AQA A-Level History Active Recall Guide (7042)

AQA · A-Level

AQA A-Level History Active Recall Guide

A question-and-answer revision guide for AQA A-Level History, built to be worked in three passes rather than read.

  • AQA
  • A-Level
  • Specification 7042
  • 30 topics

See what is inside or try the sample questions.

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The 3-step active recall method

Re-reading notes is a futile process when your aim is to remember the information and successfully apply it in exam settings. Active recall is the method you use to ensure the information sticks for a long period of time. But even active recall can be futile unless you have a structured way of implementing it. This is where the 3-step active recall method comes in, a structured method that is signature to the Levo Learning guides.

  1. Step 1

    Answer up to 10 questions cold, closed book, even if you are unsure on the topic.

  2. Step 2

    Answer the same questions again, but open book. Write the correct answer down even if it seems pointless.

  3. Step 3

    Repeat as step 1 and answer the questions closed book again.

Worked across the AQA A-Level History specification, one subtopic at a time.

The subject, and what is assessed

AQA A-Level History (specification 7042) is assessed by two written papers and a non-examined historical investigation. Component 1 is a breadth study chosen from eleven options, examined for 2 hours 30 minutes and worth 40 per cent. Component 2 is a depth study chosen from twenty options, examined for 2 hours 30 minutes and worth 40 per cent. Component 3 is a personal study of around 4,500 words on a topic spanning about a hundred years, worth the remaining 20 per cent. Every student sits one breadth option and one depth option, so the pages here cover all thirty of them.

Paper Covers Length Marks Weighting
Component 1 Breadth study
One option from 1A to 1L; Evaluation of three primary sources; Two essays from a choice of three 		2 hours 30 minutes 80 marks 40%
Component 2 Depth study
One option from 2A to 2T; Evaluation of three secondary extracts; Two essays from a choice of three 		2 hours 30 minutes 80 marks 40%
Component 3 Historical investigation
A personal study of about 4,500 words; A topic spanning approximately 100 years; Marked by the centre and moderated by AQA 		Non-examined 40 marks 20%

Memorisation, then application

Marks are given for applying content to the question that has been set, which cannot happen while the content is still being looked up. Step 1 shows what is actually held. Step 2 puts the correct wording in front of you while the gap is still fresh. Step 3 repeats the cold test, and the difference between the first and third attempt is the part that has moved.

Every question in the guide is paired with its answer in the same document, so step 2 is done from the guide itself rather than from a separate set of notes.

What is inside the guide

Questions are grouped by topic and then by subtopic, following the AQA specification. Open a topic to see its subtopics.

