USA 1 — The Red Scare and McCarthyism
Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History · 4HI1
Paper 1
A domestic panic about communism that reshaped American politics, and the senator who rode it until it collapsed under him.
Specification coverage
Paper 1 — A divided union: civil rights in the USA, 1945–74, key topic 1
Assessment objectives: AO1, AO2, AO4. Suggested learning time: 80 minutes.
Required knowledge
- Reasons for the Red Scare, including the Cold War of 1945–50, the Hiss and Rosenberg cases, the FBI, HUAC and the Hollywood Ten
- Methods used by McCarthy and the growth of opposition
- Reasons for his downfall
- The overall impact of McCarthyism on the USA
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 McCarthy as the cause rather than the beneficiary of the Red Scare, which began before him.
- Omitting the Cold War context, which is the first item on the specification list.