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HistPrep · A-level History · AQA 7042 · Units 2O and 2Q

A-level History, made clear.

Knowledge organisers, exam packs and free quizzes for two AQA A-level History units: 2O, Democracy and Nazism: Germany, 1918–1945, and 2Q, The American Dream: reality and illusion, 1945–1980. Every section broken down and every exam question type practised, by a qualified History teacher and examiner.

Knowledge organisers Exam packs with model answers Free exam-style quizzes
Unit 2Q · The American Dream

The Dream, for everyone?

Unit 2Q asks whether the American Dream was a reality for all Americans between 1945 and 1980.

Black-and-white photograph of the crowd at the 1963 March on Washington, looking from the Lincoln Memorial along the Reflecting Pool towards the Washington Monument.1963
The March on Washington, 28 August 1963Around 250,000 people marched for jobs and freedom: a key moment in Section 3, Kennedy and the ‘New Frontier’.

Image credit: Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C. (1963), US National Archives, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

A-levelHistPrep · A-level History · AQA 7042
AQA A-level History · Component 2 · Unit 2Q

The American Dream: reality and illusion, 1945–1980

A depth study of the challenges the USA faced at home and abroad after emerging from the Second World War as a superpower, and of whether the American Dream was a reality for everyone.

Exam-style quizzes. Instant feedback.

Answer, find out why, and pick up an exam tip every time.

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Part oneProsperity, inequality and Superpower status, 1945–1963

Available now
Front page of the Truman and post-war America knowledge organiserFree quiz
Section 1 · 1945–1952

Truman and post-war America

  • Key dates timeline and four core panels
  • Key people, key terms and historians’ debate
  • Evaluation grid with verdicts

Practice question“Truman’s presidency saw a vast improvement in civil rights by the end of his term in office.” Assess the validity of this view.

Front page of the Eisenhower: tranquility and crisis knowledge organiserFree quiz
Section 2 · 1952–1960

Eisenhower: tranquility and crisis

  • Key dates timeline and four core panels
  • Key people, key terms and historians’ debate
  • Evaluation grid with verdicts

Practice question“Eisenhower’s presidency was a period of success for the USA, both at home and abroad.” Assess the validity of this view.

Front page of the John F Kennedy and the ‘New Frontier’ knowledge organiserFree quiz
Section 3 · 1960–1963

John F Kennedy and the ‘New Frontier’

  • Key dates timeline and four core panels
  • Key people, key terms and historians’ debate
  • Evaluation grid with verdicts

Practice question“Kennedy’s presidency was more about style than substance.” Assess the validity of this view.

Part twoChallenges to the American Dream, 1963–1980

Available now
Front page of the The Johnson Presidency knowledge organiserFree quiz
Section 1 · 1963–1968

The Johnson Presidency

  • Key dates timeline and four core panels
  • Key people, key terms and historians’ debate
  • Evaluation grid with verdicts

Practice question“Johnson’s presidency was a success at home but a failure abroad.” Assess the validity of this view.

Front page of the Republican reaction: the Nixon Presidency knowledge organiserFree quiz
Section 2 · 1968–1974

Republican reaction: the Nixon Presidency

  • Key dates timeline and four core panels
  • Key people, key terms and historians’ debate
  • Evaluation grid with verdicts

Practice question“Nixon’s achievements in foreign policy outweighed his failures at home.” Assess the validity of this view.

Front page of the The USA after Nixon knowledge organiserFree quiz
Section 3 · 1974–1980

The USA after Nixon

  • Key dates timeline and four core panels
  • Key people, key terms and historians’ debate
  • Evaluation grid with verdicts

Practice question“Ford and Carter failed to restore confidence in the presidency in the years 1974–1980.” Assess the validity of this view.

Exam skillsSection A: the source question (30 marks)

Available now
Front page of the PACTOLO source analysis guidePreview
Source analysis · 3 pages

The PACTOLO method

  • Provenance, argument, content, tone, own knowledge, limitations, overall value
  • Three real sources, 1956–1965, fully analysed
  • Model paragraph, judgement and exam traps

Practice questionAssess the value of three sources on the federal government’s response to the civil rights movement, 1956–1965.

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Exam packThe 2Q Exam Pack

£7.99
Preview of the Part one timeline from the 2Q Exam Pack

Everything you need to turn knowledge into top-band answers, written by an examiner.

  • Essay plans and model answers: six full plans with annotated model extracts, plus six more practice questions
  • Source practice: six source enquiries, ready to use with PACTOLO
  • 48 flashcards: key figures and events, each with why it matters for the exam
  • Visual timelines: 1945–1980, with domestic, civil rights, social and foreign policy lanes
Preview of Essay plans and model answersIn the Exam Pack
Exam Pack · 8 pages

Essay plans and model answers

Six ‘Assess the validity of this view’ questions, each with a two-sided plan and annotated model introduction, paragraph and conclusion. Plus source question practice.

  • One question per presidency
  • Labels showing what earns marks
  • Six more questions to plan yourself
Preview of Flashcards: key figures and eventsIn the Exam Pack
Exam Pack · 48 cards

Flashcards: key figures and events

Fold-and-test cards in four colour-coded themes, each with the facts and why they matter for the exam.

  • Domestic policy and civil rights
  • Social issues and women
  • Foreign policy and the Cold War
Preview of Visual timelines, 1945–1980In the Exam Pack
Exam Pack · 2 pages

Visual timelines, 1945–1980

Every presidency on one line, with colour-coded lanes for each theme and an icon for every event.

  • Part one and Part two
  • Read across a year to link themes
  • Read along a lane to trace change
A-levelHistPrep · A-level History · AQA 7042
AQA A-level History · Component 2 · Unit 2O

Democracy and Nazism: Germany, 1918–1945

A depth study of how Germany moved from democracy to dictatorship, how the Nazis ruled, and how war and racial policy shaped the Third Reich, from the end of the First World War to defeat in 1945.