1A The Age of the Crusades, c1071-120419 subtopics
  • The Church, the Seljuk Turks and Byzantium before the Crusades16
  • Manzikert and the Call of the First Crusade11
  • The First Crusade: Motives and Campaign32
  • The Kings of Jerusalem and the Early Crusader States28
  • The Knights Templar and the Hospitallers18
  • The Crusader States, Byzantium and the Latin West11
  • Zengi and the Fall of Edessa10
  • The Second Crusade25
  • Nur ad-Din and the Muslim Counter-Crusade13
  • Outremer and the Four Crusader States13
  • Castles and the Weakening of Outremer15
  • Baldwin IV and the Divisions within Outremer12
  • Saladin and the Fall of Jerusalem39
  • Audita Tremendi and the Third Crusade26
  • Rivalries and Divisions on the Third Crusade14
  • The Treaty of Jaffa and the Outcome of the Third Crusade12
  • Innocent III and the Launch of the Fourth Crusade25
  • The Crusaders at Constantinople, 1203-0411
  • and 1 more subtopic in this topic
1B Spain in the Age of Discovery, 1469-159822 subtopics
  • The Kingdoms of Iberia in 146922
  • Ferdinand, Isabella and the Nobility17
  • Foreign Policy, Society and the Church under Ferdinand and Isabella17
  • The Inquisition, the Jews and the Fall of Granada13
  • The Alpujarras Revolt, the Economy and Overseas Expansion20
  • The Casa de Contratacion, Navarre and Spain by 151611
  • The Inheritance of Charles V16
  • Imperial Ideology and Conciliar Government12
  • Charles V's Wars, Absences and Religious Policy20
  • The Conquest of the Americas and the Price Revolution12
  • Charles V's Abdication and Spain by 15569
  • Philip II: Character and Style of Government25
  • Court Factions, the Morisco Revolt and the Perez Affair13
  • Don Carlos, the Jesuits and the Inquisition14
  • Philip II, the Papacy and Royal Finances24
  • The Escorial and the Spanish Golden Age18
  • Spain's Strengths and Weaknesses by 159825
  • Philip II's Inheritance in 15569
  • and 4 more subtopics in this topic
1C The Tudors: England, 1485-160326 subtopics
  • Henry VII's Claim to the Throne12
  • Henry VII's Councils and Government14
  • Henry VII's Finances, the Nobility and Foreign Policy14
  • Pretenders and Rebellions under Henry VII12
  • Society and the Economy under Henry VII14
  • Religion, Humanism and the Arts under Henry VII9
  • Henry VIII: Character and Aims9
  • Wolsey, Cromwell and the Break with Rome15
  • The Dissolution, Foreign Policy and Henry VIII's Wives20
  • The Ranks of Tudor Society9
  • The Pilgrimage of Grace, Wales and the Henrician Economy20
  • Humanism and Religious Change under Henry VIII22
  • Edward VI and Somerset's Protectorate27
  • The 1549 Prayer Book and the Act of Uniformity16
  • The 1549 Rebellions and the Fall of Somerset13
  • Mary I and the Return to Rome29
  • The End of Mary's Reign and Elizabeth's Accession27
  • Early Elizabethan Finance and the Statute of Artificers8
  • and 8 more subtopics in this topic
1D Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603-170219 subtopics
  • The Political Nation, Divine Right and James I11
  • Court, Crown Finance and Religious Division, 1603-162922
  • Disputes between Crown and Parliament26
  • Arminianism, Puritanism and the Revenues of the Personal Rule10
  • The Personal Rule, the Long Parliament and the Road to War18
  • The First Civil War15
  • The Second Civil War and the Levellers10
  • The Army, Parliament and the Regicide25
  • Cromwell in Ireland and Scotland14
  • Millenarianism and Barebone's Parliament10
  • The Protectorate and the Major-Generals10
  • The Restoration and Charles II's Ministers13
  • The Rise of Court and Country10
  • The Clarendon Code, Dissent and Fears of Catholicism21
  • The Exclusion Crisis13
  • James II's Catholic and Absolutist Policies10
  • The Glorious Revolution of 168813
  • The Revolution in Ireland and the Rise of the Whigs13
  • and 1 more subtopic in this topic
1E Russia in the Age of Absolutism and Enlightenment, 1682-179620 subtopics
  • Russian Society and Government in 168213
  • The Succession Crisis of 1682 and the Streltsy10
  • Peter's Western Interests, the Great Embassy and St Petersburg18
  • Peter I's Early Economic, Political and Military Reforms19
  • Opposition to Peter's Reforms and the Streltsy Revolt12
  • The Azov Campaigns and the Battle of Narva11
  • The Poll Tax and State Monopolies10
  • The Holy Synod, the Senate and Church Reform9
  • The Colleges, Provincial Government and the Table of Ranks15
  • Westernisation, Opposition and Peter's Legacy by 172517
  • The Great Northern War and Peter's Foreign Policy12
  • The Service State under Peter the Great8
  • The Supreme Privy Council, the Guards and Empress Elizabeth12
  • Elizabeth, the Service State and Foreign Policy, 1725-176219
  • Peter III and Catherine II's Seizure of Power15
  • The Legislative Commission and Catherine's Government Reforms12
