Authoritarian+States,+2015-16

IB Definition of Topic
The 20th century produced many authoritarian and single-party states. The origins, ideology, form of government, organization, nature and impact of these regimes should be studied.

Major themes
Origins and nature of authoritarian and single-party states
 * Conditions that produced single party states
 * Emergence of leaders: aims, ideology, support
 * Totalitarianism, the aim and the extent to which it was achieved

Establishments of authoritarian and single-party states
 * Methods: force, legal
 * Form of government, (left and right wing) ideology
 * Nature, extent and treatment of opposition

Domestic policies and impact
 * Structure and organization of government and administration
 * Political, economic, social and religious policies
 * Role of education, the arts, the media, propaganda
 * Status of women, treatment of minorities and religious groups

Material for detailed study
Here is the complete list from the IB. I have colored single party states for which WFS students were NOT prepared in red. I have also added, in blue, two leaders which, not being on the IB's list, will NOT be specifically asked about in an exam question, but which YOU can choose to write about in response to a general question (one that does not ask specifically for other leaders by name or country). Notice that the two "official" cases that remain (HItler and Mao) allow students to have a case to use in response to the typical constraints placed on exam questions (compare two authoritarian leaders from different regions, compare one leader from the "right" and one from the "left", etc.)
 * Africa: Tanzania (Julius Nyerere), Kenya (Kenyatta),
 * Americas: Argentina (Juan Peron), Cuba (Fidel Castro),
 * Asia and Oceania: China (Mao Zedong), Indonesia (Sukarno)
 * Europe and the Middle East: Egypt (Gamal Abdel Nasser), Germany (Adolf Hitler), USSR (Josef Stalin), USSR (Vladimir Lenin), Italy (Benito Mussolini)

Essay Questions from Past IB Exams
2012

13. With reference to the leaders of two single-party states, each chosen from a different region, analyse to what extent internal conflict and weak governments contributed to their rise to power. > 14. Analyse the ways in which either Stalin or Nasser came to power. > 15. Assess the importance of the use of force for the establishment of totalitarian control. > 16. Assess the importance of the cult of personality in the maintenance of power of one of the following: Mao; Castro; Perón. > 17. Compare and contrast the treatment of religious groups in two single-party states, each chosen from a different region. > 18. Assess the success of either Hitler or Nyerere in implementing their social and economic policies.
 * Examiners: This was a very popular question with most candidates choosing Mao and Hitler as examples of leaders from two different regions. A few chose Castro, rather than Mao, although these responses, on the whole, were not as good with candidates being less knowledgeable about the former. There was a requirement to address both “weak government” and “internal conflict” as factors that led to the rise of the leaders and most candidates selected relevant detail to support arguments. For the most part, responses were quite well structured.
 * Examiners: This was another very popular question with most candidates choosing Stalin and demonstrating good knowledge of the events of 1924 -29. Indeed, for the most part, candidates fell into a narrative mode here and began with the failure of Stalin to inform Trotsky about the date of the funeral and continued through the defeat of the “Right Deviationists”. Better responses included some analysis of the context of the USSR in the 1920s, linking the adoption of new policies by Stalin to changing economic circumstances. Only a few candidates chose Nasser and these responses, on the whole, were not supported with good, accurate detail.
 * Examiners: There was confusion among candidates who attempted this question, with many reading “establishment” to mean “rise to power”, rather than the expansion of control by a leader attempting to garner more authority over every aspect of the state. Examiners were, therefore, instructed to credit answers that focused upon aspiring leaders as well as those in power. There was no limit placed upon the number of examples chosen and, whereas some candidates focused upon one state or leader, others chose two or more. Few candidates attempted to define “totalitarian control” and responses suggested that the majority saw it as a synonym for “single party state”. The term “totalitarian” is included in the History Guide and so candidates ought to be familiar with its implications. For the most part, candidates did address “force” and better answers estimated its importance, alongside other factors such as propaganda, education, populist policies and so on.
 * Examiners: Few responses were seen to this question with most candidates choosing Mao. Some good answers linked the cult of personality to the loss of power by Mao after the failure of the Great Leap Forward and the attempt to recover this by way of the Cultural Revolution. It is noteworthy that candidates appear to be rather less knowledgeable about Mao than when he was featured in the Prescribed Subject options for Paper 1.
 * Examiners: Very few responses were seen to this question.
 * Examiners: Overwhelmingly, it was Hitler‟s implementation of social and economic policies that was chosen by candidates. Almost all answers reflected some knowledge of his policies but good, analytical, and well supported, answers were a rarity. Detailed knowledge of the New Plan or the Four Year Plan, for example, was not so much in evidence. Similarly, social policies were often lumped together with Anti-Semitism along with rather general comments on the employment of women and the Hitler Youth. It was interesting to note that candidates were far more likely to choose Q. 13 in order to write about Hitler than this, relatively straightforward, opportunity to assess the success of his policies.

