Evaluate the reasons for the rise of the Ghana Empire.

Discuss the social impact of slavery on the New World.

Candidates will make an appraisal of the reasons for the rise of the Ghana Empire, weighing up their importance. Candidates may refer to internal and external reasons that contributed to the rise of the Ghana Empire and/or they may categorize these into long- and short-term causes. Additionally or alternatively, candidates may consider the social, political and/or economic reasons for its rise. Factors identified may include the strong, centralised administrative structure of the empire and the personal wealth of the king, the strategic location of the empire along the trade routes for gold, salt and ivory and taxation of commodities which led to the collection of vast revenues, the possession of fertile agricultural lands, military strength and conquest, and the requirement of vassal states to pay annual tribute. Candidates may reach a conclusion about the relative importance of the different factors which they identify.

Candidates will offer a considered and balanced review of the social impact of slavery in the New World under one or more colonial power(s) during, although not necessarily spanning, the period of 1500 to 1800. The most likely choices may be the Spanish and British colonies, but allow any other relevant examples, such as the French and Portuguese colonies. Social effects may include concepts of racial classification which differed greatly between colonial regions, policies in respect to racial assimilation, the birth of Afro-American cultures determined by regional slave-trade from Africa, social stratification resulting from the division of labour on larger plantations, decimation of slave and indigenous populations due to overcrowding and primitive sanitation and aspects of racial prejudice and conflict resulting from the racial classification system.