  • The Charter to the Nobility and Catherine's Education Reforms8
  • Serfdom and Toleration under Catherine II10
  • and 2 more subtopics in this topic
1F Industrialisation and the People: Britain, c1783-188529 subtopics
  • The British Political System in 178321
  • Pitt the Younger and His Ministries16
  • Pitt's Financial and Trade Reforms19
  • Early Industrialisation: Textiles, Iron and Steam21
  • Enclosure and Agricultural Change12
  • Social Classes, Working Conditions and the Old Poor Law28
  • The French Revolution and British Radicalism36
  • The Irish Rebellion of 1798 and the Act of Union12
  • The Wars with France and the Home Front19
  • Luddism and Britain by 181211
  • Lord Liverpool, the Corn Laws and Peterloo17
  • Canning, Wellington and Catholic Emancipation15
  • Textiles, Iron, Coal and the Common Lands11
  • Urbanisation and Working-Class Discontent10
  • Radicals, Abolitionists and the Rise of Methodism13
  • The Great Reform Act of 183221
  • Grey, Melbourne and Whig Reform9
  • The Factory Act, the New Poor Law and Whig Reforms, 1833-18359
  • and 11 more subtopics in this topic
1G Challenge and Transformation: Britain, c1851-196424 subtopics
  • Parliament and the Franchise before 186715
  • The Second Reform Act, Gladstone and Disraeli17
  • The Workshop of the World, Free Trade and Agricultural Depression15
  • Class and Region in Victorian Britain11
  • The Domestic Reforms of Gladstone and Disraeli20
  • Ireland, the Great Famine and the Land Question20
  • Gladstone's Home Rule Bill and Its Opponents9
  • Conservative Dominance before 190511
  • Socialism and the Birth of the Labour Party17
  • New Liberalism, the People's Budget and the Parliament Act12
  • The Great Depression, Industrial Decline and Tariff Reform29
  • New Unionism, the Great Unrest and Women's Suffrage17
  • Living Standards, Poverty and the Liberal Welfare Reforms22
  • The Home Rule Movement and the Irish Party14
  • The Decline of the Liberal Party16
  • The National Governments and the Fascist Challenge10
  • The Staple Industries and the General Strike15
  • Women's Work and Interwar Living Standards20
  • and 6 more subtopics in this topic
1H Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855-196425 subtopics
  • Autocracy and Serfdom in 185511
  • The Emancipation of the Serfs and Alexander II's Reforms9
  • Reform, Reaction and the Death of Alexander II11
  • Pobedonostsev and Russification8
  • Liberals, Populists and the Tsarist Police17
  • Economy and Society after Emancipation14
  • Nicholas II, Bloody Sunday and the Fundamental Laws10
  • The Dumas, Stolypin and Witte's Industrialisation14
  • Workers, Peasants and the Grain Trade10
  • Liberals, Socialist Revolutionaries and Marxists11
  • The First World War and the February Revolution17
  • Lenin's Return and the October Revolution20
  • Lenin's Ideology, War Communism and Kronstadt14
  • The New Economic Policy and the Ban on Factions10
  • Stalin's Rise and the Power Struggle10
  • Terror, the 1936 Constitution and Collectivisation8
  • The Five Year Plans10
  • Internal Passports, the Gulag and Soviet Society24
  • and 7 more subtopics in this topic
1J The British Empire, c1857-196723 subtopics
  • The Suez Canal and the Occupation of Egypt11
  • The Indian Mutiny and the Government of India Act16
  • The Scramble for Africa and the Chartered Companies15
  • Missionaries, the Civilising Mission and Party Attitudes to Empire12
  • The Boers, the Zulu War and Southern Africa11
  • Expansion in Africa and the Government of India24
  • Lord Cromer and the Veiled Protectorate in Egypt8
  • Indirect Rule and the Entente Cordiale11
  • Chamberlain, Tariff Reform and Cecil Rhodes10
  • The Justifications for Empire and National Efficiency15
  • Exhibitions, Youth Movements and Popular Imperialism9
  • The Boer War and the Union of South Africa25
  • The Mandates and the Empire after the Great War14
  • The Dominions, Imperial Defence and Imperial Culture19
  • Gandhi and Colonial Nationalism between the Wars17
  • The Independence of Britain's Colonies after 194514
  • Africanisation, the Suez Crisis and the Cold War16
  • The Commonwealth and Britain's Post-War Weakness14
  • and 5 more subtopics in this topic
1K The Making of a Superpower: USA, 1865-197526 subtopics
  • Johnson, Grant and Radical Reconstruction11
  • The Redeemers and the Gilded Age Presidents9
  • The Post-Reconstruction South and Jim Crow14
  • The Railroad Boom and Big Business in the Gilded Age28
  • The Closing of the Frontier and Gilded Age Foreign Policy10
  • The Populist Movement and the People's Party12
  • Progressivism and Roosevelt's Square Deal9
  • Wilson's New Freedom and America's Economic Rise16
  • Immigration, Urban Growth and Segregation16
  • American Imperialism and the War of 189815
  • Neutrality and Entry into the First World War8
  • American Society and Industrial Power by 192012
