The United States in the 1920s was both an exciting and a frightening place to live in.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2023). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1-4] (a) e.g. 'They were illegal and sold alcoholic drinks.'
2. '(a) They were secret/undercover.'
3. '(a) They were in corner shops/barbers.'
4. '(a) They appeared because the making and selling of alcoholic drinks had been made illegal.'
5. '(a) They sprang up during the Prohibition.'
6. '(a) They were supplied by bootleggers.'
7. '(a) They were often run by gangsters/linked to organised crime.'
8. '(a) They were very profitable.'
9. '(a) They were often raided by the police.'
10. [4-5] (b) The motor car was important in the 1920s because of its effect on the American economy. Ford introduced the production line in his factories which meant that cars could be built very cheaply. So many were sold that the car industry became the biggest industry in the USA. It created hundreds of thousands of jobs in car factories and in other industries that supplied parts for the cars like glass. It was one of the important causes of the boom in America in the 1920s.
11. [2-3] (b) e.g. 'It employed hundreds of thousands of people.'
12. '(b) It created the production line.'
13. '(b) It helped create the boom in the USA.'
14. '(b) It was cheap to make and so many people could afford one.'
15. '(b) It led to people living in suburbs.'
16. '(b) It led to many new roads being built.'
17. '(b) It stimulated growth in many other industries like house building.'
18. '(b) It meant people could travel more and drive to holiday resorts/cinemas/sports matches.'
19. '(b) It gave people freedom.'
20. [4-6] (c) 'Intolerance of black Americans was more of a problem because of the activities of organisations like the Ku Klux Klan. This was a white supremacy movement that used violence against black Americans. It was mainly active in the southern states. It was based on racism and led to black Americans being beaten and lynched. Thousands were lynched by mobs during the 1920s. Many black Americans left the south and moved to cities in the north.'
21. OR
22. '(c) Intolerance of immigrants was more of a problem. Many Americans were suspicious of immigrants and thought they were a threat to the American way of life and its values. They thought immigrants would spread communism and anarchism and plot against the government. This was important because it led to the Red Scare and to race riots in American cities. It also led to miscarriages of justice by prejudiced judges and lawyers as in the case of Sacco and Vanzetti.'
23. [2-3] (c) e.g. 'Intolerance of black Americans led to the lynching of hundreds of them.'
24. '(c) It led to many black Americans moving from the south to the north.'
25. '(c) Intolerance of black Americans led to the organisation of the KKK and the mistreatment of black Americans.'
26. '(c) It led to people in the south terrorising black Americans.'
27. '(c) Intolerance of immigrants led to the Red Scare.'
28. '(c) Intolerance of immigrants led to race riots.'
29. '(c) It led to government restrictions on immigrants.'