History teaches us to analyse the past, both in its broader context and through the huge range of sources we have available to us. It requires extensive reading and therefore develops skills in independent research and synthesis. It is also a subject from which you can learn the craft of fine writing, and where you can hone your communication and debating skills in seminars and small-group discussions. The many skills history develops can prepare students for an almost endless array of career opportunities as diverse as law, business, journalism, public service, even medicine. History gives us the tools for analysing and explaining problems in the past and for working out ways to solve them in the present and in the future. What will you study? From September 2019 the department will follow the AQA specification. It consists of three mandatory components, two of which are externally assessed. One component is internally assessed and externally moderated. Component 1: Breadth Study - Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964 This involves looking at change and continuity over a period of approximately 100 years within the context of one country. Part one: Autocracy, Reform and Revolution: Russia, 1855–1917 Trying to preserve autocracy, 1855–1894 This examines the state of Russia in 1855 as the Crimean War came to an end, the nature of political authority and the attempts at reform made by the three final Romanov Tsars – Alexander II, Alexander III and Nicholas II. The collapse of autocracy, 1894–1917 This covers the reign of the ill-fated Nicholas II, political, economic and social developments to 1914, the growth of opposition, the effects of World War I and the collapse of autocracy, the Bolshevik takeover and the establishment of Bolshevik government by December 1917. Part two: the Soviet Union, 1917–1964 The emergence of Communist dictatorship, 1917–1941 This part of the course looks at Lenin’s Russia and Stalin’s rise. It focuses on the consolidation of Bolshevik authority and the development of the Stalinist dictatorship. Economic and social development are studied alongside the effect of Leninist and Stalinist rule and opposition. The Stalinist dictatorship and reaction, 1941–1964 This final section of the course looks at the political, economic and social impact of World War II. High Stalinism, the revival of terror, the destruction of ‘supposed’ opposition and cult of personality are all studied, as well as the power vacuum on Stalin’s death. It then considers Khrushchev’s rise to power and de-Stalinisation, as well as economic and social developments to 1964. Assessment: 2 hour 30 minute written examination which constitutes 40% of the A Level. Component 2: Depth Study - The English Revolution 1625-1660 This involves examining a specific development or issue of importance in detail, typically over a period of about 40 years Part one: The origins of the English Civil War, 1625–1642 The emergence of conflict and the end of consensus, 1625–1629 The course begins with the legacy of James I, considering religious issues, relations between Crown and Parliament and relations with foreign powers. It then looks at the character and aims of Charles I, his ideas about royal authority, his wife and courtiers and the reaction to his policies. An experiment in Absolutism, 1629–1640 The course moves on to look at Charles I’s Personal Rule, with a particular focus on Archbishop Laud and Arminianism in England and Scotland, the growth of opposition from Puritans, policies in Ireland, demands for the recall of Parliament, the growth of radicalism and the approach of war. The crisis of Parliament and the outbreak of the First Civil War, 1640–1642 This section of the course considers the recall of Parliament in 1640, the role of Pym in the development of parliamentary radicalism, the reasons for the ongoing conflict between Crown and Parliament and the slide into civil war. Part two: Radicalism, Republic and Restoration, 1642–1660 War and radicalism, 1642–1646 The second part of the course opens with the First Civil War and considers the strengths and weaknesses of the political and military leadership of the Royalist and Parliamentary causes. It looks at the creation of the New Model Army, the end of the First Civil War and the capture of Charles I. The disintegration of the Political Nation, 1646–1649 This section considers the failure to reach a settlement and looks in greater depth at political and religious radicalism and the attitude and actions of Charles I. It considers the Second Civil War and the trial and execution of the King. Experiments in government and society, 1648–1660 The end of the course looks at the Third Civil War and the attempted Royalist revival, the defeat and exile of Prince Charles, and the failure to achieve a ‘Godly Society’. It considers the experiment in radical republicanism and the role of Oliver Cromwell. It ends with the problem of the succession to Cromwell and the restoration of monarchy in 1660 Assessment: 2 hour 30 minute written examination which constitutes 40% of the A Level Component 3: Historical Investigation Students must carry out a historical enquiry, based on an independently researched topic. The area being studied, and the question which stems from it, must place the topic in the context of approximately 100 years of history. It must not duplicate content studied in Components 1 and 2. Assessment: An internally marked and externally moderated essay which constitutes 20% of the A Level