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Year 11
AQA

Change in Post-War America

I can evaluate interpretations of experiences of life in post-war America.

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New
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Year 11
AQA

Change in Post-War America

I can evaluate interpretations of experiences of life in post-war America.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Most Americans enjoyed rising incomes after WW2.
  2. Poverty remained widespread and other economic inequalities remained.
  3. Widespread TV and radio ownership allowed many Americans to access popular culture.
  4. Teenage identity and interests were considered dangerous by some older Americans.
  5. The Red Scare threatened many Americans civil liberties.

Keywords

  • McCarthyism - McCarthyism was the campaign against alleged communists in the USA led by Joseph McCarthy

  • Communism - communism is the belief that wealth should be shared equally between people

  • Civil liberties - the freedom people have to do, think, and say what they want is known as civil liberties

Common misconception

There is always a singular accurate interpretation of events and periods in history.

There can be many accurate interpretations of historical periods and these may differ from one another depending on what they focus on.


To help you plan your year 11 history lesson on: Change in Post-War America, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Students could also be asked at the end of Task A to discuss in pairs or larger groups why interpretations A and B may have come to different views. You may support these discussions by asking pupils to consider the process historians follow to form their views of the past.
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Teacher tip
content-guidance

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of mental health issues
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision required

copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Write the missing word. Many people investigated as suspected communists during the Red Scare were , meaning they were blocked from getting jobs.
Correct Answer: blacklisted, black listed, Blacklisted
Q2.
Who became a prominent leader in the hunt for communists during the Red Scare?
Dwight D Eisenhower
Harry Truman
Correct answer: Joseph McCarthy
Q3.
How many American communist spies were found by the Loyalty programme?
Correct answer: 0
57
378
2136
Q4.
Why was the 'loss' of China important for the second Red Scare in the USA?
Correct answer: increased worries about communism
reduced fears of communism and led to an end of the Red Scare
revealed that many leading American officials had betrayed the USA
Q5.
Which statement is most accurate?
US presidents led the Red Scare
US presidents did their best to end the Red Scare
Correct answer: US presidents did little to publicly challenge the Red Scare
Q6.
Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronologoical order.
1 - End of WW2
2 - Eastern Europe falls under Soviet control
3 - The USSR develops its own nuclear weapons
4 - Joseph McCarthy announces he has a list of communists in the US governemnt
5 - McCarthy acuses US army officers of being communists
6 - McCarthyism comes to an end

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What was the campaign against alleged communists in the USA led by Joseph McCarthy referred to as?
Correct Answer: McCarthyism
Q2.
What new genre of music was particularly popular with American teenagers in the 1940s and 1950s?
Jazz
Correct answer: Rock and Roll
Swing
Q3.
Which of the following groups was often targeted by McCarthyism?
African Americans
Correct answer: LGBTQ+ people
veterans
Q4.
Which statement is most accurate?
The income of US men rose but women's did not after 1945
The income of US women rose but men's did not after 1945
Correct answer: The income of US men and women rose after 1945
Q5.
Which statement is most accurate?
There can only be one accurate interpretation of a historical event or period
Correct answer: There can be multiple accurate interpretations of a historical event or period
Only a professional historian's interpretation can be considered accurate
Q6.
Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
1 - GI Bill passed
2 - Most of Truman's Fair Deal blocked by political opponents
3 - Joseph McCarthy claims he has a list of 205 communists working in the government
4 - McCarthy loses power
5 - Over 60 million watch a TV performance by Elvis Presley