| Date | May 2022 | Marks available | 4 | Reference code | 22M.1.BP.TZ0.14 |
| Level | Both SL and HL | Paper | Paper 1 - first exams 2017 | Time zone | TZ0 |
| Command term | Analyse | Question number | 14 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
Source O Kenneth S Broun, a professor of Law, describing the Rivonia Trial 1963–1964 in his book Saving Nelson Mandela: The Rivonia Trial and the Fate of South Africa (2012).
Mandela’s defence lawyer announced: “The defence case will commence with a statement by Nelson Mandela who personally took part in the establishment of the MK, and who will be able to inform the court of the beginnings of that organisation.” … A few minutes after beginning his speech, Mandela made an admission [to the court] sufficient to condemn him to death: “Some of the things so far told to the court are true and some are untrue. I do not, however, deny that I planned sabotage”. However, he argued, planning for it was “a result of calm and sober assessment of the political situation that had arisen after many years of tyranny, exploitation, and oppression of my people by the Whites” … [Mandela stated that] from its formation in 1912, the ANC had wanted political relief from the oppression of black people in South Africa until 1961. The government rejected all of its attempts … “It was only when all else had failed, when all channels of peaceful protest had been barred [blocked] to us, that the decision was made to embark on violent forms of political struggle, and to form the MK.”
[Source: Kenneth S. Broun Saving Nelson Mandela The Rivonia Trial and the Fate of South Africa Copyright
© 2012 by Kenneth S. Broun. Reproduced with permission of the Licensor through PLSclear.]
With reference to its origin, purpose and content, analyse the value and limitations of Source O for an historian studying Nelson Mandela’s role in the struggle against apartheid.
Markscheme
Value:
- Published nearly 50 years later, this source has the advantage of hindsight.
- It provides an expert legal account of the Rivonia Trial.
- The source quotes Mandela’s reasons for adopting violent methods.
Limitations:
- As it was written by a law professor, it only offers a legal approach to the trial and struggle.
- The book’s title suggests that it will be a sympathetic account of Mandela’s role.
- The source is focused only on Mandela’s trial.
The focus of the question is on the value and limitations of the source. If only value or limitations are discussed, award a maximum of [2]. Origin, purpose and content should be used as supporting evidence to make relevant comments on the value and limitations. For [4] there must be at least one reference to each of them in either the value or the limitations.
Examiners report
In general, candidates seem to be better prepared for this question and most attempted to address the value and limitation of the source from its origin, purpose and content. Nevertheless, there remains a proportion of candidates that focus primarily on the content of the source at the expense of the provenance and purpose. In addition, a significant minority continue to begin their response with lengthy descriptions of origin, purpose and content before evaluating these elements, which wastes valuable examination time. Quite often candidates would not refer to what the question was asking, but would just make very general comments. As per previous sessions, some candidates did not refer to one of the elements in their response — for example, no reference to purpose or to content. Candidates should be aware that they need to make valid comments on the value and limitations of the source drawn from its origin, purpose and content.