2011

13. Compare and contrast the methods used in the rise to power of two right-wing leaders of single-party states. > 14. Analyse the domestic policies by which either Mao or Nyerere attempted to solve the problems that they faced when they rose to power. > 15. “Strong economic policies are the key reason for a single-party state leader maintaining power.” With reference to either Hitler or Castro, to what extent do you agree with this statement? > There were some excellent answers that discussed economic policies with some authority before going on to address other factors but too many answers hastily dismissed economic policies and proceeded to discuss terror and propaganda. > 16. “Totalitarianism has had a significant impact on the lives of ordinary people.” With reference to one right-wing regime, evaluate the validity of this statement. > 17. To what extent did the policies of two rulers of single-party states, each chosen from a different region, affect the arts?
 * Examiners: This was a popular question and, for the most part, handled quite well by candidates using Hitler and Mussolini as examples of right wing leaders. Some also attempted Franco or Perón. There was a clear understanding of the demands of the question and many candidates had good knowledge of the rise to power of both leaders chosen.
 * Examiners: Mao was by far the most popular choice for this question and, although it was feared there might be some confusion among candidates as to whether or not they should discuss events prior to 1949, most understood the demands quite well and discussed problems that Mao faced when he came to power and attempted some discussion of policies such as land reform, the 3 and 5 antis, the Hundred Flowers Campaign and the Great Leap Forward. It was encouraging to see so many answers use terminology from the question and referring to “problems”, “policies” and “success” (or failure) in their response. The best answers demonstrated good knowledge and a strong chronological context.
 * Examiners: This was a very popular question with most candidates discussing Hitler, although a fair number chose Castro. It was very pleasing to see better knowledge demonstrated of Castro’s policies with very few candidates ending abruptly after the Cuban Missile Crisis, as had so often been the case in the past. Most candidates were able to discuss his economic policies with some use of supporting evidence and to attempt an evaluation of “to what extent” by referring to propaganda, a cult of personality and terror as other mechanisms for staying in power. Rather surprisingly, candidates who chose to answer on Hitler did not, for the most part, know a great deal about his economic policies. Too often, there were rather vague references to unemployment and rearmament and, only rarely, a good understanding demonstrated of the New Plan and the Four Year Plan and their success/failure.
 * Examiners: Hitler was by far the most popular choice of a right wing leader for this question and most candidates did attempt a definition of totalitarianism before discussing the impact it had on the lives of ordinary people. Answers ranged from a discussion of the role of women to the persecution of the German Jews and most candidates demonstrated some understanding of the demands of the question, although weaker answers lost focus and resorted to a description of life in Nazi Germany.

18. Evaluate the effects of the policies of two rulers of single-party states, each chosen from a different region, on the role and status of women.
 * Examiners: Neither of these questions was answered particularly well with candidates making rather sweeping, mostly unsupported, generalisations. The exceptions were some answers to Question 18, where candidates had good knowledge of the policies of leaders such as Hitler and Mao and how these affected women.

2010

13. Analyse the conditions that enabled one left-wing leader to become the ruler of a single-party state. 14. Discuss (a) the ideology of, and (b) the support for, one right-wing ruler of a single-party state. > Candidates need to read the question carefully: Question 13 focused on rise, Question 14 focused (in part (b) on rule. Too many candidates failed to answer relevantly. Having said that, these questions did provide some very polished responses and accurate historical knowledge but the failure to identify the demands and focus of the question sufficiently led to narratives or responses which were only partially addressing the question. 15. Compare and contrast the domestic policies of two of the following: Castro; Kenyatta; Stalin. > 16. Evaluate the methods used by either Perón or Nasser to maintain power. > 17. Examine the role of education in one single-party or authoritarian state. > 18. In what ways, and to what extent, was propaganda important in the rise and rule of Hitler?
 * Examiners: Both revealed that the terms left- and right wing were not clearly understood by candidates in some cases. The Guide states quite clearly that these need to be examined and candidates need to be aware of the differences in ideology which allow for such categorization. Where leaders or aspiring leaders do not fall into the categories easily, the opportunity for candidates to discuss this problem of definition was available. Few, if any, took such an opportunity.
 * „Ideology‟ in Q.14, needed to be defined and the main characteristics identified at the outset. There was more to National Socialism for example than anti-Semitism and the Holocaust.
 * Examiners: A relatively few responses here- and Stalin and Castro were the examples chosen. Answers tended to consist of end-on/sequential narratives of some aspects of domestic policies with a concluding paragraph which attempted to point out similarities and differences. Thematic, structured answers fared, on the whole, better.
 * Examiners: Peron was quite effectively done by candidates though once more there was often too much about Eva Peron rather than the policies/methods of Peron himself.
 * Examiners: While there was a general idea of the role of education in the single-party or authoritarian state, there needed to be much more detail as to the structure of the system in order to effectively answer the question. Indoctrination was an obvious point but the provision of education as a means of fostering the economic growth of the state was overlooked in the examples chosen. (Hitler‟s Germany, Stalin‟s USSR and Mao‟s China were the most popular choices)
 * Examiners: This question proved quite popular and though detail about propaganda pre-and post rise to power of Hitler was present, the „to what extent‟ invitation was not always dealt with. „Other factors‟ tended to be conspicuous by their absence.