  • Republican Government in the 1920s12
  • The First and Second New Deals17
  • The Boom of the 1920s and the Wall Street Crash13
  • The Jazz Age, Women and Prohibition21
  • The Depression and the Second World War at Home13
  • The American Regions and Southern Discrimination8
  • and 8 more subtopics in this topic
1L The Quest for Political Stability: Germany, 1871-199119 subtopics
  • The States of the German Empire in 187113
  • The Constitution of 1871: Bundesrat and Reichstag12
  • Bismarck's Domestic Policies17
  • Wilhelm II and Weltpolitik14
  • German Industrial Power before 191413
  • The Burgertum and the Prestige of the Elite10
  • Workers, Pressure Groups and Germany by 191415
  • War, Revolution and the Weimar Constitution, 1914-191921
  • Reparations, Putsches and the Crisis of 19239
  • Stresemann, the Dawes Plan and Locarno19
  • The Slump and the Fall of the Grand Coalition18
  • The Enabling Act, the Night of the Long Knives and the Terror State14
  • The Four Year Plan and the Volksgemeinschaft12
  • Germany at War and the Holocaust8
  • Occupation and the Division of Germany, 1945-194912
  • Adenauer and the Basic Law18
  • Bad Godesberg and the Grand Coalition12
  • Protest, the Economic Miracle and West German Society20
  • and 1 more subtopic in this topic
2A Royal Authority and the Angevin Kings, 1154-121614 subtopics
  • The Anarchy and the Legacy Henry II Inherited15
  • Henry II's Challenges and Early Reforms17
  • The Church and the Angevin Empire29
  • Henry II, Becket and Ireland17
  • The Great Rebellion and the Management of the Barons37
  • Philip II and the Last Years of Henry II10
  • Richard I and the Crusade11
  • Government, Society and the Jews under Richard I16
  • Richard's War with Philip II and His Death10
  • The Accession and Character of King John8
  • John's Finances, Hubert Walter and the Interdict15
  • The Loss of Normandy9
  • John in Scotland, Ireland and Wales13
  • Bouvines, Magna Carta and the Death of John29
2B The Wars of the Roses, 1450-149916 subtopics
  • Henry VI, Cade's Rebellion and the Loss of Normandy25
  • Richard of York and His Claim to the Throne11
  • The Protectorates, St Albans and the Uneasy Peace27
  • The War of the Barons and Towton25
  • Edward IV and the Woodville Marriage15
  • Warwick, Margaret of Anjou and the Readeption11
  • Barnet, Tewkesbury and the Impact of the Wars24
  • Edward IV's Second Reign and Royal Finance17
  • The Rise of the Woodvilles and Court Faction13
  • Trade, Society and Regional Power under Edward IV17
  • The Succession Crisis of 148313
  • Richard III and the Princes in the Tower25
  • The Battle of Bosworth14
  • Lovell, Lambert Simnel and Stoke Field13
  • Margaret of Burgundy and the Yorkist Pretenders25
  • The Economic Cost of the Wars and Recovery by 149914
2C The Reformation in Europe, c1500-156421 subtopics
  • Papal Supremacy and the Church Hierarchy12
  • Salvation and the Seven Sacraments13
  • Corruption, Humanism and Demands for Reform before 151732
  • The Holy Roman Empire and Its Electors16
  • The Imperial Diet, the Young Luther and the 95 Theses14
  • The Disputations, Luther's Theology and the 1520 Treatises12
  • Luther in Print, Excommunication and the Diet of Worms24
  • Karlstadt, the Zwickau Prophets and Luther's Return11
  • Zwingli, the Eucharist and the Knights' Revolt11
  • The German Peasants' War11
  • The Swiss Reformation, the Kappel Wars and Marburg13
  • The Diets of Speyer, the Augsburg Confession and Melanchthon27
  • The Radical Reformation and the Anabaptists20
  • The Schmalkaldic League17
  • The Formation of John Calvin14
  • Calvin in Geneva and the Ecclesiastical Ordinances21
  • The Consensus Tigurinus and Reformed Religion19
  • Luther's Death and the Schmalkaldic War8
  • and 3 more subtopics in this topic
2D Religious Conflict and the Church in England, c1529-c157017 subtopics
  • The English Church and Its Wealth in 152919
  • Humanism and the Call for Church Reform16
  • Henry VIII's Great Matter14
  • The Reformation Parliament and the Break with Rome27
  • Reformist and Conservative Factions at Court13
  • Faction, Diplomacy and the Dissolution11
  • The Reasons for and Effects of the Dissolution9
  • The Pilgrimage of Grace15
  • The Ten Articles, the Six Articles and the King's Book20
  • Religion and War in Henry VIII's Last Years13
  • Somerset's Protectorate and Northumberland's Rise11
  • Cranmer, the Prayer Books and the Chantries Act15
  • Mary I's Accession and Her Religious Aims18
  • Catholic Restoration, Persecution and Opposition under Mary27
  • Elizabeth I's Settlement and the Peace with France18
  • The Act of Uniformity, Enforcement and the Vestiarian Controversy17
  • Mary Queen of Scots and the Rising of the Northern Earls13
2E The English Revolution, 1625-166027 subtopics
  • James I's Legacy and Charles I's Kingship14
