Many people benefited from the economic boom of the 1920s.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2021). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] Many people wanted to buy things that made life at home easier like fridges.
2. [1] Advertising promoted the sale of cars.
3. [1] Advertising tried to sell domestic appliances like washing machines and vacuum cleaners.
4. [1] Advertising sold radios.
5. [6] Prohibition failed primarily because the majority of the American public did not support it, particularly in large cities. Many people continued to desire alcohol, leading to the proliferation of illegal drinking establishments known as 'speakeasies.' Wealthier individuals could have alcohol delivered to their homes, while poorer citizens produced their own using illicit stills. The widespread public opposition made effective enforcement impossible, as law enforcement agents and judges were often corrupt, bribed, or threatened by powerful gangs that supplied alcohol to anyone willing to buy.
6. [1] Enforcement agents were corrupt.
7. [1] The police were corrupt.
8. [1] The general public were not in support of it.
9. [1] People used speakeasies and illegal stills.
10. [1] It led to gangs and much violence.
11. [1] Gangs supplied alcohol to anyone who wanted it.
12. [1] Gangs bribed and threatened the police and judges.
13. [10] The lives led by rural and urban Americans in the 1920s were more different. Urban women, particularly 'flappers,' enjoyed greater freedom, fashion, and independence, often owning cars and using new labour-saving domestic appliances. In contrast, rural women maintained hard, traditional lives, lacking such appliances and working extensively on farms while raising children. The economic boom of the 1920s disproportionately benefited urban workers, leading to significantly poorer lives for small farmers and labourers in rural areas. OR The lives led by rural and urban Americans in the 1920s were more similar. Poverty spanned both regions; a majority of American workers, whether in cities or rural areas, lived below the poverty line. Many urban workers, such as female cotton operatives, earned low wages comparable to those of small farmers. Black Americans faced severe discrimination in both rural (exacerbated by groups like the Ku Klux Klan) and urban settings, experiencing low wages and housing discrimination. Therefore, despite superficial differences, fundamental economic hardship and discrimination created significant similarities in their daily lives.
14. [1] Black Americans faced discrimination in rural and urban areas.
15. [1] Black Americans fled away from persecution in rural areas to find jobs in northern cities.
16. [1] Many American workers suffered from low wages in both rural and urban areas.
17. [1] People in urban areas had more chance to afford labour saving devices such as vacuum cleaners.