Scottish Higher Higher History Flashcards

24 sample cards from the Higher History deck

Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.

1. What was the 'Cat and Mouse Act' (1913)?

   The Prisoners (Temporary Discharge for Ill-Health) Act: it released hunger-striking suffragettes when they became weak, then re-arrested them once recovered, avoiding deaths in custody from force-feeding.

2. How did women's WWI work affect arguments for female suffrage?

   Women did essential war work (munitions, transport, nursing, farming), undermining claims they were unfit for citizenship; this is often credited as a key reason for the 1918 enfranchisement of women over 30.

3. What was the historical idea of the 'separate spheres' for Victorian women?

   The belief that men belonged to the public sphere (work, politics) and women to the private/domestic sphere (home, children) — the 'angel in the house' ideal that limited women's legal and economic rights.

4. For 'Assessing the Extent of Democracy by 1951', name two features showing Britain WAS democratic by 1951.

   Universal adult suffrage (all over 21 voting equally since 1928), regular free elections by secret ballot, and an elected House of Commons supreme over the Lords (1911/1949 Parliament Acts).

5. Name one feature showing Britain's democracy was still INCOMPLETE by 1951.

   The unelected House of Lords and hereditary monarchy remained; plus the first-past-the-post system could produce governments without a majority of votes — limits on full democratic equality.

6. In 'Germany 1815-1939', what was the Zollverein and why did it matter for unification?

   A customs union (founded 1834) led by Prussia that removed internal tariffs between many German states, promoting economic integration and Prussian leadership, a key 'building block' toward unification in 1871.

7. What three wars did Bismarck use to engineer German unification?

   The Danish War (1864), the Austro-Prussian War (1866, excluding Austria from Germany), and the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71), after which the German Empire was proclaimed in 1871.

8. What problems in the Weimar Republic's constitution and conditions weakened German democracy after 1919?

   Proportional representation produced unstable coalitions; Article 48 let the President rule by emergency decree; and the Republic was blamed for the 'stab in the back' and the harsh Treaty of Versailles.

9. List three methods Hitler and the Nazis used to consolidate power in 1933-34.

   The Reichstag Fire Decree and Enabling Act (1933) giving dictatorial powers; banning other parties and trade unions (Gleichschaltung); and the Night of the Long Knives (1934) eliminating rivals like the SA leadership.

10. In 'The USA 1918-1968', what immigration laws restricted entry in the 1920s and whom did they target?

    The Emergency Quota Act (1921) and the Johnson-Reed/National Origins Act (1924) set quotas favouring northern/western Europeans and severely restricting southern/eastern Europeans and Asians.

11. What was the Ku Klux Klan's role in 1920s America?

    A mass white-supremacist movement (millions of members) that used intimidation and violence against Black Americans, Catholics, Jews and immigrants, reflecting nativism and racism of the era.

12. In 'Free at Last? Civil Rights in the USA', what was the significance of Brown v. Board of Education (1954)?

    The Supreme Court ruled racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, overturning the 'separate but equal' doctrine of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) and energising the Civil Rights Movement.

13. What did the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-56) achieve and who emerged from it?

    Sparked by Rosa Parks' arrest, the year-long boycott led to a Supreme Court ruling against bus segregation and propelled Martin Luther King Jr. to national leadership of non-violent protest.

14. Name the two major federal laws that were key legislative victories of the Civil Rights Movement.

    The Civil Rights Act (1964), banning discrimination in public places and employment, and the Voting Rights Act (1965), outlawing discriminatory voting practices like literacy tests.

15. How did 'Black Power' and Malcolm X differ from Martin Luther King's approach?

    King advocated non-violent, integrationist civil disobedience; Malcolm X and Black Power emphasised Black pride, self-defence ('by any means necessary'), and separatism rather than peaceful integration.

16. In 'Appeasement and the Road to War 1918-1939', define the policy of appeasement.

    The British and French policy in the 1930s of making concessions to the demands of aggressive dictators (chiefly Hitler) to avoid another war, e.g. accepting German rearmament and territorial expansion.

17. What was agreed at the Munich Conference (1938) and why is it the symbol of appeasement?

    Britain and France allowed Germany to annex the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia in return for Hitler's promise of no further demands; Chamberlain called it 'peace for our time', but Hitler took the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939.

18. Give two arguments commonly used to JUSTIFY appeasement in the 1930s.

    Britain was militarily and economically unprepared for war and needed time to rearm; and many felt the Treaty of Versailles was unfair, so some German demands seemed reasonable — plus strong public desire to avoid another world war.

19. For the source skill 'Evaluating the Usefulness of Sources', what factors should you comment on to judge usefulness?

    Author/origin (who, and their position to know), purpose (why it was produced), timing (when), type of source, content (accurate/relevant points), and what it omits — judging usefulness in relation to the specific issue, not just reliability.

20. In the 'Comparing Sources' question, what does it mean to compare 'overall' versus in 'detail'?

    Overall: state whether the two sources broadly agree or disagree on the issue. In detail: pick out specific points where they agree or disagree, quoting/paraphrasing matching ideas from each source to support each comparison point.

21. For 'Assessing How Fully a Source Explains an Issue', what is the required method?

    Interpret relevant points from within the source (usually about three), then add your own recalled knowledge of points the source omits, before judging how fully the source explains the issue.

22. In 'Constructing Extended Essay Responses', what should an effective Higher History essay introduction contain?

    A relevant line of argument, the context of the question, and a 'signpost' setting out the main factors/areas the essay will analyse to reach a judgement.

23. What is the standard structure of a Higher History essay paragraph?

    A topic sentence (point linked to the question), supporting evidence/knowledge, analysis explaining how it answers the question, evaluation of its importance, and a mini-conclusion linking back to the line of argument.

24. What must a strong Higher History essay conclusion do to gain full marks?

    Reach a balanced, overall judgement that directly answers the question, weighing the relative importance of the factors against each other rather than simply summarising them — supporting the line of argument set out in the introduction.

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