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We believe that through the study of politics at Mascalls, our students will develop important democratic values that will allow them to scrutinise, question and evaluate the world around them.

We provide students with a foundational understanding of key political terms and concepts, so that they may be able to explore and reflect upon their own thoughts and opinions in a more measured way. Students will study an array of ideological perspectives; through which they will begin to understand how mainstream political narratives of the day can shape the policies that dictate their everyday lives in the UK and abroad.

The curriculum will encourage politics students to be keen and critical observers of the news agenda, to partake in political debates with confidence, and to consider how they may play a role in solving some of the world’s largest problems of the future.

Truman and Post-war America, 1945–1952

The United States in 1945 and the legacies of the world war: the powers of the presidency; the main political parties; post-war prosperity; regional, ethnic and social divisions

The USA as a Superpower: Truman’s character and policies; post-war peace making; the Cold War and ‘containment’ in Europe and Asia; the response to the rise of Communism in Asia

Truman and post-war reconstruction: the economy; political divisions and domestic problems; the rise of McCarthyism

Introduction to Business Growth – internal/external, PLC’s and understanding the changes in business aims & objectives. Exploration of Business & globalisation.

Truman and Post-war America, 1945–1952 / Eisenhower: tranquility and crisis, 1952–1960

Truman: African-Americans in North and South: the impact of the Second World War; campaigns for Civil Rights; the responses of the federal and state authorities

Eisenhower: The presidency: Eisenhower’s personality and the policies of ‘dynamic conservatism’; Nixon as Vice-President; the Republican Party; the end of McCarthyism

The growth of the American economy in the 1950s and the impact of the ‘consumer society’

The USA and the Cold War: Superpower rivalry and conflict with the USSR; responses to developments in Western and Eastern Europe; reactions to the rise of Communism in Asia; responses to crises in the Middle East

Eisenhower: tranquility and crisis, 1952–1960 / John F Kennedy and the ‘New Frontier’, 1960–1963

Eisenhower: African-Americans in North and South: the emergence of the Civil Rights Movement; the policies and attitudes of the main political parties; the responses of the state and federal authorities

Kennedy: The presidential election of 1960 and reasons for Kennedy’s victory; the policies and personalities of the Kennedy administration; the ideas behind the ‘New Frontier’

Challenges to American power: the legacy of crises over Berlin and relations with Khrushchev; the challenge of Castro’s Cuba; deepening involvement in Vietnam

John F Kennedy and the ‘New Frontier’, 1960–1963

Preparation for mocks – revision and exam practice 

Kennedy: African-Americans in North and South: the rise of the Civil Rights Movement; the opponents of Civil Rights, including within the Democratic Party; Kennedy’s policies in response to the pressures for change

The United States by 1963: its position as a world power; economic prosperity; the growing pressures for social change from women and youth

The Johnson Presidency, 1963–1968 

Johnson as President: personality and policies; his pursuit of the ‘Great Society’; the impact of the Kennedy legacy; economic developments

Maintaining American world power: escalation of the war in Vietnam; relations between the USA and its Western allies

African-Americans in North and South: developments in the Civil Rights Movement; Johnson’s role in passing Civil Rights legislation; the impact of change including urban riots

The Johnson Presidency, 1963–1968/ NEA                         

Johnson: Social divisions and protest movements: education and youth; feminism; radicalisation of African-Americans; anti-war movements; the role of the media

NEA introduction and support with research

Republican reaction: the Nixon Presidency, 1968–1974 

The Presidential election of 1968 and the reasons for Nixon’s victory: divisions within the Democratic Party; the personalities and policies of the Nixon administration

The restoration of conservative social policies; the reaction to protest movements and forces of social change; economic change and the end of the post-war boom

The limits of American world power: peace negotiations and the continuation of the war in Vietnam and Cambodia; the influence of Kissinger on US policies towards the USSR, Latin America and China

Republican reaction: the Nixon Presidency, 1968–1974

The limits of American world power: peace negotiations and the continuation of the war in Vietnam and Cambodia; the influence of Kissinger on US policies towards the USSR, Latin America and China

The Watergate Affair and its aftermath: the role of Congress; the resignation of the President; Nixon’s political legacy

The USA after Nixon, 1974–1980 

Ford and Carter as presidents: responses to social divisions; political corruption and the loss of national self-confidence

The position of the USA as a world power: the final withdrawal from Vietnam; relations with the USSR and China; the response to crises in the Middle East; Iran and Afghanistan

African-Americans in North and South: the impact of civil rights legislation; change and continuity in the ‘New South’

The USA by 1980: its position as a Superpower; the extent of social and economic change; the reasons for Reagan’s victory in the presidential election.