  • Charles I, Buckingham and the Petition of Right19
  • The Personal Rule and Its Ministers23
  • Laud's Reforms and Protestant Fears10
  • The Scottish Prayer Book and Thorough in Ireland13
  • Puritan Emigration, the National Covenant and the First Bishops' War10
  • The Bishops' Wars and the Recall of Parliament15
  • Charles I and the Parliamentary Opposition in 164014
  • John Pym and the Long Parliament21
  • Deadlock, the Fall of Strafford and the Irish Rebellion20
  • The Attempt on the Five Members11
  • The Militia Ordinance and the Drift to War11
  • The Nineteen Propositions and the Outbreak of War11
  • Royalist Strengths at the Outbreak of War13
  • Royalist Weaknesses and War Finance9
  • Parliament's Commanders and the Wealth of London12
  • The Solemn League, Marston Moor and the New Model Army23
  • Naseby, Popular Radicalism and the Press22
  • and 9 more subtopics in this topic
2F The Sun King: Louis XIV, France and Europe, 1643-171520 subtopics
  • Richelieu and the Regency of Anne of Austria8
  • Mazarin, the Parlement and the Frondes21
  • Westphalia and the Treaty of the Pyrenees12
  • The Start of Personal Rule and France in 166113
  • Louis XIV's Conception of Kingship10
  • The Royal Council, the Intendants and Versailles16
  • Colbert, Mercantilism and the Royal Academies26
  • The Huguenots and the Edict of Fontainebleau13
  • Gloire, Foreign Policy Aims and Louvois's Army16
  • The Decline of Spain and Louis XIV's Wars to 168424
  • The Strengths and Weaknesses of Personal Rule11
  • French Finances and the Cost of War11
  • Gallicanism, Jansenism and the Huguenots25
  • French Society and Popular Unrest under Louis XIV12
  • William of Orange and the Anglo-Dutch Alliance10
  • The Nine Years War25
  • The Spanish Succession and the Will of Charles II11
  • Ramillies, Malplaquet and the Crisis of 170911
  • and 2 more subtopics in this topic
2G The Birth of the USA, 1760-180120 subtopics
  • Mercantilism, Salutary Neglect and the Colonies in 176012
  • The Thirteen Colonies and the Impact of the Seven Years War22
  • From the Proclamation of 1763 to the Boston Tea Party28
  • The Intolerable Acts of 177419
  • The First Continental Congress15
  • Common Sense and the Organisation of Resistance15
  • General Gage and the Road to Lexington12
  • The Declaration of Independence14
  • British Strengths and Weaknesses in 177611
  • American Strengths and Weaknesses in the War10
  • The Limits of British Power and the French Alliance8
  • French Intervention, the Chesapeake and Spain's Entry13
  • Spain, Congress and British Failures in the War23
  • Washington and the Continental Army14
  • The Surrender at Yorktown24
  • The Articles of Confederation and Post-War Problems31
  • The Presidencies of Washington and Adams16
  • The Alien and Sedition Acts and Hamilton's Programme17
  • and 2 more subtopics in this topic
2H France in Revolution, 1774-181532 subtopics
  • Louis XVI and French Absolutism13
  • The Three Estates and Seigneurial Rights18
  • Taxation and the Weaknesses of the Ancien Regime10
  • The Philosophes and the Enlightenment12
  • The Financial Crisis of the Ancien Regime13
  • Calonne and the Assembly of Notables16
  • The Crisis of 1788 and the Estates-General11
  • The Cahiers and the Opening of the Estates-General11
  • The National Assembly and the Fall of the Bastille15
  • The Civil Constitution of the Clergy and the Constitution of 179110
  • The Political Clubs, Varennes and the Fall of the Monarchy22
  • The Founding of the Republic11
  • The Execution of Louis XVI, the Vendee and the Federalist Revolt18
  • The Levee en Masse and the Coming of the Terror19
  • The Fall of the Factions and the Great Terror14
  • Thermidor and the Dismantling of the Terror18
  • Vendemiaire and the Directory20
  • The Rise of Bonaparte12
  • and 14 more subtopics in this topic
2J America: A Nation Divided, c1845-187720 subtopics
  • Federalism and States' Rights12
  • The Northern Economy by 184513
  • Cotton, Plantations and the Southern Economy23
  • The Missouri Compromise and the Nullification Crisis13
  • Manifest Destiny and the Compromise of 185016
  • The Fugitive Slave Law, Abolitionism and Pro-Slavery Arguments19
  • The Kansas-Nebraska Act and Bleeding Kansas10
  • The Formation of the Republican Party11
  • Dred Scott, the Lincoln-Douglas Debates and Harper's Ferry12
  • The Election of 1860, Secession and Fort Sumter18
  • Confederate Strengths and the Union's Numbers9
  • Lee, States' Rights and King Cotton12
  • Union Strengths, Lincoln, Grant and Sherman19
  • The Course of the Civil War, 1861-186526
  • Why the Confederacy Lost and the Destruction of the South12
  • The War's Legacy and the Death of Lincoln11
  • The Emancipation Proclamation and Lincoln's Plan9
  • Radical Republicans and Presidential Reconstruction20
  • and 2 more subtopics in this topic