2009

11. Analyse the methods used by either Castro or Peron to obtain power. 12. “The aims and policies of single-party state rulers rarely followed their declared ideology.” To what extent do you agree with this assertion? 13. Evaluate the domestic policies of either Hitler or Nasser. 14. For what reasons, and with what success, did rulers of single-party states use foreign policy to maintain their power? At least two rulers should be considered. 15. In what ways did two rulers of single-party states, each chosen from a different region, (a) use, and (b) misuse, the arts and education?

From ActiveHistory (Russel J. Tarr)

 * A worksheet to help you process the above lists of questions, and to focus you on the key issues you need to learn:
 * [[file:Rise of Single-Pty–Chart.doc]]
 * Excellent review materials on Topic 3, "Single Party States", are found at the middle of [|this page]
 * Analytical charts
 * Comparing communism and fascism
 * [[file:Marxism-Fascism (Mussol.) Comparison.doc]]
 * Lenin v. Mao chart
 * [[file:Lenin v. Mao chart.pdf]]
 * The rise of Mao-Summary chart
 * [[file:Rise of Mao-Summary Chart–RJT.pdf]]
 * Model essays
 * How successful were Mussolini's domestic policies
 * [[file:How successful Mussolini-RJT-Model essay.pdf]]
 * Why Mao emerged as leader of China
 * [[file:Why Mao emerged as leader of China-RJT.pdf]]
 * A variety of [|interactive quizzes, activities and videos]

From Shannon Leggett
Some useful analytical charts
 * This one compares all the dictators we have studied along multiple dimensions:
 * [[file:20C Dictators Grid.doc]]

From me
>>> [] >>> [] >>> [] >>> []
 * Blank analytical charts, with a common format for understanding and comparing the rise of authoritarian leaders and the development of single party states across their phases of development (long-term, short-term, and immediate, or some variant) and one's level of analysis (cultural, political, socio-economic, etc.). I include both PDF and Excel formats, in case some of you want to paste notes directly onto the Excel columns.
 * The rise of Hitler
 * The rise of Mao
 * The rise of Lenin
 * The rise of Mussolini
 * My own Quia quizzes on related topics.
 * The rise of Hitler
 * [[image:http://www.quia.com/img/web/instructor-zone/icon-hidden.gif width="13" height="13" align="absmiddle" link="http://www.quia.com/servlets/quia.web.QuiaWebManager?tagModuleType=11800&rand=9283679&tagProfileActionFromList=VISIBLE_TO_ALL&tagSpecifiedTab=6&tagSpecifiedSubMenuTab=1&tagActivityId=12972367"]] **20C Quiz U4-F: Weimar Germany**
 * []
 * [[image:http://www.quia.com/img/web/instructor-zone/icon-hidden.gif width="13" height="13" align="absmiddle" link="http://www.quia.com/servlets/quia.web.QuiaWebManager?tagModuleType=11800&rand=9263889&tagProfileActionFromList=VISIBLE_TO_ALL&tagSpecifiedTab=6&tagSpecifiedSubMenuTab=1&tagActivityId=12981030"]] **20C Quiz U4-H: The Rise of Hitler**
 * The rise of Mao
 * **20C Quiz U7-02 Manchu China**
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 * **20C Quiz U7-03 Republican China**
 * [[image:http://www.quia.com/img/web/instructor-zone/icon-hidden.gif width="21" height="21" align="absmiddle" link="http://www.quia.com/servlets/quia.web.QuiaWebManager?tagModuleType=11800&rand=1819260&tagProfileActionFromList=VISIBLE_TO_ALL&tagSpecifiedTab=6&tagSpecifiedSubMenuTab=1&tagActivityId=13426754"]]**20C Quiz U7-04 Communist China**
 * The rise of Lenin
 * **HEM Quiz U3-10: Tsarist Russia**
 * []
 * **HEM Quiz U3-10: The Early Soviet Years**
 * []
 * The rise of Mussolini
 * [[image:http://www.quia.com/img/web/instructor-zone/icon-hidden.gif width="13" height="13" align="absmiddle" link="http://www.quia.com/servlets/quia.web.QuiaWebManager?tagModuleType=11800&rand=9814619&tagProfileActionFromList=VISIBLE_TO_ALL&tagSpecifiedTab=6&tagSpecifiedSubMenuTab=1&tagActivityId=12947324"]]**20C Quiz U4-B: The Rise of Mussolini**
 * []
 * [[image:http://www.quia.com/img/web/instructor-zone/icon-hidden.gif width="13" height="13" align="absmiddle" link="http://www.quia.com/servlets/quia.web.QuiaWebManager?tagModuleType=11800&rand=4026875&tagProfileActionFromList=VISIBLE_TO_ALL&tagSpecifiedTab=6&tagSpecifiedSubMenuTab=1&tagActivityId=12958827"]]**20C Quiz U4-C: Mussolini's Domestic Policies**