288 i STEP 5 Build Your Test-Taking Confidence
Comments on Possible Solutions to the
Free Response Questions
Document-Based Question
A good answer may begin by dividing the documents into those written by citizens of impe-
rialist nations and those written by subject peoples. Among the opinions of inhabitants of
imperialist nations included in the documents are that imperialism and the improvements
it can bring are the duty of industrialized nations (Documents 1, 6). The changes brought
by imperialism are benefi cial to subject peoples (Documents 1, 4, 7). The force of national-
ism is present in some arguments favoring imperialism (Documents 3, 6). Trade between
colonizing powers and colonies is a benefi t necessary and appropriate to the welfare of colo-
nizing nations (Documents 3, 6). The notion that Western nations are superior and should
spread their superior cultures through colonization is another issue (Documents 2, 6).
The opinions of subject peoples may be further divided into those refl ecting advantages
and others speaking of disadvantages. Document 4 addresses both benefi ts and disadvan-
tages of British rule. Document 5 speaks of the willingness of the Basuto people to cooperate
with imperialists and how this cooperation was used against the Basuto. Document 8 echoes
the sentiment of Document 5 in protesting the loss of private property to imperialists.
Point of view is found in all eight documents. For example, representatives of imperial-
ist nations and trading companies have a vested interest in those institutions. Native leaders
of subject peoples are expected to protest loss of property to imperialist nations. Additional
documents that would broaden the interpretation of the subject include documents of com-
ments from the nonruling classes from both imperialist nations and subject peoples. Gov-
ernment statistics might also substantiate or refute claims that imperialism is benefi cial.Continuity and Change over Time Essay
A good response concerning sub-Saharan Africa may begin with a discussion of the
depopulation and demoralization brought to Africa by the Atlantic and Indian Ocean slave
trades. Some West African coastal states acquired great wealth through the slave trade.
The mid-nineteenth century saw the beginnings of European imperialism in sub-Saharan
Africa. With imperialists came Christian missionaries. Political boundaries were imposed
on the Africans, village life was destroyed as ethnic groups were broken up, and planta-
tion economies destroyed local agriculture. Africans served as support personnel and in
combat on behalf of their colonizing nations during World Wars I and II, hoping to gain
independence in return. Independence was gradually achieved after World War II. After
independence, colonial boundaries were largely maintained and economic prosperity was
elusive. Control of Africa’s resources often produced bitter disputes, and ethnic rivalries
and violence increased. In the twentieth century, trade declined, AIDS spread throughout
sub-Saharan Africa, and famine and civil war added to the devastation. By the end of the
twentieth century, the exportation of African art was capturing worldwide attention.
In 1750, the Middle East saw the steady decline of the Ottoman Empire. The empire’s
emphasis on the production of raw materials resulted in reliance on Western technology
and grants of extraterritoriality to westerners. Tanzimet reforms and the programs of
the Young Turks came too late to effect permanent change. Nationalist sentiment among
the empire’s various ethnic groups further weakened it politically. After World War II, the
empire was broken up and its territories organized as mandates.