2K International Relations and Global Conflict, c1890-194129 subtopics
  • How Britain and France Made Foreign Policy11
  • The Economic and Military Strength of the Great Powers17
  • The Scramble for Africa and Great Power Rivalry23
  • Balkan Nationalism and Austria-Hungary10
  • The Naval Race, the Arms Race and War Plans16
  • The Moroccan Crises13
  • The Entente Cordiale and the Triple Entente10
  • The Decline of the Ottoman Empire14
  • The Bosnian Crisis of 190814
  • The Balkan Wars16
  • Sarajevo and the Austrian Ultimatum8
  • Mobilisation and the Schlieffen Plan17
  • The July Crisis9
  • Italy, the USA and the Widening War13
  • Revolution in Russia and the Collapse of Germany8
  • The Collapse of the Habsburg and Ottoman Empires11
  • Clemenceau, Wilson and the Aims of the Peacemakers11
  • Lloyd George and the Treaty of Versailles19
  • and 11 more subtopics in this topic
2L Italy and Fascism, c1900-194526 subtopics
  • A Young Kingdom: North, South and the Risorgimento10
  • The Italian Monarchy and the Narrow Franchise9
  • Giolitti and the Gentiloni Pact8
  • Industrial Growth, Socialism and Labour Unrest10
  • Nationalism, Futurism and the Triple Alliance11
  • Intervention in 1915 and Italy's War Aims17
  • The Isonzo Front and Caporetto11
  • The Home Front and the Peace Settlement9
  • Fiume and the Mutilated Victory12
  • Post-War Crisis and Political Instability12
  • The Biennio Rosso and the Fascist Response23
  • The March on Rome and Mussolini's Appointment19
  • Why the Elites Accepted Mussolini9
  • Fascist Ideology, the Ras and the Cult of the Duce15
  • The Grand Council, the Acerbo Law and the Matteotti Crisis13
  • Building the Dictatorship, 1925-192614
  • Corfu, Fiume and the Consolidation of Power11
  • Press, Radio and Film under Fascism9
  • and 8 more subtopics in this topic
2M Wars and Welfare: Britain in Transition, 1906-195736 subtopics
  • The Liberal Landslide of 1906 and New Liberalism13
  • The Lib-Lab Pact, Tariff Reform and the Edwardian Economy12
  • Edwardian Class, Poverty and the People's Budget8
  • The Liberal Welfare Reforms16
  • The Parliament Act, Women's Suffrage and Home Rule20
  • The Labour Unrest of 1910 to 191410
  • The Wartime Coalitions and the Liberal Split11
  • The War Economy, DORA and Post-War Industry16
  • Women's War Work, the Vote and Conscription16
  • The War Poets, the Easter Rising and Irish Independence13
  • Liberal Decline, the First Labour Government and Baldwin19
  • The Return to Gold, the Coal Crisis and the General Strike20
  • The Divided Regions, Women and Culture in the 1920s15
  • The Flapper Vote and the 1929 Election12
  • The Second Labour Government and the Slump9
  • The Formation of the National Government10
  • The Crisis of 1931, the Gold Standard and Protection19
  • The Means Test and the Depths of the Slump19
  • and 18 more subtopics in this topic
2N Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia, 1917-195330 subtopics
  • Tsarism and the Strain of War by 191714
  • The February Revolution17
  • The Provisional Government and the April Theses26
  • The October Revolution10
  • The First Decrees, the Constituent Assembly and the Leaders of 191715
  • The Cheka and the Rise of One-Party Rule13
  • Brest-Litovsk and the Causes of the Civil War11
  • Trotsky and the Building of the Red Army10
  • Why the Reds Won the Civil War13
  • Bolshevik Social Reform, War Communism and the Red Terror19
  • Tambov and Kronstadt12
  • The New Economic Policy13
  • Foreign Intervention, the Comintern and Soviet Diplomacy31
  • Lenin's Death, His Testament and the Contenders for Power31
  • Permanent Revolution and Socialism in One Country14
  • The Defeat of the Oppositions and the Great Turn17
  • The Stalin Cult and Soviet Foreign Policy in the 1920s11
  • Collectivisation and the Collective Farms18
  • and 12 more subtopics in this topic
2O Democracy and Nazism: Germany, 1918-194531 subtopics
  • The Collapse of 1918 and the Kiel Mutiny12
  • The Weimar Constitution and the Terms of Versailles24
  • The Military Terms of Versailles and German Reactions19
  • The Ruhr Occupation and the Hyperinflation of 192317
  • The Spartacist Uprising and the Freikorps12
  • The Ruhr Crisis, the Courts and the Munich Putsch9
  • The Munich Putsch and Weimar's Coalitions9
  • Stresemann and the Dawes Plan15
  • Weimar Culture: Bauhaus, Art and Theatre12
  • Hindenburg's Election and the Golden Years12
  • Stresemann's Foreign Policy and Locarno14
  • The Wall Street Crash and the German Banks12
  • Bruning's Deflation and the Nazi Electoral Breakthrough20
  • Nazi Propaganda, the SA and Nazi Appeal22
  • The Divided Left, Hindenburg and Papen14
  • The Prussian Coup and Hitler's Refusal of Office15
  • The Reichstag Fire, the Enabling Act and the End of Democracy36
  • Gleichschaltung and the One-Party State23
  • and 13 more subtopics in this topic
