
In terms of the cotton trade, we import from Germany two and a half times as many
finished goods as we export; from France we import more than we send. Even with
Japan, which we would never have dreamt we would compete with, we are now a
day-to-day competitor in terms of our cotton exports. With iron and steel, where not many
years ago we led the world, we are now third. Many of our blast furnaces have lately had 5
to be blown out and some steel works are now closed. Many of our iron works are running
short of time. Many of our workers, both skilled and unskilled, are unemployed and there
is no provision for them.
0 1 With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context, which
of these two sources is more valuable in explaining the economic position of Britain in
the years before the First World War?
[25 marks]
IB/M/Jun25/7041/2M
Component 2M Society in Crisis, 1906–1929
Question paper and Marking scheme Merged
AS
HISTORY
Wars and Welfare: Britain in Transition, 1906–1957
Component 2M Society in Crisis, 1906–1929
Monday 19 May 2025 Afternoon Time allowed: 1 hour 30 minutes
Materials
For this paper you must have:
• an AQA 16-page answer book.
Instructions
• Use black ink or black ball-point pen.
• Write the information required on the front of your answer book. The Paper Reference is
7041/2M.
• Answer two questions.
In Section A answer Question 01.
In Section B answer either Question 02 or Question 03.
Information
• The marks for questions are shown in brackets.
• The maximum mark for this paper is 50.
• You will be marked on your ability to:
– use good English
– organise information clearly
– use specialist vocabulary where appropriate.
Advice
• You are advised to spend about:
– 50 minutes on Section A
– 40 minutes on Section B.
, 2
Section A
Answer Question 01.
Source A
From an article, ‘The Commercial Future of Great Britain’, published in ‘The Times’
newspaper, February 1911. The article compares the British economy with that of the
USA and Germany.
The profound truth is that our prosperity is based upon our trade. Are we to retain that
prosperity? Or are we to give up, in favour of foreign nations, the proud position which,
partly by good fortune and partly due to our energy and enterprise, we have been
successful in achieving? The immediate outlook for British trade is fortunately hopeful.
We have a series of reports from engineering firms which show evidence of an 5
improvement in Britain’s industrial outlook and of confidence in prospects for future years.
But we need serious reflection on the promotion of our trade. With such rivals as
Germany and the USA, we must either go forward or be left behind in the race.
Source B
From a speech in a parliamentary debate on the state of the economy by Harold Smith,
Conservative MP for Warrington, in the North West of England, February 1912.
In terms of the cotton trade, we import from Germany two and a half times as many
finished goods as we export; from France we import more than we send. Even with
Japan, which we would never have dreamt we would compete with, we are now a
day-to-day competitor in terms of our cotton exports. With iron and steel, where not many
years ago we led the world, we are now third. Many of our blast furnaces have lately had 5
to be blown out and some steel works are now closed. Many of our iron works are running
short of time. Many of our workers, both skilled and unskilled, are unemployed and there
is no provision for them.
0 1 With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context, which
of these two sources is more valuable in explaining the economic position of Britain in
the years before the First World War?
[25 marks]
IB/M/Jun25/7041/2M
