2024 AQA A-level HISTORY Component 1G Challenge and
transformation: Britain, c1851–1964 MAY Question Paper and Mark
Scheme MERGED
A-level
HISTORY
Component 1G Challenge and transformation: Britain, c1851–1964
Thursday 23 May 2024 Morning Time allowed: 2 hours 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
7042/1G.
Answer three questions.
In Section A answer Question 01.
In Section B answer two questions.
Information
The marks for questions are shown in brackets.
The maximum mark for this paper is 80.
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:
– 1 hour on Question 01 from Section A
– 45 minutes on each of the two questions answered from Section B.
,IB/M/Jun24/G4006/E2 7042/1G
, 2
Section A
Answer Question 01.
Extract A
As a result of the wartime experience and the unity of the Churchill coalition, the leaders
of both the Labour and Conservative parties came to adopt roughly similar attitudes
towards the post-war economy, embracing the mixed economy and full employment.
This consensus represented a sort of halfway house between socialism and private
enterprise, and showed both Labour and the Conservatives moving towards the middle 5
ground of politics. In 1947, Sir Stafford Cripps stated that ‘the Budget is the most
important instrument for influencing economic policy’. The situation was no different after
1951, when the general tone of Conservative economic policy was set by Butler, who
was also influenced by Keynes’ ideas. In their basic commitment to full employment, the
mixed economy and an active government role in preventing economic recession, one 10
can detect a fundamental consensus, which was continued under Macmillan. The
consensus worked well: unemployment was below 3% during the whole period 1945–64.
Adapted from P Adelman, Britain: Domestic Politics 1939–64, 1994
Extract B
The new Labour administration of 1945 had a clear idea of its objectives. The government
embarked on a major extension of state intervention in the form of nationalisation of key
industries. This element of socialist economic planning proved to be a success in many
ways. The government was able to boost exports, restrain inflation and maintain full
employment – achievements which eluded all subsequent governments. 5 By contrast, in the
1950s and early 1960s, the Conservatives, anxious to keep on the
right side of public opinion, promoted consumerism by relaxing credit and lowering taxes.
However, annual rates of economic growth were well behind those of other western
countries. The problem lay in the misuse of Keynesian methods by a succession of
Conservative chancellors for political purposes. The first guilty politician in this series 10 was
RA Butler, whose 1955 pre-election giveaway boosted consumer spending,
stimulated inflation and weakened the balance of payments. After the election the
economy had to be dampened down – the start of what was to be a damaging
stop/go pattern.
Adapted from M Pugh, State and Society, 2008
IB/M/Jun24/7042/1G
transformation: Britain, c1851–1964 MAY Question Paper and Mark
Scheme MERGED
A-level
HISTORY
Component 1G Challenge and transformation: Britain, c1851–1964
Thursday 23 May 2024 Morning Time allowed: 2 hours 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
7042/1G.
Answer three questions.
In Section A answer Question 01.
In Section B answer two questions.
Information
The marks for questions are shown in brackets.
The maximum mark for this paper is 80.
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:
– 1 hour on Question 01 from Section A
– 45 minutes on each of the two questions answered from Section B.
,IB/M/Jun24/G4006/E2 7042/1G
, 2
Section A
Answer Question 01.
Extract A
As a result of the wartime experience and the unity of the Churchill coalition, the leaders
of both the Labour and Conservative parties came to adopt roughly similar attitudes
towards the post-war economy, embracing the mixed economy and full employment.
This consensus represented a sort of halfway house between socialism and private
enterprise, and showed both Labour and the Conservatives moving towards the middle 5
ground of politics. In 1947, Sir Stafford Cripps stated that ‘the Budget is the most
important instrument for influencing economic policy’. The situation was no different after
1951, when the general tone of Conservative economic policy was set by Butler, who
was also influenced by Keynes’ ideas. In their basic commitment to full employment, the
mixed economy and an active government role in preventing economic recession, one 10
can detect a fundamental consensus, which was continued under Macmillan. The
consensus worked well: unemployment was below 3% during the whole period 1945–64.
Adapted from P Adelman, Britain: Domestic Politics 1939–64, 1994
Extract B
The new Labour administration of 1945 had a clear idea of its objectives. The government
embarked on a major extension of state intervention in the form of nationalisation of key
industries. This element of socialist economic planning proved to be a success in many
ways. The government was able to boost exports, restrain inflation and maintain full
employment – achievements which eluded all subsequent governments. 5 By contrast, in the
1950s and early 1960s, the Conservatives, anxious to keep on the
right side of public opinion, promoted consumerism by relaxing credit and lowering taxes.
However, annual rates of economic growth were well behind those of other western
countries. The problem lay in the misuse of Keynesian methods by a succession of
Conservative chancellors for political purposes. The first guilty politician in this series 10 was
RA Butler, whose 1955 pre-election giveaway boosted consumer spending,
stimulated inflation and weakened the balance of payments. After the election the
economy had to be dampened down – the start of what was to be a damaging
stop/go pattern.
Adapted from M Pugh, State and Society, 2008
IB/M/Jun24/7042/1G
