USA 4 — Other protest movements and the divided society
Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History · 4HI1
Paper 1
Students, women and opponents of the Vietnam war borrowing the civil rights movement's tactics, and a country arguing with itself.
Specification coverage
Paper 1 — A divided union: civil rights in the USA, 1945–74, key topic 4
Assessment objectives: AO1, AO2, AO4. Suggested learning time: 90 minutes.
Required knowledge
- The growth of student protest and the counterculture
- The women's movement, its aims, methods and achievements
- Opposition to the Vietnam War and its impact on American society
- Reactions against protest and the divisions they exposed
Required skills
- Explain and analyse using second-order concepts: causation, consequence, change, continuity, similarity, difference and significance
- Analyse and evaluate a written interpretation of this period (AO4)
- Reach a supported judgement rather than describing events
How it is examined
- (a) 6 marks — “What impression does the author give about…?” (AO4)
- (b) 8 marks — “Explain two effects of…” (AO1 4, AO2 4)
- (c) 16 marks — a statement, “How far do you agree?”, choice of two (AO1 7, AO2 9)
Common mistakes
- Treating each movement in isolation. Their shared tactics and personnel are the examinable connection.
- Ignoring the backlash, which the specification's title — 'a divided union' — points directly at.