Lawlessness - GCSE History Definition

Reviewed by: Zoe Wade

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What Does Lawlessness Mean?

In GCSE History, lawlessness is a lack of law and order in an area. The American West often has a reputation for lawlessness.

How Lawless was the American West?

In the early American West, lawlessness was common. New settlements were established incredibly quickly, making law enforcement nearly impossible. This is seen in the development of San Francisco in 1849 and the crime wave in the city in 1851. In addition, the development of the cattle industry also increased lawlessness through the creation of cow towns.

There are well-known cases of lawlessness in the American West including Billy the Kid and the Gunfight at the OK Corral. However, by the 1880s, lawlessness was not common in the American West. Even in the worst cow towns, incidents of murder were very rare. People began to give more support to federal law officials which improved law and order in most settlements.

Lawlessness Revision Resources to Ace Your Exams

Explore our revision notes for Edexcel GCSE and AQA GCSE to see where lawlessness fits into the revision notes for those specifications.

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Zoe Wade

Reviewer: Zoe Wade

Expertise: History Content Creator

Zoe has worked in education for 10 years as a teaching assistant and a teacher. This has given her an in-depth perspective on how to support all learners to achieve to the best of their ability. She has been the Lead of Key Stage 4 History, showing her expertise in the Edexcel GCSE syllabus and how best to revise. Ever since she was a child, Zoe has been passionate about history. She believes now, more than ever, the study of history is vital to explaining the ever-changing world around us. Zoe’s focus is to create accessible content that breaks down key historical concepts and themes to achieve GCSE success.

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