2025 AQA A-LEVEL HISTORY Component 2M Wars and
Welfare: Britain in Transition, 1906–1957 Question Paper &
Mark Scheme (Merged) Friday 6 June 2025 [VERIFIED]
A-level
HISTORY
Component 2M Wars and Welfare: Britain in Transition, 1906–1957
Friday 6 June 2025 Afternoon 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
7042/2M.
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/G4007/V6 7042/2M
, 2
Section A
Answer Question 01.
Source A
From an article by Hugh Massingham in ‘The Observer’, a centre-left newspaper,
22 June 1952. Massingham was a leading political commentator in Britain in the 1950s.
The real reason why the Conservatives are so anxious is that the government seems in a
muddle, unable to come up with popular policies. Many moderate Conservatives are
saying that Mr Churchill is the real cause of all the indecision. Certainly he must take
part of the blame for the government lacking direction. There has never been a
Prime Minister who has dominated his colleagues as he has done. Mr Churchill no doubt 5
has his faults, but he is still a giant and makes many of his colleagues look like pygmies.
There are also some MPs who are by no means certain that Mr Eden would be an
improvement, even if supported by Mr Butler and Mr Macmillan. The crisis in the
Conservative Party is not only over policy but also over conflicting personalities and
ambitions. Although it is impossible to believe in any organised rebellion, at least at the 10
moment, it does not follow that Mr Churchill can entirely ignore the genuine disquiet in his
party.
Source B
From the diary of Anthony Eden, 22 December 1952.
Source B cannot be reproduced here due to third-party copyright restrictions
Source B is Eden arguing that Churchill seems constantly to want to push back his
resignation.
IB/M/Jun25/7042/2M
, 3
Source C
From an article entitled ‘Encounters with Winston Churchill’ by Russell Brain, a
distinguished neurologist, in 1966. It was published in ‘Medical History’, a prestigious
academic journal, shortly after Churchill’s death.
I first saw Churchill as a patient in 1949 when he had had a minor stroke and,
subsequently, following his more serious stroke in June 1953, which was kept hidden
from the public. Eden was also seriously ill at this time and it was thought that Butler
would have become Prime Minister if Churchill had had to resign. By late July,
Churchill’s condition was improving. He struck me as a man of great personality and 5
stature with enormous willpower, with much still to offer the nation. He invariably only
wanted to discuss foreign affairs at our meetings and was convinced that after filling in for
Eden as Foreign Secretary, Britain’s influence in the world had naturally increased. It
was clear he believed it was his duty to go on as leader. He still had ‘his bite’, he told
me. I have always made it a practice to write down afterwards the detail of conversations 10
I had with people whose conversation was worth recording, and I did that with Churchill.
0 1 With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context,
assess the value of these three sources to an historian studying Winston Churchill’s
government in the years 1951 to 1955.
[30 marks]
Turn over for Section B
IB/M/Jun25/7042/2M Turn over ►
Welfare: Britain in Transition, 1906–1957 Question Paper &
Mark Scheme (Merged) Friday 6 June 2025 [VERIFIED]
A-level
HISTORY
Component 2M Wars and Welfare: Britain in Transition, 1906–1957
Friday 6 June 2025 Afternoon 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
7042/2M.
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/G4007/V6 7042/2M
, 2
Section A
Answer Question 01.
Source A
From an article by Hugh Massingham in ‘The Observer’, a centre-left newspaper,
22 June 1952. Massingham was a leading political commentator in Britain in the 1950s.
The real reason why the Conservatives are so anxious is that the government seems in a
muddle, unable to come up with popular policies. Many moderate Conservatives are
saying that Mr Churchill is the real cause of all the indecision. Certainly he must take
part of the blame for the government lacking direction. There has never been a
Prime Minister who has dominated his colleagues as he has done. Mr Churchill no doubt 5
has his faults, but he is still a giant and makes many of his colleagues look like pygmies.
There are also some MPs who are by no means certain that Mr Eden would be an
improvement, even if supported by Mr Butler and Mr Macmillan. The crisis in the
Conservative Party is not only over policy but also over conflicting personalities and
ambitions. Although it is impossible to believe in any organised rebellion, at least at the 10
moment, it does not follow that Mr Churchill can entirely ignore the genuine disquiet in his
party.
Source B
From the diary of Anthony Eden, 22 December 1952.
Source B cannot be reproduced here due to third-party copyright restrictions
Source B is Eden arguing that Churchill seems constantly to want to push back his
resignation.
IB/M/Jun25/7042/2M
, 3
Source C
From an article entitled ‘Encounters with Winston Churchill’ by Russell Brain, a
distinguished neurologist, in 1966. It was published in ‘Medical History’, a prestigious
academic journal, shortly after Churchill’s death.
I first saw Churchill as a patient in 1949 when he had had a minor stroke and,
subsequently, following his more serious stroke in June 1953, which was kept hidden
from the public. Eden was also seriously ill at this time and it was thought that Butler
would have become Prime Minister if Churchill had had to resign. By late July,
Churchill’s condition was improving. He struck me as a man of great personality and 5
stature with enormous willpower, with much still to offer the nation. He invariably only
wanted to discuss foreign affairs at our meetings and was convinced that after filling in for
Eden as Foreign Secretary, Britain’s influence in the world had naturally increased. It
was clear he believed it was his duty to go on as leader. He still had ‘his bite’, he told
me. I have always made it a practice to write down afterwards the detail of conversations 10
I had with people whose conversation was worth recording, and I did that with Churchill.
0 1 With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context,
assess the value of these three sources to an historian studying Winston Churchill’s
government in the years 1951 to 1955.
[30 marks]
Turn over for Section B
IB/M/Jun25/7042/2M Turn over ►
