The impact of the Second World War - AQA GCSE History (America 1920-1973) Exam Questions

AQA GCSE History (America 1920-1973) Smart practice A mixed round aimed at your weak spots

American people and the 'Boom'

The 'Boom'

Social and cultural developments

Divided society

Bust – Americans' experiences of the Depression and New Deal

American society during the Depression

The effectiveness of the New Deal on different groups in society

The impact of the Second World War

Post-war America

Post-war American society and economy

Racial tension and developments in the Civil Rights campaigns in the 1950s and 1960s

America and the 'Great Society'

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Practise 44 exam-style questions on The impact of the Second World War for AQA GCSE History (America 1920-1973). Write your answer as you would in the exam and get it marked in seconds against the mark scheme, point by point, with an AI tutor on hand if you get stuck.

44 questions
1–12 marks each
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20 questions, marked as you go

Sample questions with model answers

Here are 4 of the questions in this topic, each with a model answer, an explanation of why it earns the marks and the mark scheme an examiner would use.

Question 1

2 marks

In November 1939 Congress changed the neutrality laws so that countries at war could buy American weapons on a 'Cash and Carry' basis.

Give two conditions of the Cash and Carry policy that were meant to keep the USA out of the war.

Model answer

Countries buying American weapons had to pay for them in cash rather than with loans, and they had to carry the goods away in their own ships, so that American ships would not be attacked.

Explanation

Cash and Carry (the Neutrality Act of November 1939) let Britain and France buy American arms while trying to avoid the mistakes many Americans blamed for entry into the First World War: loans to the Allies and American ships being sunk by U-boats. In practice it favoured Britain, which controlled the Atlantic sea routes, but by late 1940 Britain was running out of cash, which led to Lend-Lease.

Mark scheme

1 mark
Countries had to pay in cash (no loans or credit), so the USA would not be owed money and dragged in to protect its loans, as many believed had happened in the First World War.
Accept 'they had to pay for the goods straight away / in cash'.
1 mark
Countries had to carry the goods away in their own ships, so American ships would not be sunk by German submarines.
Accept 'they had to collect/transport the goods themselves'. Also credit: American ships and citizens were banned from travelling into war zones (1). Max 2.

Question 2

4 marks

Describe two ways in which the US government paid for the Second World War.

Model answer

One way was by raising taxes. The Revenue Act of 1942 greatly widened income tax, so that the number of Americans paying it rose from about 4 million in 1939 to over 40 million by 1945, and from 1943 tax was taken straight out of workers' pay packets. Tax rates on the richest Americans rose to over 90%.

A second way was by borrowing, especially through war bonds. The government ran huge campaigns, using posters, radio and Hollywood stars, to persuade Americans to lend it money by buying bonds, and about 185 billion dollars of war bonds were sold; many workers bought them through payroll savings schemes. Because taxes did not cover the whole cost, the national debt rose from about 40 billion dollars in 1939 to about 260 billion in 1945.

Explanation

The war cost far more than the New Deal: federal spending rose to over 90 billion dollars a year, paid for by mass income tax, war bonds and borrowing. Level 2 needs two ways, each developed with specific detail such as the Revenue Act of 1942 or the value of war bonds sold.

Mark scheme

4 marks
Levels of response (4 marks).
Level 2 (3-4 marks): Knowledge and understanding of two developed ways the war was paid for (e.g. higher and wider income taxes, war bonds, government borrowing), each supported with accurate detail.
Level 1 (1-2 marks): Knowledge of one or two ways, simply stated (e.g. 'taxes went up', 'people bought bonds').
0 marks: nothing worthy of credit.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): Taxes: the Revenue Act of 1942 turned income tax into a mass tax - the number of people paying income tax rose from about 4 million in 1939 to over 40 million by 1945; from 1943 tax was taken directly from wages (withholding); top rates rose to over 90%; higher taxes on company profits. War bonds: the government sold about 185 billion dollars of war bonds, promoted by advertising, Hollywood stars and bond drives; workers bought them through payroll savings schemes; bonds also soaked up spending power and reduced inflation. Borrowing: the national debt rose from about 40 billion dollars in 1939 to about 260 billion in 1945, as the government borrowed from banks and the public. Federal spending rose from about 9 billion dollars (1939) to over 90 billion a year (1944-45), so taxes covered only part of the cost.

Question 3

8 marks

In what ways did the Second World War affect the American economy? Explain your answer.

Model answer

One way the war affected the economy was by ending mass unemployment. In 1939 unemployment was still about 17%, but by 1944 it was only about 1%. War orders created millions of jobs in factories and shipyards: aircraft production rose from about 6,000 in 1939 to about 96,000 in 1944, Henry Kaiser's shipyards helped to build about 2,700 Liberty ships, and civilian car production was stopped in February 1942 so that car plants could make tanks, engines and bombers. The economy more than doubled in size in money terms between 1939 and 1945.

A second way was a huge increase in the role of the federal government. Federal spending rose from about 9 billion dollars in 1939 to over 90 billion a year by 1944-45, and the government ran the economy through agencies such as the War Production Board, which shared out raw materials, and the Office of Price Administration, which controlled prices and ran rationing. To pay for the war, the Revenue Act of 1942 raised the number of people paying income tax from about 4 million to over 40 million, Americans bought about 185 billion dollars of war bonds, and the national debt rose to about 260 billion dollars.

These changes were linked. Government spending created the jobs and higher wages, but rationing meant there was little to buy, so Americans saved much of their income. This made the war years prosperous for most workers and farmers, whose incomes more than doubled, and it left Americans with large savings to spend after 1945. However, the benefits were unequal: big corporations won most of the war contracts, and the economy now depended on government spending on a scale never seen before.