2P The Transformation of China, 1936-199728 subtopics
  • Japanese Encroachment and the Guomindang14
  • The Encirclement Campaigns, the Long March and Mao's Ideology17
  • Yan'an, the Xi'an Incident and the Second United Front13
  • The Sino-Japanese War, 1937-194528
  • The Race for Territory and the Marshall Mission9
  • The Nationalist Position in 194612
  • The Civil War and the Nationalist Collapse14
  • China in 1949 and the Founding of the Republic10
  • The Mass Campaigns and the Grip on Power26
  • The Soviet Alliance and the Korean War12
  • The Hundred Flowers and the First Five Year Plan14
  • The Great Leap Forward and the People's Communes25
  • Rectification, the Marriage Law and Social Change10
  • Mao's Retreat and the Divided Leadership18
  • The Little Red Book and the Socialist Education Movement12
  • Women, Education, Culture and Religion in the Early 1960s24
  • The Sino-Soviet Split21
  • The Origins of the Cultural Revolution13
  • and 10 more subtopics in this topic
2Q The American Dream: Reality and Illusion, 1945-198024 subtopics
  • American Power and Politics in 194514
  • Truman and the Fair Deal9
  • Containment, NATO and the Korean War12
  • Taft-Hartley, the 1948 Election and McCarthyism18
  • Civil Rights in the Truman Years18
  • Eisenhower and Modern Republicanism11
  • The Fall of McCarthy and the Fifties Economy12
  • Suburbia, the Highways and the New Look9
  • Hungary, Rollback and the Berlin Crisis11
  • Eisenhower, South Vietnam and SEATO15
  • Brown, Montgomery and Little Rock31
  • The Election of 19609
  • The New Frontier and the Berlin Wall14
  • Civil Rights under Kennedy and America by 196325
  • Johnson, the Great Society and the 1964 Election11
  • Johnson's Legislative Strategy and Rolling Thunder11
  • Civil Rights, Black Power and Protest under Johnson32
  • The Election of 1968 and the Democratic Split11
  • and 6 more subtopics in this topic
2R The Cold War, c1945-199129 subtopics
  • Yalta, Potsdam and the Wartime Alliance20
  • The Sovietisation of Eastern Europe21
  • The Marshall Plan and American Aid to Europe9
  • The Division of Germany, the Berlin Blockade and NATO19
  • Japan, China and NSC-6818
  • Korea in 1950 and the UN Response18
  • McCarthyism and the Isolation of China13
  • NATO, the Warsaw Pact and the First Indochina War11
  • Khrushchev and the Crises of 1956 in Poland and Hungary9
  • The Hungarian Uprising, Peaceful Coexistence and the Paris Summit10
  • The U-2 Affair, the Missile Race and the Space Race9
  • The Berlin Crisis and the Berlin Wall11
  • The Division of Vietnam and the NLF11
  • Cuba, the Bay of Pigs and the Missile Crisis19
  • The Gulf of Tonkin and American Escalation13
  • Viet Cong Tactics, Tet and Vietnamisation11
  • Arms Control, the Prague Spring and the Sino-Soviet Split17
  • The Paris Accords and the Fall of Saigon9
  • and 11 more subtopics in this topic
2S The Making of Modern Britain, 1951-200738 subtopics
  • The Conservative Prime Ministers, 1951 to 196415
  • The Long Boom and Stop-Go12
  • Women, Youth, Immigration and the Notting Hill Riots16
  • Foreign Policy, Suez and Decolonisation, 1951-196418
  • Harold Wilson and the National Plan9
  • Devaluation and Labour's Economic Policy, 1965-19698
  • In Place of Strife, Education and Northern Ireland16
  • The Abolition of Hanging and Divorce Reform13
  • The Media, the Permissive Society and Race in the 1960s26
  • Vietnam, the EEC Veto and the Atlantic Alliance12
  • Heath, the 1970 Election and Selsdon Park17
  • The Industrial Relations Act and the 1972 Strike9
  • The Oil Crisis and the Second Miners' Strike9
  • Northern Ireland from Bloody Sunday to Sunningdale13
  • The Social Contract, the IMF Crisis and the Winter of Discontent23
  • Feminism, Equality Legislation and Immigration in the 1970s20
  • Punk and the New Politics of the 1970s8
  • Britain's Entry into the EEC and the 1975 Referendum10
  • and 20 more subtopics in this topic
2T The Crisis of Communism: The USSR and the Soviet Empire, 1953-200038 subtopics
  • Stalin's Death and the System He Left13
  • Khrushchev's Rise and the Anti-Party Group10
  • The Secret Speech and De-Stalinisation9
  • The Sovnarkhozy, Housing and the Thaw10
  • The Virgin Lands Scheme and Agricultural Failure10
  • The Thaw, China and Khrushchev's Foreign Policy14
  • The Fall of Khrushchev8
  • Brezhnev and His Leading Colleagues10
  • The Kosygin Reforms and Economic Stagnation23
  • Detente, Afghanistan and the Second Cold War13
  • Dissidents and Nationalist Unrest under Brezhnev13
  • Andropov, Chernenko and the Rise of Gorbachev8
  • Gorbachev's Aims and Perestroika9
  • Glasnost, Afghanistan and the End of the Cold War14
  • Chernobyl, Economic Restructuring and Democratisation20
  • The Opposition to Gorbachev21
  • The August Coup and the End of the USSR11
  • Yeltsin and Shock Therapy22
  • and 20 more subtopics in this topic

