Society and culture in change, 1917–80 — Edexcel A-Level History
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Society and culture in change, 1917–80 explained
Society and culture in change, 1917–80 covers 3 specification points, including Impact of the Roaring Twenties, Great… and The nature of, and response to, immigration in….
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The changing position of women, 1917–80: impact of the Roaring Twenties, Great Depression and New Deal on women; impact of the Second World War and suburban life, 1941–60; emergence of the women’s liberation movement and its achievements; extent of women’s advancement, 1961–80.
This topic examines how women’s economic, social and political position altered between 1917 and 1980. The Roaring Twenties brought new consumer goods and some urban employment, yet domestic expectations persisted. The Great Depression pushed married women out of work and the New Deal created mainly male schemes. The Second World War drew women into factories and services, but post-war suburban life (1941–60) often reinforced domestic roles. The Equal Pay Act 1963 stemmed from earlier labour activism. From the late 1960s, the women’s liberation movement emerged, campaigning for reproductive rights and workplace equality, achieving successes like Title IX (1972) and Roe v. Wade (1973). By 1980, women’s advancement was uneven: more entered higher education and professions, but pay gaps and unequal domestic burdens remained.
The impact of immigration, 1917–80: the nature of, and response to, immigration in the 1920s; the impact on urban life, 1919–41; the impact of the Second World War, government policy and its consequences, 1941–80.
This topic examines immigration to the USA and its effects from 1917 to 1980. In the 1920s, legislation such as the Emergency Quota Act 1921 and the Johnson-Reed Act 1924 restricted immigration, reflecting nativist and racist attitudes. Between 1919 and 1941, immigrants shaped urban life, forming ethnic neighbourhoods and contributing to industrial work, while also facing discrimination and assimilation pressures. The Second World War brought new government policies, including the Bracero Program for Mexican workers and the internment of Japanese Americans, with lasting consequences. From 1941 to 1980, government policy shifted with the McCarran-Walter Act 1952 and the Immigration and Nationality Act 1965, which ended national origins quotas and increased immigration from Asia and Latin America, transforming urban demographics and sparking debates over integration and multiculturalism.
The influence of popular culture and news media: the social impact of cinema, popular music and radio, 1917–50; the social impact of television from the 1950s; the influence of broadcast news, 1920–80.
This topic examines how popular culture and news media shaped American society from 1917 to 1980. Cinema, popular music and radio created shared national experiences in the 1920s–40s, spreading fashion, slang and values while sometimes provoking moral panics. From the 1950s, television transformed leisure, family life and political communication, helping to nationalise consumer culture and later to broadcast civil rights and Vietnam. Broadcast news, from early radio bulletins to televised events, increasingly influenced public opinion and political accountability. Students should assess both unifying and divisive effects, and consider limits such as regional variation, censorship and unequal access.
Your focus
- Analyse the impact of the Roaring Twenties, Great Depression and New Deal on women’s employment and social roles.
- Evaluate the effects of the Second World War and suburban life on women between 1941 and 1960.
- Assess the achievements of the women’s liberation movement and the extent of women’s advancement by 1980.
Show all 9 objectives
- Explain the nature of and responses to immigration in the 1920s, including restrictive legislation and nativist reactions.
- Analyse the impact of immigration on urban life in the USA between 1919 and 1941.
- Evaluate the impact of the Second World War and government policy on immigration and its consequences from 1941 to 1980.
- Explain the social impact of cinema, popular music and radio between 1917 and 1950.
- Analyse the social impact of television from the 1950s.
- Evaluate the influence of broadcast news between 1920 and 1980.
Society and culture in change, 1917–80 exam tips
Marking Points
- Explains how the Roaring Twenties affected women through consumer culture, changing fashion and some expansion of white-collar work, while noting that domestic roles and unequal pay persisted.
- Analyses the impact of the Great Depression and New Deal on women, including pressure on married women’s employment, the marginalisation of women in many New Deal programmes, and the particular difficulties faced by Black and minority ethnic women.
- Assesses the impact of the Second World War on women’s work, including the recruitment of married women into war industries and the later post-war expectation that they should return to domestic roles.
- Evaluates how suburban life between 1941 and 1960 shaped women’s experiences, with the growth of home ownership, consumer durables and domestic ideology often reinforcing separate spheres.