Explanation

The war ended the Depression: unemployment fell to about 1%, production soared and the federal government spent, taxed and borrowed on a huge scale. Level 4 needs two or more developed ways, supported by specific figures or examples, and linked - for example explaining how war spending created jobs while rationing turned higher wages into savings.

Mark scheme

8 marks
Levels of response (8 marks).
Level 4 (7-8 marks): Complex explanation of the effects: developed explanations of two or more ways the war affected the economy (e.g. the end of mass unemployment, the boom in production, the growth of government spending, taxes and debt, government controls), supported by specific knowledge and linked (e.g. showing how government spending caused the fall in unemployment, or that some effects were less positive).
Level 3 (5-6 marks): Developed explanation of two or more ways, supported by relevant knowledge.
Level 2 (3-4 marks): Simple explanation of one way.
Level 1 (1-2 marks): Basic explanation; general statements about the war helping the economy.
0 marks: nothing worthy of credit.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): Unemployment fell from about 17% in 1939 to about 1% in 1944. Production boomed: aircraft from about 6,000 (1939) to about 96,000 (1944); about 2,700 Liberty ships (Henry Kaiser's yards); over 80,000 tanks; civilian car production stopped in February 1942 as car plants converted. The economy (GNP) more than doubled in money terms between 1939 and 1945. Federal spending rose from about 9 billion dollars (1939) to over 90 billion a year (1944-45); the national debt rose from about 40 billion to about 260 billion dollars. Taxes: the Revenue Act of 1942 raised the number of income taxpayers from about 4 million to over 40 million; tax taken from wages from 1943; about 185 billion dollars of war bonds sold. Government control: War Production Board (1942), Office of Price Administration (rationing and price controls), National War Labor Board (wages and disputes). Big business gained most of the contracts; trade union membership grew to almost 15 million. Farm incomes more than doubled. Growth of the West and South: shipyards and aircraft factories on the Pacific coast, military bases in the South. Wages rose but rationing limited spending, so savings grew - the basis of the post-war boom.

Question 4

12 marks

Which of the following was the more important reason why the federal government's role in the economy grew during the Second World War:

• the need to organise war production
• the need to control prices and prevent inflation?

Explain your answer with reference to both bullet points.

Model answer

The need to organise war production was a major reason why the government's role grew. After Pearl Harbor the USA had to turn a peacetime economy into a war economy very quickly. In January 1942 Roosevelt set up the War Production Board under Donald Nelson, which decided which factories should convert to war work and shared out scarce raw materials such as steel, aluminium and rubber. It stopped the production of civilian cars in February 1942 so that car plants could build tanks and bombers. The government also paid for new factories and shipyards, the War Manpower Commission directed workers to where they were needed, and federal spending rose from about 9 billion dollars in 1939 to over 90 billion a year by 1944-45. The results were huge: about 96,000 aircraft in 1944 and about 2,700 Liberty ships.

The need to control prices was also important. With full employment and rising wages, Americans had much more money, but there were fewer consumer goods to buy, so prices could have risen very quickly. The Office of Price Administration set maximum prices and controlled rents, and it ran rationing: families were given ration books for sugar, coffee, meat, butter, petrol and tyres. The National War Labor Board limited wage rises, and the government raised taxes and sold war bonds to soak up spending power. As a result, prices rose much less than they had during the First World War.

The need to organise war production was the more important reason, because it caused the other. The threat of inflation only existed because the government was spending so much on war production, creating jobs and wages while turning factories away from consumer goods. Price controls and rationing were necessary to make the war production effort work without the economy overheating. However, price control did affect ordinary Americans more directly, because rationing reached into every kitchen, while the War Production Board mainly dealt with businesses. Even so, the root of the government's new power was the need to produce the weapons to win the war.

Explanation

The War Production Board directed industry, while the Office of Price Administration controlled prices and ran rationing; both made the federal government far more powerful than before. Level 4 needs a sustained judgement - for example, that the danger of inflation was itself a result of the war production effort - rather than two separate descriptions.

Mark scheme

12 marks
Levels of response (12 marks).
Level 4 (10-12 marks): Complex explanation of both bullet points (organising war production and controlling prices and inflation), with specific, accurate knowledge of the agencies and measures involved, leading to a sustained judgement about which was more important (e.g. showing that the danger of inflation was itself caused by the war production effort).
Level 3 (7-9 marks): Developed explanation of both bullet points, supported by accurate knowledge; a judgement may be given but is not sustained.
Level 2 (4-6 marks): Simple explanation of one or both bullet points, with some relevant knowledge.
Level 1 (1-3 marks): Basic explanation of one or both bullet points; general or descriptive statements.
0 marks: nothing worthy of credit.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): Organising war production: the War Production Board (January 1942, Donald Nelson) converted factories and shared out scarce raw materials (steel, aluminium, rubber); civilian car production stopped in February 1942; government contracts and new government-funded factories; the War Manpower Commission directed labour; the Office of War Mobilization (1943) coordinated the whole effort; federal spending rose from about 9 billion dollars (1939) to over 90 billion a year (1944-45); results - about 96,000 aircraft in 1944, about 2,700 Liberty ships. Controlling prices and inflation: full employment and higher wages, with fewer consumer goods to buy, threatened rapid inflation; the Office of Price Administration (1941) set price ceilings (the General Maximum Price Regulation of 1942) and rent controls; rationing of sugar, coffee, meat, butter, petrol and tyres with ration books; the National War Labor Board limited wage rises; higher taxes (Revenue Act 1942) and war bonds soaked up spending power; prices rose much less than in the First World War. Links and judgement: the need to control prices arose because of the war production effort, so organising production was the root cause; but price control and rationing reached into every household, so arguably changed ordinary Americans' relationship with government more. Credit either judgement if sustained.

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