| Date | May 2021 | Marks available | 9 | Reference code | 21M.1.BP.TZ0.8 |
| Level | Both SL and HL | Paper | Paper 1 - first exams 2017 | Time zone | TZ0 |
| Command term | To what extent | Question number | 8 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
Source E R. Hassig, an American anthropologist specializing in Aztec history, writing in the academic book Mexico and the Spanish Conquest (2006).
Spain’s expansion was part of a general European pattern that emerged after the economic and social crisis following the massive depopulation in the fourteenth century. But Europe also felt threatened by Muslims to the south and Ottoman Turks to the east, and much of its expansion—made possible by naval technological advances—was dictated ideologically and guided geographically by these concerns. Along with other Europeans, Spaniards ventured into foreign lands, driven by the zealotry [fanaticism] of the Church but also encouraged by the lure [appeal] of greater trade, new territory, and subject [conquered] population. Thus, when Spaniards moved into the Americas, they brought with them the powerful legacy of their expansionary experience, which was to influence their relations with the Indians. The men who reached Mexico had already participated in the earliest Spanish exploration of what was to them the New World, and they built on their experiences of conquering and colonizing Arab Spain and the Canary Islands. Spanish expansion beyond Iberia was primarily economic in motivation …
Religious justifications marked much of the expansion into Mexico, as it had the Reconquista. The Spaniards used essentially the same ideology in the conquest of native populations as they had against the Muslims during the Reconquista. The conquest of Mexico, however, was primarily a political and military affair.
[Source: Republished with permission of UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA PRESS, from Mexico and the Spanish Conquest, Ross Hassig, 2006; permission conveyed through Copyright Clearance Center, Inc.]
Source F Diego Rivera, a Mexican artist, depicts the historical scene titled The arrival of Cortés (Palacio Nacional de México, 1951).
[Source: Rivera, D., 1951. The arrival of Cortés. Images & Stories / Alamy Stock Photo.]
Source H Bartolomé de las Casas, a Spanish friar appointed in America as “Protector of the Indians”, writing in a chronicle sent to prince Philip II of Spain, An Account, Much Abbreviated, of the Destruction of the Indies (1542).
The cause for which the Christians have slain [killed] and destroyed so many and such infinite numbers of souls, has been simply to get, as their ultimate end [main goal], the Indians’ gold. To stuff themselves with riches in a very few days and to raise themselves to high estates [status] without proportion to [regardless of] their birth or breeding, owing to the greed and ambition that they have had, which has been greater than any the world has ever seen before … All the Indians of all the Indies never once did aught [any] hurt or wrong to Christians, but rather held them to be descended from heaven, from the sky, until many times they or their neighbours received from the Christians many acts of wrongful harm, theft, murder and violence.
[Source: Adapted from An Account, Much Abbreviated, of the Destruction of the Indies, with Related Texts, ed. Franklin W. Knight, & tr. Andrew Hurley, published by Hackett Publishing Company. Copyright © 2003.]
“Spanish expansion beyond Iberia was primarily economic in motivation” (Source E). Using the sources and your own knowledge, to what extent do you agree with this statement?
Markscheme
Apply the markbands that provide the “best fit” to the responses given by candidates and award credit wherever it is possible to do so. The following material is an indication of what candidates may elect to write about in their responses. It is neither prescriptive nor exhaustive and no set answer is required. While it is expected that there will be coverage of at least two of the sources, candidates are not required to refer to all four sources in their responses.
Indicative content
Source E The source claims that even if there was a range of motives, the expansion was primarily caused by economic factors.
Source F The source depicts the conquerors enriching themselves by using the workforce of the indigenous communities and taking their property.
Source H The source claims that conquerors were moved by greed and their ambition was to take the gold from the natives and raise themselves to high positions. It also denounces the crimes committed against the natives.
Own knowledge Candidates may support the statement by considering the expansion of the bourgeoisie and its trade activities, the demand for products such as spices, cotton, silk, gemstones and medicinal plants, and the blocking of established routes by the Ottomans that forced the Europeans merchants to find new routes. Candidates may offer further detail on the opportunities for social promotion that came with the acquisition of land. They may refer to the European demands for precious metals. Candidates may challenge the statement by referring to scientific developments and improvements in navigation techniques that promoted exploration. They can also consider the political rivalry between Portugal and Spain that led both crowns to expand their dominions. They could offer further detail on the role played by the Church in its quest to expand its influence.
Examiners report
It was again pleasing to find that the majority of candidates offered a response with some development for the fourth question. There was also continuity with previous sessions in that most responses were focused on the set question and had some reference to the sources to develop and support the analysis. For example, for Q12 many candidates effectively used the sources to argue that ideology played a key role and also evaluated other factors at play in influencing the foreign policies of Italy and Germany. For Q16 candidates also developed coherent arguments evaluating the effectiveness of non-violence in the African American struggle for civil rights. Nevertheless, as suggested earlier in this report, there were a sizeable proportion of candidates that seemed to have allowed too little time to develop an extended response. There were also a number of responses that lacked focus on the question, for example for Q12 rather than focusing on foreign policy, a few candidates discussed the influence of ideology on domestic policies. As with previous sessions, some responses tended to list the content of the sources without engaging with an analysis of the question. Many candidates did not synthesize knowledge of the case study into their response whereas a small minority wrote entirely from their own knowledge and did not refer to the sources.
