| Date | November 2016 | Marks available | 20 | Reference code | 16N.3op2.HL.TZ0.2 |
| Level | Higher level only | Paper | Paper 3 (History of the Americas) | Time zone | TZ0 |
| Command term | Compare and contrast | Question number | 2 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
Compare and contrast the independence movements in two countries in Latin America.
Markscheme
Candidates are required to demonstrate a clear understanding of the similarities and differences of independence movements in two countries of Latin America. Focus areas may include the causes, leadership, goals, social classes involved, course of the movement, impact of foreign involvement, and outcomes. How these are deployed will depend upon the countries chosen.
Indicative content
- Causes could be the impact of the American and French Revolution, impact of the Bourbon Reforms and Enlightenment, removal of Ferdinand VII, and the dissatisfaction experienced by Creoles.
- Leadership could include the role played by Creoles, mestizos and native peoples; the ideological and military contributions of individual leaders such as Bolivar for much of northern South America, San Martin for southern South America, L’Overture and Dessalines for Haiti, Hidalgo, Morelos, and then Iturbide in Mexico and Dom Pedro in Brazil.
- Goals would certainly be independence, but after that there were many dissimilar goals regarding the type of government, the abolition of slavery and/or the power of the Catholic Church.
- A discussion of social class could identify the importance of elites in some countries and, in others, the significance of the lower classes.
- References to the course of the movement may discuss the time it took to achieve independence and/or the methods used to achieve it.
- In some cases, foreign involvement can be deemed to have been significant. Particular countries that may be referred to include the United Kingdom, France and/or Spain and the extent to which they hindered or helped independence.
- Outcomes relate back to goals and could deal with independence itself, the types of governments established and any reforms that may have been instituted.
The above material is an indication of what candidates may elect to write about in their responses. However, the list is not exhaustive and no set answer is required.
Examiners are reminded of the need to apply the markbands that provide the “best fit” to the responses given by candidates and to award credit wherever it is possible to do so.
[20 marks]