- Explains the emergence of the women’s liberation movement, including its key demands for equal opportunities and reproductive rights, and assesses its achievements such as Title IX (1972) and Roe v. Wade (1973).
- Judges the extent of women’s advancement from 1961 to 1980, weighing greater access to higher education and professional work against persistent gender pay gaps, unequal domestic labour and divisions among women by class and race.
- Explains the nature of immigration in the 1920s, including the shift from open immigration to restrictive quotas based on national origins, and the responses of nativist groups and eugenicists.
- Analyses the impact of immigration on urban life between 1919 and 1941, such as the growth of ethnic enclaves, changes in housing and employment, and tensions with existing residents.
- Assesses the impact of the Second World War on immigration, including labour shortages that led to programmes like the Bracero Program and the forced relocation and internment of Japanese Americans.
- Evaluates government policy and its consequences from 1941 to 1980, including the McCarran-Walter Act 1952, the Immigration and Nationality Act 1965, and the resulting shifts in immigration patterns and urban demographics.
- Judges the extent to which immigration changed American society by 1980, considering economic contributions, cultural diversity, social tensions and political debates over assimilation and multiculturalism.
- Explains how cinema, popular music and radio created shared cultural references and national identities in the period 1917–50, using examples such as jazz, Hollywood and network radio.
- Analyses the social impact of television from the 1950s, including changes to family leisure, consumer behaviour and the public sphere.
- Assesses the influence of broadcast news from 1920 to 1980, including radio news, televised political events and the reporting of social conflict.
- Evaluates the extent of media influence, recognising limits such as regional differences, censorship, economic constraints and audience interpretation.
- Draws supported judgements about change over time, comparing the relative significance of different media in different decades.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Plan essays around the specified periods and themes, ensuring each phase (1920s, 1930s, 1941–60, 1961–80) is addressed with specific evidence.
- 💡Use precise examples, such as the impact of the Great Depression on married women’s employment or Title IX, to support arguments about change and continuity.
- 💡When assessing extent of advancement, weigh progress in law and education against social and economic realities, and consider differences among women by class, race and region.
- 💡Structure answers around the specified periods and themes, ensuring coverage of the 1920s, 1919–41, and 1941–80 with specific policies and examples.
- 💡Use precise legislation and events, such as the Johnson-Reed Act 1924, the Bracero Program, and the Immigration and Nationality Act 1965, to support arguments about change and continuity.
- 💡When assessing impact, consider both positive contributions and social tensions, and differentiate between government policy and the lived experiences of immigrants.
- 💡Use precise examples with dates, such as the first commercial radio broadcasts in the early 1920s or the televised Kennedy–Nixon debates in 1960.
- 💡Address both the unifying and divisive social effects of popular culture and news media.
- 💡Plan answers around change over time, comparing the 1920s–40s with the 1950s–80s.
Common Mistakes
- Treating the Roaring Twenties as uniformly liberating for all women; correction: recognise that gains were uneven and many women, especially working-class and minority ethnic women, saw little change.
- Assuming the Second World War permanently transformed women’s employment; correction: explain that many women were dismissed or encouraged to leave work after 1945, and the post-war period saw a return to domestic ideals.
- Claiming the women’s liberation movement achieved the Equal Pay Act 1963; correction: acknowledge that this Act was the product of earlier labour and women's rights activism, whereas the liberation movement achieved later successes like Title IX.
- Assuming that immigration was unrestricted throughout the period; correction: explain the impact of quota laws in the 1920s and later policy changes that both restricted and liberalised immigration.
- Overlooking the experiences of specific groups, such as Mexican and Japanese immigrants during the Second World War; correction: include the Bracero Program and Japanese American internment as key examples of wartime policy and its consequences.
- Treating the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act as immediately creating a fully multicultural society; correction: recognise that it ended national origins quotas but its full demographic effects unfolded over subsequent decades.
- Treating media influence as uniform across the whole period; correction: distinguish between the 1920s–40s dominance of cinema and radio and the post-1950s rise of television.
- Assuming broadcast news was always objective or equally trusted; correction: consider partisan radio commentary, censorship and the growth of televised critique.
- Listing media developments without linking them to social change; correction: explain how a specific medium altered behaviour, values or political awareness.