2025 AQA A-LEVEL HISTORY Component 1K The Making of a
Superpower: USA, 1865–1975 Question Paper & Mark Scheme
(Merged) Friday 23 May 2025 [VERIFIED]
A-level
HISTORY
Component 1K The making of a Superpower: USA, 1865–1975
Friday 23 May 2025 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
7042/1K.
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/Jun25/G4006/E5 7042/1K
, 2
Section A
Answer Question 01.
Extract A
By 1975, the impact of Watergate, divisions over race and gender, and economic distress,
caused many Americans to become pessimistic. They feared the passing of what they
had imagined as the Golden Age of American history since World War II. The cherished
American Dream of upward social mobility as a result of vigorous economic growth
seemed in danger. Americans who felt such fears as these were a bit too quick to dwell 5
on the troubles of the country; America remained immensely powerful in international
affairs and was still the world’s most affluent society. America’s national wealth was
considerably higher than its nearest rivals. The official poverty rate was half what it had
been in 1960. But many Americans chose to forget problems they did not like. They
blotted from their memory the troubles that had afflicted the nation since the 1950s – 10
among them racial segregation, a Red Scare that attacked civil liberties, blatant religious
intolerance and systematic discrimination against women.
Adapted from JT Patterson, Restless Giant: the United States from Watergate to
Bush v. Gore, 2007
Extract B
Extract B not reproduced here due to third-party copyright restrictions.
The extract is adapted from pages 814, 699, 729 and 764 of A History of the
American People by Paul Johnson, printed by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in 1997,
ISBN 9780297815693.
Adapted from P Johnson, A History of the American People, 1997
IB/M/Jun25/7042/1K
, 3
Extract C
The years from 1953 to 1975 were years of rapidly growing prosperity, despite the
disillusionment and protests. The post-war economic boom surpassed all expectations.
The standard of living improved nearly every year. Americans became citizens of an
affluent society – at least most of them did. Millions moved to a better life in the Sunbelt
from Texas to California. However, in 1962 one in four Americans was still living in dire 5
poverty. That included nearly half the African-American population, single parents, the
old, the sick and the poor. Even so, the conditions for the poor improved dramatically
from 1964, when President Johnson declared ‘unconditional war on poverty’. The
Federal Government pumped billions of dollars into welfare and anti-poverty projects.
Johnson’s Great Society programmes worked. By 1973, the number of poor was 10
reduced by half. The anti-liberal Nixon, after he became president in 1968, did not
seriously cut back on welfare. His administration increased social security benefits.
Federal housing subsidies were also continued.
JAS Grenville, The Collins History of the World in the Twentieth Century, 1994
0 1 Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the
arguments in these three extracts are in relation to American society in the years
1953 to 1975.
[30 marks]
Turn over for Section B
IB/M/Jun25/7042/1K Turn over ►
Superpower: USA, 1865–1975 Question Paper & Mark Scheme
(Merged) Friday 23 May 2025 [VERIFIED]
A-level
HISTORY
Component 1K The making of a Superpower: USA, 1865–1975
Friday 23 May 2025 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
7042/1K.
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/Jun25/G4006/E5 7042/1K
, 2
Section A
Answer Question 01.
Extract A
By 1975, the impact of Watergate, divisions over race and gender, and economic distress,
caused many Americans to become pessimistic. They feared the passing of what they
had imagined as the Golden Age of American history since World War II. The cherished
American Dream of upward social mobility as a result of vigorous economic growth
seemed in danger. Americans who felt such fears as these were a bit too quick to dwell 5
on the troubles of the country; America remained immensely powerful in international
affairs and was still the world’s most affluent society. America’s national wealth was
considerably higher than its nearest rivals. The official poverty rate was half what it had
been in 1960. But many Americans chose to forget problems they did not like. They
blotted from their memory the troubles that had afflicted the nation since the 1950s – 10
among them racial segregation, a Red Scare that attacked civil liberties, blatant religious
intolerance and systematic discrimination against women.
Adapted from JT Patterson, Restless Giant: the United States from Watergate to
Bush v. Gore, 2007
Extract B
Extract B not reproduced here due to third-party copyright restrictions.
The extract is adapted from pages 814, 699, 729 and 764 of A History of the
American People by Paul Johnson, printed by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in 1997,
ISBN 9780297815693.
Adapted from P Johnson, A History of the American People, 1997
IB/M/Jun25/7042/1K
, 3
Extract C
The years from 1953 to 1975 were years of rapidly growing prosperity, despite the
disillusionment and protests. The post-war economic boom surpassed all expectations.
The standard of living improved nearly every year. Americans became citizens of an
affluent society – at least most of them did. Millions moved to a better life in the Sunbelt
from Texas to California. However, in 1962 one in four Americans was still living in dire 5
poverty. That included nearly half the African-American population, single parents, the
old, the sick and the poor. Even so, the conditions for the poor improved dramatically
from 1964, when President Johnson declared ‘unconditional war on poverty’. The
Federal Government pumped billions of dollars into welfare and anti-poverty projects.
Johnson’s Great Society programmes worked. By 1973, the number of poor was 10
reduced by half. The anti-liberal Nixon, after he became president in 1968, did not
seriously cut back on welfare. His administration increased social security benefits.
Federal housing subsidies were also continued.
JAS Grenville, The Collins History of the World in the Twentieth Century, 1994
0 1 Using your understanding of the historical context, assess how convincing the
arguments in these three extracts are in relation to American society in the years
1953 to 1975.
[30 marks]
Turn over for Section B
IB/M/Jun25/7042/1K Turn over ►