Sample questions

Taken from the AQA A-Level History guide. Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.

  1. 1A The Age of the Crusades, c1071-1204

    What gave the Church in western Europe its supreme spiritual authority around 1071?

    Show the answer
    The Church controlled access to salvation through the sacraments and the power of excommunication.

  2. 1B Spain in the Age of Discovery, 1469-1598

    Who were the two rival claimants to the Castilian throne in 1469?

    Show the answer
    Juana (Henry IV's daughter) and Isabella (Henry IV's half-sister)

  3. 1C The Tudors: England, 1485-1603

    How did Henry Tudor become king of England in 1485?

    Show the answer
    He defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in August 1485.

  4. 1D Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603-1702

    Who comprised the Political Nation in early Stuart England?

    Show the answer
    The landed gentry, nobility, and wealthy merchants who held political influence through property ownership and economic power.

  5. 1E Russia in the Age of Absolutism and Enlightenment, 1682-1796

    What type of political system governed Russia in 1682, and what was the extent of the Tsar's power?

    Show the answer
    Russia was governed by an autocratic Tsar who held absolute power.

  6. 1F Industrialisation and the People: Britain, c1783-1885

    What significant executive powers did the King retain in 1783?

    Show the answer
    The King retained significant executive power, including the appointment of ministers

  7. 1G Challenge and Transformation: Britain, c1851-1964

    What were the two chambers of Parliament in mid-19th century Britain?

    Show the answer
    The House of Commons (elected) and the House of Lords (hereditary peers and bishops)

  8. 1H Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855-1964

    What did autocracy mean in the Russian political system?

    Show the answer
    The Tsar held absolute power, ruling by divine right without constitutional limits or a representative assembly.

Questions about this guide

How do you use active recall for AQA A-Level History?

Answer up to 10 questions cold and closed book. Answer the same questions again open book, writing the correct answer down. Then answer them closed book one more time. The difference between the first and third attempt is what has moved into recall.

How is AQA A-Level History assessed?

AQA A-Level History is assessed by 3 components: Component 1, breadth study (2 hours 30 minutes, 80 marks, 40%); Component 2, depth study (2 hours 30 minutes, 80 marks, 40%); Component 3, historical investigation (Non-examined, 40 marks, 20%).

What topics does the AQA A-Level History active recall guide cover?

It covers 1A The Age of the Crusades, c1071-1204, 1B Spain in the Age of Discovery, 1469-1598, 1C The Tudors: England, 1485-1603, 1D Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603-1702, 1E Russia in the Age of Absolutism and Enlightenment, 1682-1796, 1F Industrialisation and the People: Britain, c1783-1885, 1G Challenge and Transformation: Britain, c1851-1964, 1H Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855-1964, 1J The British Empire, c1857-1967, 1K The Making of a Superpower: USA, 1865-1975, 1L The Quest for Political Stability: Germany, 1871-1991, 2A Royal Authority and the Angevin Kings, 1154-1216, 2B The Wars of the Roses, 1450-1499 and 2C The Reformation in Europe, c1500-1564. The full list is set out on this page.

Is the AQA A-Level History guide a PDF?

Yes. It is a digital PDF sent to the email address on your order after purchase. Check the address is correct at checkout, and check junk or spam if it has not arrived.

Does the guide include the answers?

Yes. Every question has its answer in the same document, grouped by topic, so step 2 of the method is done from the guide.

AQA A-Level History Active Recall Guide

Every question paired with its answer, grouped by topic, ready to work in three passes.

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