Home › Subjects › A-Level H2 History › Paper 1, Theme II: How the world economy grew from 1945 through 2000

A-Level Paper 1, Theme II: How the world economy grew from 1945 through 2000

What the A-Level syllabus expects for Paper 1, Theme II: How the world economy grew from 1945 through 2000, and how to practise it.

What the syllabus expects

What fuelled the postwar expansion of the world economy.
Scope: the weight of international organisations and the arrangements between them; the influence of multinational corporations; the contributions made by Japan, Western Europe and the USA; and the rebuilding of economies once the war ended
The strains and disruptions that troubled the global economy across the period.
Scope: the debt crises that struck during the 1980s; protectionism; and the oil shocks of 1973 and again in 1979
What drove Japan's postwar economic transformation (1947-1991).
Scope: international developments; shifts in society and the economy; the keiretsu system; and intervention by the government
What drove China's economic transformation after 1978 (1978-2000).
Scope: international developments; the open door policy; reforms geared to the market; intervention by the state; and the failings that beset the Maoist economy. Exam note: candidates will not be required to compare Japan's and China's transformations.