“Strong leadership was essential to the success of independence movements.” Discuss with reference to two independence movements, each from a different region.

Candidates will offer a considered and balanced review of the validity of the hypothesis that strong leadership was essential to the success of two independence movements. While the focus of the response must be within the timeframe of this topic, the two independence movements chosen need not have occurred at the same time. However, they must be chosen from different regions. Strong leadership may be defined by the candidates as comprising one or more individuals. There must be a discussion of the role of leadership in the independence movement, although candidates may argue that is was or was not essential to success. Additionally, other factors that may be identified, such as economic and social conditions, the growth of nationalism and/or political movements, should be linked to the success of the movements. Each independence movement may be considered separately or a thematic approach adopted to compare the importance of strong leadership and how it affected each movement.