Why Choose A-Level History?

A-Level history increases your powers of argument, analysis and judgement, whilst also developing your ability to state and support a point of view coherently and convincingly. History is now widely acknowledged as providing students with transferable skills, not only useful for an understanding of the world today, but also essential for many areas in the job market.

What Will I Study and Learn?

The following topics will be studied over the full A-Level course:

The British Empire c1857 to 1967

This unit allows students to study in breadth issues of change, continuity, cause and consequence in this period through the following key questions:

• Why did the British Empire grow and contract?
• What influenced imperial policy?
• What part did economic factors play in the development of the British Empire?
• How did the Empire influence British attitudes and culture?
• How did the indigenous peoples respond to British rule?
• How important was the role of key individuals and groups and how were they affected by developments?

Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918 – 1945

This option provides the opportunity to study a period of major change in depth, focusing on key ideas, events and developments.

• The Establishment and Early Years of Weimar, 1918 – 1924
• The Weimar Republic’s Golden Age, 1924 – 1928
• The Collapse of Democracy, 1928 - 1933
• The Nazi Dictatorship, 1933 - 1939
• The Impact of Nazism for the German People, 1933 - 1945
• The Racial State, 1933 – 1945

Historical Investigation: 'the Witch Craze'

The purpose of the historical investigation is to enable students to develop the skills, knowledge and historical understanding acquired through the study of the examined components of the specification. Through undertaking the historical investigation students will develop an enhanced understanding of the nature and purpose of history as a discipline and how historians work. This particular unit of study studies the period known as the witch craze across Britain and the Holy Roman empire in the 16th and 17th centuries. It studies the social, political, religious and economic factors that caused witch trials across this time. This includes the roles of the ruling elite and the context of the reformation and counter reformation.

How is the Course Assessed?

• Unit 1: The British Empire, c1857 to 1967 (2 hours 30 minutes examination) 40%
• Unit 2: Democracy and Nazism: Germany 1918 – 1945 (2 hours 30 minutes examination) 40%
• Unit 3: Historical Investigation: ‘The Witch Craze’ (coursework) 20%