Curriculum: History

Welcome to the History page. We have prepared this page to enable parents and pupils to access information relating to the History curriculum.

GCSE Course Content

Unit 1 - 25%

International Relations 1900-1991

Examination: 1 hour 15 minutes

Students answer three questions from a choice of six, on topics related to International Relations 1900-1991.  Choices of topic include:-

  • The causes of World War One.
  • The peace settlement (including the Treaty of Versailles) after
    World War One.
  • The League of Nations.
  • The appeasement of Hitler up to 1939.
  • The origins of the Cold War.

Unit 2 - 25%

Germany 1918-1939 (Depth Study)

Examination: 1 hour 15 minutes

Students answer six questions from topics related to Germany in the period 1918-1939. Topics include:-

  • The origins, problems and collapse of the Weimar Republic.
  • The impact of the Great Depression.
  • The rise of the Nazi Party and the establishment of the Nazi dictatorship under Hitler.
  • The main features of Nazi rule in Germany to 1939.

Unit 3 - 25%

A Divided Union? The USA 1945-1970 (Source Enquiry)

Examination: 1 hour 15 minutes

Students must answer five source-based questions relating to the USA from 1945-1970.  Topics include:-

  • The atomic bomb and the development of the Cold War.
  • The impact of McCarthyism.
  • Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and the Civil Rights movement.
  • Other protest movements in the ‘Swinging 60s’, such as the ‘hippy’ movement and women’s liberation.

Unit 4 - 25%

Crime, Policing and Punishment in England c1800-c1990

Controlled Assessment

(Internally examined for 2 hours 30 minutes)

Students will carry out an historical enquiry designed by the Brittons History Department, based on the topic of Crime, Policing and Punishment in England c1800-c1990.

Topics for investigation will include:-

  • Changing approaches to punishment and prison reform.
  • Policing, law and order in the twentieth century.
  • Investigations into the Jack the Ripper case.
  • Terrorism and the changing nature of crime.

  • Examination Board and Syllabus

Edexcel History A - Modern World