History

Course summary

Paper 1. British History: Absolutism challenged: Stuart Britain 1603-1702 (40% of the A level) We learn how James I and Charles I ran their Court and why England was plunged into Civil War 1642- 1648, resulting in the execution of Charles I; did Parliament have any right to execute him? In Year 13 we discover why Oliver Cromwell’s Republic was a failure in the 1650s and why England chose to return to a monarchy in 1660. This is followed by the reign of the much mistrusted Catholic, James II and how he was deposed in 1688 by a Parliament who invited William III and Mary II to become Protestant Monarchs. Paper 2. Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia 1917 – 1953 (40% of the A level) We start with the nature of Imperial Russia prior to the Bolshevik revolution and the character of Tsar Nicholas II. Bolsheviks including Lenin and Trotsky, their ideology and how they imposed a revolution on Russia is our next port of call. We then assess the fear and terror Stalin imposed until 1953 in order to ensure the consolidation of Communism. Coursework (20% of the A level) The focus is Black Civil Rights in the USA. You will choose a question based on which President did the most to develop Black Civil Rights: Whether woman organised, whilst men led the movement or, whether Malcolm X or Martin Luther King was the most influential leader of the movement. The final piece is 4000 words and will develop stylish analysis and evaluation in your writing.