Exam-style quizzes. Instant feedback.

Six quizzes, one for every section, each with an explanation and an exam tip for every answer.

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Part oneThe Weimar Republic, 1918–1933

Available now
Front page of the The Early Years of Weimar knowledge organiserFree quiz
Section 1 · 1918–1924

The Early Years of Weimar

  • Key dates timeline and four core panels
  • Key people, key terms and historians’ debate
  • Evaluation grid with verdicts

Practice question“The greatest threat to the Weimar Republic in the years 1919 to 1923 came from the political right.” Assess the validity of this view.

Front page of the The ‘Golden Age’ of Weimar knowledge organiserFree quiz
Section 2 · 1924–1928

The ‘Golden Age’ of Weimar

  • Key dates timeline and four core panels
  • Key people, key terms and historians’ debate
  • Evaluation grid with verdicts

Practice question“The years 1924 to 1928 were a ‘golden age’ for the Weimar Republic.” Assess the validity of this view.

Front page of the The Collapse of Democracy knowledge organiserFree quiz
Section 3 · 1928–1933

The Collapse of Democracy

  • Key dates timeline and four core panels
  • Key people, key terms and historians’ debate
  • Evaluation grid with verdicts

Practice question“Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933 mainly because of the economic depression.” Assess the validity of this view.

Part twoNazi Germany, 1933–1945

Available now
Front page of the The Nazi Dictatorship knowledge organiserFree quiz
Section 1 · 1933–1939

The Nazi Dictatorship

  • Key dates timeline and four core panels
  • Key people, key terms and historians’ debate
  • Evaluation grid with verdicts

Practice question“Terror was the main reason the Nazis faced so little opposition in the years 1933 to 1939.” Assess the validity of this view.

Front page of the The Racial State knowledge organiserFree quiz
Section 2 · 1933–1941

The Racial State

  • Key dates timeline and four core panels
  • Key people, key terms and historians’ debate
  • Evaluation grid with verdicts

Practice question“Reichskristallnacht was the most important turning point in Nazi anti-Semitic policy in the years 1933 to 1941.” Assess the validity of this view.

Front page of the The Impact of War knowledge organiserFree quiz
Section 3 · 1939–1945

The Impact of War

  • Key dates timeline and four core panels
  • Key people, key terms and historians’ debate
  • Evaluation grid with verdicts

Practice question“The Second World War seriously weakened Germans’ support for the Nazi regime in the years 1939 to 1945.” Assess the validity of this view.

Exam skillsSection A: the source question (30 marks)

Available now
Front page of the 2O PACTOLO source analysis guidePreview
Source analysis · 3 pages

The PACTOLO Method for 2O

  • Provenance, argument, content, tone, own knowledge, limitations, overall value
  • Three real Nazi documents, 1935–1938, from the Nuremberg trial record
  • Model paragraph, judgement and exam traps

Practice questionAssess the value of three sources to an historian studying the development of Nazi policy towards the Jews in the years 1935 to 1938.

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Exam packThe 2O Exam Pack

£7.99
Preview of Essay Plans and Model AnswersIn the Exam Pack
Exam Pack · 8 pages

Essay Plans and Model Answers

Twelve ‘Assess the validity of this view’ questions with two-sided plans, six annotated model introductions, paragraphs and conclusions, and three AQA past paper questions.

  • Two questions per section
  • Labels showing what earns marks
  • Six source enquiries to prepare
Preview of Flashcards: Key Figures and EventsIn the Exam Pack
Exam Pack · 48 cards

Flashcards: Key Figures and Events

Fold-and-test cards in four colour-coded themes, each with the facts and why they matter for the exam.

  • Politics and the economy
  • Society, culture and opposition
  • Race and persecution
Preview of Visual Timelines, 1918–1945In the Exam Pack
Exam Pack · 2 pages

Visual Timelines, 1918–1945

Weimar and Nazi Germany on two landscape timelines, with colour-coded lanes and an icon for every event.

  • Part one and Part two
  • Read across a year to link themes
  • Read along a lane to trace change
Prices

A-level History prices

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A-levelAQA 7042 · Unit 2Q, The American Dream

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  • A quiz for every presidency, 1945–1980
  • Every answer explained, with an exam tip
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Knowledge organisers

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  • A two-page organiser for every presidency, Truman to Carter
  • The PACTOLO source analysis guide
  • Key dates, figures and an essay plan on each
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Complete AQA 2Q

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  • The full 2Q Exam Pack: essay plans, 48 flashcards and timelines
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AQA 2Q Exam Pack

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  • Essay plans with model introductions, paragraphs and conclusions
  • 48 flashcards on key figures and events
  • Visual timelines, 1945–1980
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A-levelAQA 7042 · Unit 2O, Democracy and Nazism

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Free quizzes

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  • A quiz for every section, 1918–1945
  • Every answer explained, with an exam tip
  • No sign-up, on any device
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Knowledge organisers

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  • A two-page organiser for every section, Weimar to the end of the war
  • The 2O PACTOLO source analysis guide
  • Key dates, figures and an essay plan on each
Get the organisers

Complete AQA 2O

£11.99 one-off
  • All six organisers and the PACTOLO guide
  • The full 2O Exam Pack: essay plans, 48 flashcards and timelines
  • Worth £14.98 bought separately
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AQA 2O Exam Pack

£7.99 one-off
  • Essay plans with model introductions, paragraphs and conclusions
  • 48 flashcards on key figures and events
  • Visual timelines, 1918–1945
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Content follows AQA A-level History specification 7042, Component 2, Units 2O and 2Q. Always check the current specification. Not produced or endorsed by AQA.

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