ACTUAL 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]
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 on the troubles of the country; America 5
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 – among them racial segregation, a Red Scare that attacked civil liberties, blatant 10
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 poverty. That included 5
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 reduced 10
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 ►
1865–1975
Question Paper & Mark Scheme (Merged) Friday 23 May 2025 [VERIFIED]
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 on the troubles of the country; America 5
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 – among them racial segregation, a Red Scare that attacked civil liberties, blatant 10
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 poverty. That included 5
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 reduced 10
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 ►
