“The political organization of colonial states was mainly influenced by the relationship between the state and religion.” Discuss with reference to two states.

Candidates will offer a considered and balanced review of the hypothesis that the political organization of colonial states was influenced mainly by the relationship between the state and religion—be that a local religion, one introduced by the metropole or a range of religions present in the chosen states. “Colonial states” refers to those states that were ruled by representatives of the metropole and while the focus of the response must be within the timeframe of this topic, the two states chosen need not be contemporaneous with each other and they may or may not be chosen from the same region. Similarly, the religion(s) of the chosen colonial states may be the same or different. Each colonial state may be considered separately or a thematic approach may be used if the candidates choose to compare the ways in which the relationship was similar or different.