Level 3 History Diploma

Level 3 History Diploma Course Content

• Module One – Stalin Part 1
• Module Two – Stalin Part 2
• Module Three – USA 1968-2001 : Part 1
• Module Five – British Political History : Part 1
• Module Six – British Political History : Part 2
• Module Seven – Superpower Relations 1944-1990 : Part 1.1
• Module Eight – Superpower Relations 1944-1990 : Part 1.2
• Module Nine – Superpower Relations 1944-1990 : Part 2.1
• Module Ten – Superpower Relations 1944-1990 : Part 2.2

Level 3 History Diploma Modules One and Two – Stalin

In the first and second modules of the course you will explore the struggle for power to the leadership of the USSR. We will see how Stalin rise to power in 1924-29 and his clashes with other personalities and the direction of policies during these years.

We will also examine how Stalin managed to transform the Soviet Union into a superpower. We will explore the policies used to collectivise agriculture and its social and economic impact and consequences of these policies. We will examine how the USSR was rapidly industrialised through the three five year plans and the impact of all these policies especially on Soviet society.

Stalin’s USSR is famed for its stringent controls and persecution of individuals and groups. We will consider the origins and course of these purges as well as the development of culture and the arts in the service of a totalitarian regime.

Finally we will explore the USSR during the Great Patriotic War, also known as the Second World War. We will see how the course of the war wrought further massive changes on the USSR and its’ people through the devastation, the almost miraculous shift and rebirth of Soviet war production that would lead to victory over Hitler’s Germany in 1945.

Level 3 History Diploma Module Three and Four – USA 1968-2001

In these modules we will consider the Presidencies of Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton. We will explore the reasons for the outcomes of elections that led to these presidents being elected. We will also look at Watergate and the constitutional issues to which it gave rise..

We will also explore social issues and their political impact in the USA in these years. Issues such as feminism, the rights of minorities, religious belief and the importance of the Supreme Court will be investigated.

Another area in which the USA has had a great impact on a global scale is in popular culture. We will explore how the media, film, television, radio and journalism developed and changed during this period and consider the importance of sport in race relations..

Finally we will consider the debate over the role of the state in the economy, to what extent should government interfere in a capitalist society? In this unit we will consider Reagan’s presidency and the New Right with a view of ‘Reaganomics’ and free market ideas.

Level 3 History Diploma Module Five and Six – British Political History 1945-1990

In the fifth and sixth modules of the diploma in History we will explore the Labour election victory of 1945, why did Labour win and the key features of domestic policy of the Labour governments of 1945-51. We will also consider the extent to which the immediate post war years were ‘an age of austerity’. We will also explore the Conservative governments of 1951-64 and consider the extent to which the Conservatives maintained continuity with Labour objectives. We will investigate the key features of domestic policy during this period and how economic management, housing, unemployment led to rising living standards..

We continue our investigation with the Labour and Conservative governments of 1964-79. Why growing domestic problems such as inflation, wages policy, relations with trade unions were so problematic and the steps taken to deal with these domestic problems..

Finally we will explore the factors that led to the Conservative election victory of 1979. We will also investigate the key features and policies of the Thatcher government. We will explore the domestic achievements of this government and consider the reasons why the Thatcher era remains a controversial one as well as the reasons for the fall of Margaret Thatcher in 1990.

Level 3 History Diploma Module Seven through to Ten: Superpower Relations 1944-1990

Having looked at the development of Great Britain, the USA and the USSR in the 20th century we turn our attention to international affairs in the wake of the Second World War. In the final group of modules we will investigate the Cold War and the relations between the Superpowers of the USSR and the USA..

We will explore the post-Stalin thaw after the death of Stalin and the bid for peaceful coexistence between the USA and the USSR. We will look at key individuals of this period including Khrushchev, Dulles and Eisenhower..

We will also explore the arms race and the development during the years of 1949-63 of nuclear weaponry and the increasing sophistication of delivery systems to ensure that these weapons would have a global reach. We will examine this escalation and the key crisis point dealt with by Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis and the resulting realisation that the USSR and the USA needed to negotiate back from this brink. We will consider the results of these negotiations that led to the Test Ban Treaty..

Another area of the Cold War was the relationship between the USSR and China. In these modules we will explore Sino-Soviet relations 1949-76 and how the alliance between these two communist states led to confrontation in Asia and the role of the USA in this relationship..

We will explore what is known as Détente between the years 1969-1980 and how negotiations between the USA and the USSR led to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) and agreement such as the Helsinki Accords.