The first year of pupils’ A-Level course in History looks at two countries in which twentieth-century developments resonated worldwide. One of these is America with the political, economic, and social developments that unfolded under its presidents and attracted widespread attention. The other is South Africa with the development of the apartheid regime after 1948, sustained efforts to fight against its debilitating effects for Black and Asian people, and its final ending in the 1990s. The first unit of study comprises a study in breadth, in which students will learn about the dramatic political, economic and social transformation of the USA in the twentieth century, an era that saw the USA challenged by the consequences of political, economic and social inequalities at home and of its involvement in international conflict. The focus of study is on developments and changes over a broad timescale and so the content is presented as themes spanning a significant duration: 1917-80. This option also contains a study in depth of historical interpretations on a broad question, which is contextualised by, and runs on from, the themes: what impact the Reagan presidency had on the USA in the years 1981–96 [from Edexcel]. The unit focuses on the themes of the changing political environment between 1917 and 1980 (such as a changing presidency, influences on the political landscape, and the impact of war on domestic politics), the quest for civil rights in the same time period by different groups, society and culture in change (with respect to women, immigration, and the influence of popular culture and media), and the changing quality of life (with respect to economic influences, changing living standards, and leisure and travel). Pupils will develop second-order conceptual thinking in extended writing and also skills in evaluating interpretations for the final area of study, which is interpretations of facets of Reagan’s presidency. The second unit of study comprises a study in depth of South Africa during its transition from white minority rule to the free elections of 1994, a long, and at times, dramatic process in which South Africa changed from an apartheid state into a multi-racial democracy. Students will gain an in-depth understanding of the creation and consolidation of the apartheid regime by the National Party and the response and methods used by their political opponents in the struggle to overthrow apartheid, as well social, economic and cultural changes that accompanied this process [from Edexcel]. In this unit, pupils will examine the development and response to apartheid, being introduced to key players such as the racist National Party and the African nationalist group the ANC. They will then look at the radicalisation of resistance and consolidation of National Party Power in the 1960s that entrenched apartheid before looking at the redefining of resistance and challenges to National Party power, 1968- 83. This enables them to see that seemingly entrenched regimes can suffer from both internal and external pressures to weaken them and that resistance can be diverse and manifold. They will then conclude by looking at the end of apartheid and creation of the ‘rainbow nation’, 1984-94, with the many challenges that could have hampered a peaceful settlement. Pupils will develop their skills of source analysis and evaluation as well as extended writing on second-order conceptual themes such as causation or significance. This unit enables them to study the damaging effects of racial separation and division as well as the prolonged resistance that led to eventual change.