Question
Evaluate the reasons for the emergence and development of radical African American activism in the 1960s and 1970s.
▶️Answer/Explanation
Ans:
Candidates are required to appraise the reasons why the Civil Rights Movement became radicalized in the 1960s and 1970s and to provide a balanced review of how the movement developed across the set time period.
Indicative content
• Dissatisfaction with the progress of the Civil Rights Movement and the non-violent approach of Martin Luther King Jr, the difference between laws against segregation and the reality of the situation, and de jure segregation versus de facto segregation could be considered.
• Poverty, ghettoes and unemployment were all factors that contributed to discontent.
• Reaction to treatment by police and a perceived lack of protection by federal authorities fuelled the movement, as did the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
• The philosophy of Malcolm X and the ideology of the Black Muslims, as well as the growth of the Black Power movement, may be discussed, as could the impact of the media coverage of the Black Power Salute at the 1968 Olympics.
• The Watts Riot (1965) and later riots in 1967 and 1968 exacerbated tensions.
• The appeal of the Black Panthers, Huey Newton and Bobby Seale are also valid areas for discussion.
The above material is an indication of what candidates may elect to write about in their responses. However, it is not exhaustive and no set answer is required.
Examiners and moderators are reminded of the need to apply the markbands that provide the “best fit” to the responses given by candidates and to award credit wherever it is possible to do so.
Question
Evaluate the factors that led to the emergence of a counterculture in the 1960s and 1970s in the Americas.
▶️Answer/Explanation
Ans:
Candidates are required to appraise the reasons for the development of a counterculture in the given period. A possible starting point could be a definition of “counterculture” as a social movement mainly led by the youth and which challenged traditional values and ways of life. Candidates may choose one country or refer to a range of countries in their responses.
Indicative content
• For the US, the impact of political events such as the Civil Rights movement, the war in Vietnam, the arms race, and dissatisfaction with government might be seen as causes.
• Opposition to the “corporate world” and its injustices led to escapism and retreatism.
• The impact of philosophical and political ideas associated with social revolutions and revolutionaries, such as Che Guevara, both in life and death, could be considered.
• For Latin America, the military dictatorships’ repressive policies led to the development of local countercultural political and artistic movements that challenged the status quo.
• Tlatelolco, Mexico (1968) was inspired by student revolts in cities such as Paris and Prague and contributed to public demonstrations in demand for social and political changes in other Latin American cities.
• The role of students and student movements in defying what they perceived as a conservative model that needed change could be included.
• Interest increased in issues related to environmentalism, feminism and the sexual revolution.
• The media became more accessible to individuals and groups to challenge established values with their literary and artistic productions.
The above material is an indication of what candidates may elect to write about in their responses. However, it is not exhaustive and no set answer is required.
Examiners and moderators are reminded of the need to apply the markbands that provide the “best fit” to the responses given by candidates and to award credit wherever it is possible to do so.
Question
Evaluate the effectiveness of the tactics used to support Civil Rights for African Americans in the US up to 1968.
▶️Answer/Explanation
Ans:
This question requires candidates to provide an appraisal of the tactics used to advance civil rights during the period from 1945 to 1968. Consideration may include appeals to the federal court system, legislation, Presidential leadership, boycotts, marches and demonstrations, speeches, acts of civil disobedience, as well as the tactics of particular civil rights organizations and leaders. While candidates may use material prior to 1945 as context, the focus of the response must, in this section, be on the post-Second World War period.
Indicative content
• Presidential leadership contributed to the advancement of civil rights and included such examples as President Truman’s executive order integrating the armed forces, President Eisenhower’s support of the Brown decision in respect to the Little Rock school integration crisis, and President Lyndon Johnson’s support for the Civil Rights Acts (1964) and the Voting Rights Act (1965).
• The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) sought to advance civil rights through legal challenges in the federal courts. Notable decisions were obtained in the Sweatt v. Painter (1950) and Brown v. Board of Education (1954) decisions. While the NAACP was relatively successful in achieving favourable court decisions, the courts, not the NAACP, controlled the enforcement processes, thus the pace of reform was piecemeal.
• Dr Martin Luther King led a successful boycott of the Montgomery, Alabama public bus transportation system following the Rosa Parks incident in 1955. The economic impact forced the city to integrate its bus service and was later supported when the Supreme Court (Browder v. Gayle, 1956) ruled that segregation of public buses was unconstitutional. This event contributed to the creation of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (1957), which organized ministers and churches in the South on behalf of civil rights’ issues.
• In August of 1963 King led a peaceful march of over 200,000 people in Washington DC in support of civil rights legislation and appealed for an end to racial prejudice with his famous, “I Have a Dream” speech.
• The US Congress passed civil rights legislation including the 1964 Civil Rights Act which made segregation illegal in all public facilities and the 1965 Voting Rights Act that ended literacy tests and provided federal support on behalf of voter registration for African-Americans.
• As leader of the Black Muslims, Malcolm X initially advocated black separatism and “Black Nationalism” through “all means necessary”, including violence, as an alternative to King’s peaceful demonstrations and civil disobedience. His leadership helped to initiate a new form of civil rights agitation and led to the Black Power movement of Stokely Carmichael. Critics saw these efforts as responsible for a “white backlash” that hindered civil rights progress and contributed to the urban riots of 1964 to 1968. Supporters credited these changes for engaging the support of disaffected blacks, mainly in the urban North and West.
The above material is an indication of what candidates may elect to write about in their responses. However, it is not exhaustive and no set answer is required.
Examiners and moderators are reminded of the need to apply the markbands that provide the “best fit” to the responses given by candidates and to award credit wherever it is possible to do so
Question
Evaluate the achievements of feminist movements in the Americas after 1945.
▶️Answer/Explanation
Ans:
Candidates are required to prepare an analysis of what feminist movements aimed to achieve followed by an appraisal of their success. There is no upper or lower limit to the number of countries that candidates may select; if candidates focus only on one country then greater depth is to be expected.
Indicative content
• Feminist movements in the Americas were concerned with making progress in areas such as education, employment, salaries, reproductive rights, political opportunities and equality before the law.
• Achievements will depend on the selected country/countries but could include voting rights, reproductive rights, inheritance rights, divorce, shared custody of children and equal employment opportunities/pay.
• Candidates might argue that there is a gap between rhetoric and reality.
The above material is an indication of what candidates may elect to write about in their responses. However, it is not exhaustive and no set answer is required.
Examiners and moderators are reminded of the need to apply the markbands that provide the “best fit” to the responses given by candidates and to award credit wherever it is possible to do so.