| Date | November 2021 | Marks available | 9 | Reference code | 21N.1.BP.TZ0.4 |
| Level | Both SL and HL | Paper | Paper 1 - first exams 2017 | Time zone | TZ0 |
| Command term | To what extent | Question number | 4 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
Source A Paul Lococo Jr, an historian specializing in Chinese military history, writing in the academic book Genghis Khan: History’s Greatest Empire Builder (2008).
As we have seen already, alliances on the steppes were almost always fragile, as leaders wanted to gain benefits for themselves and their clans, as well as protection from other Mongol alliances. Over the years, Chinggis [Genghis Khan] demonstrated military and political skill, and he also acquired a reputation as a fair judge. His image was greatly enhanced through the use of shamans [spiritual leaders] who spread tales of omens favourable to Chinggis. The tribes often conducted successful raids, and Chinggis changed the way in which the rewards of the raids were divided. Traditionally, the various tribe and clan leaders divided the goods they had taken. Chinggis required that all plunder be placed in a common pile, and he then distributed it between the leaders, who in turn rewarded their followers. In this way, Chinggis not only created a better means of dividing the rewards of war, but he also emphasized his own supreme leadership. All rewards were granted by Chinggis, thus reinforcing his role as leader and his direct connection with the common Mongol soldier.
[Source: Adapted from Genghis Khan: History’s Greatest Empire Builder by Paul Lococo, Jr, by permission of the
University of Nebraska Press. Copyright 2008 by Paul Lococo, Jr. Published by Potomac Books, Inc.]
Source B George Lane, a professor of the history of the Middle East and Central Asia, writing in the academic book Genghis Khan and Mongol Rule (2004).
As head of the tribe, the chief was concerned mainly with the allocation of pastures, the planning of migration times and routes, and decisive leadership. The shaman and the other nobles, effectively a tribal council, both confirmed and provided limits to the chief’s authority. The tribe operated on two administrative levels. At the higher level was the tribal chief, who had direct control over the tribal nobles. At the lower level, these individual nobles controlled their own followers. It was sometimes in the tribe’s interest to form alliances or to seek the protection of a stronger tribe …
As a chief, Chinggis Khan built his power base and his tribal empire through battle, and with each victory he added more men to his army and more people to his following. However, those independent-minded tribal chiefs remained with him not from fear but from choice. Chinggis Khan offered his followers rewards and plenty of plunder. The tribes responded to his call and surrendered their independence because they believed that they would gain and prosper in his service. If he had not delivered, his support would have soon dissolved. Both his authority and the tribes’ continued support depended on his victories and political and military success. The charisma of the leader was crucial.
[Source: Lane, G., 2004. Genghis Khan and Mongol Rule. Indianapolis and Cambridge: Hackett, pp. 5–6. Adapted.]
Source C Marco Polo, an Italian merchant and explorer, recounting his travels to Asia between 1271–1295 in the 13th-century work The Description of the World.
In the year 1187, the Mongols made a king called Chinggis Khan. He was a man of great bravery, great intelligence, and great ability. This Chinggis Khan held the lordship nobly and well. Such a multitude of Mongols came to him; and when Chinggis Khan saw that he had so many people, he equipped them with bows and armor and went conquering through those other lands. They conquered eight provinces but did them no harm, nor did he strip them of their things. But he took them with him to conquer other peoples. In this way, he conquered this great multitude of peoples, as you have heard. When these peoples saw this lord’s good lordship and great nobility, they went with him quite willingly. When Chinggis Khan had amassed such a great multitude of people, he said that he wanted to conquer a great part of the world.
[Source: Polo, M., 2016. The Description of the World. Translated by S. Kinoshita. Indianapolis and Cambridge:
Hackett, p. 52. Adapted.]
Source D
A map depicting the military campaigns of Genghis Khan.
[Source: Bkkbrad, 2019. Map of the Campaigns of Genghis Khan. [image online] Available at: https://www.ancient.eu/image/11221/map-of-the-campaigns-of-genghis-khan/ Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ [Accessed 11 December 2020]. Adapted.]
“Chinggis [Genghis] Khan built his power base and his tribal empire through battle” (Source B). Using the sources and your own knowledge, to what extent do you agree with this statement?
[Source: Lane, G., 2004. Genghis Khan and Mongol Rule. Indianapolis and Cambridge: Hackett, pp. 5–6. Adapted.]
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 A Genghis Khan’s military skill reinforced his reputation as a leader within the tribes. However, by changing the way plunder was distributed, Genghis Khan was further able to reinforce his leadership and created a direct connection with the Mongol soldiers. His power base was also boosted through the use of shamans.
Source B Genghis Khan’s military success allowed him to increase the number of troops and followers. However, his followers only remained loyal as long as Genghis was able to continue rewarding them with benefits. His charisma and the confirmation of his authority by shamans and nobles were also necessary elements.
Source C Genghis Khan was responsible for arming his people and leading them to conquer new lands. Each conquest provided new resources to continue the expansion. Together with his lordship and nobility, the fact that Genghis did not cause great harm to conquered lands persuaded many people to willingly submit to his leadership.
Source D The map clearly depicts the contribution of military campaigns to expanding his empire.
Own knowledge Candidates may refer to Genghis Khan’s campaigns to unite the tribes against the Xi Xia kingdom of north-western China and the Khwarezm Empire as examples of battles that allowed him to build the Mongol Empire. Candidates may give further details about his effective military tactics such as his preference to fight with a large reserve of cavalrymen and his deployment of the strategy of false withdrawal. Candidates may argue that other factors such as the abolition of inherited aristocratic titles allowed Genghis to reinforce his leadership and to build a successful empire. Candidates may also refer to the significance of religious tolerance; the prohibition of selling and kidnapping women and the enslavement of any Mongol; the application of serious punishments for robbery; and the adoption of a writing system and census in the building of his power base.
Examiners report
Most scripts showed an awareness of the need to give a focused response and refer to / use the sources to analyse the question. Many responses also had a degree of development. Often candidates were able to use the sources to offer an assessment of, for example, why Germany attacked Poland in September 1939 for Question 12, or to discuss the contribution of the Civil Rights and the Voting Act in ensuring that African Americans could exercise their right to vote for Question 16. Furthermore, there was some improvement in the number of candidates effectively applying and synthesizing their knowledge in conjunction with a focused use of the sources.
However, some responses were limited by a wholly descriptive approach and some lacked clear and consistent focus on the set question. A number of responses referred to the source/s but did not effectively use the content to develop or support the analysis. In addition, a number of responses lacked the inclusion of relevant knowledge, and a sizeable minority of candidates did not respond at all to the final question or gave a very limited response.
