The 1920s were not an easy time for many Americans.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2022). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] Many more of them started to work in offices and factories.
2. [1] Women gained more freedom.
3. [1] Women began smoking and drinking in public.
4. [1] More women drove cars.
5. [1] Women's fashions changed with short skirts and short hair.
6. [1] Many women became flappers.
7. [1] There was no longer a need for a chaperone.
8. [1] Women gained the vote in 1920.
9. [1] Homes had many labour-saving devices with washing machines.
10. [1] They were introduced because people did not like the idea of lots of immigrants and thought they were a danger.
11. [1] Americans thought immigrants would take their jobs.
12. [1] Extreme political ideas were associated with immigrants.
13. [1] It was felt that immigrants from Eastern Europe and Asia would not mix into American society and accept its values.
14. [1] This was because of the Red Scare.
15. [1] To make sure that white, northern Europeans stayed in a majority and were in charge.
16. [1] There were racist undertones in society.
17. [1] The KKK had a big following.
18. [Explanation L3] Restrictions were introduced because the Red Scare made many Americans more afraid of immigrants. The rise of communism in Russia made them worry about these ideas coming to America. They thought that immigrants from Eastern Europe were bringing these ideas into the country. These fears were made worse when there were bomb attacks in America by anarchists.
19. [1] Prohibition caused many problems and one of the most serious was the corruption of the police.
20. [1] The biggest problem was the rise of gangsters.
21. [1] Corruption led to it becoming impossible to enforce the law.
22. [1] Judges were letting the gangsters off.
23. [1] Prohibition caused a big increase in violence in the cities.
24. [1] It was clear that prohibition could not be enforced, which gave the law a bad name.
25. [1] It turned ordinary Americans into law-breakers.
26. [1] There was a reduction in tax, which depressed government revenues.
27. [1] There were often poisonous dangers in the production of moonshine.
28. [Explanation L3 (Corruption)] Corruption was the main problem caused by prohibition. The gangs running the production and selling of alcohol bribed the police and judges with money. This meant that many in the police would turn a blind eye to what the gangs were doing and the judges would let them off if they appeared in their courts. This meant that law and order was in danger of completely breaking down. The gangs controlled whole districts of cities and was very difficult for the police to go against them.
29. [Explanation L3 (Gangsters)] The main problem caused by prohibition was the rise of gangsters. In the cities many people wanted to drink alcohol and because it was illegal, the production and selling of alcohol came under the control of criminal gangs. They were soon fighting each other for control of different parts of the cities and there were killings and even wars. Each gang gunned down rival gangs. This meant that law and order had broken down in the major cities.