Comparative Practice 2005 WHAP/Napp
The Question:
2005 Comparative Essay from the World History AP
Compare and contrast the political and economic effects of Mongol rule on TWO of the following regions:
China
Middle East
Russia
The Basic Core Rubric:
1. Has an Acceptable Thesis. [1 Point]
2. Addresses all parts of the question, though not necessarily evenly or thoroughly.
[2 Points but Partial Credit May Be Given]
3. Substantiates thesis with appropriate historical evidence.
[2 Points but Partial Credit May Be Given]
4. Makes at least one relevant, direct comparison between/among societies. [1 Point]
5. Analyzes at least one reason for a similarity or difference identified in a direct comparison. [1 Point]
The Expanded Core Points:
· Expands beyond the basic core of 1 – 7 points
Questions:
1- What must an acceptable thesis for a Comparative essay contain? ______
2- What does it mean that all parts of the question must be addressed although not necessarily evenly or thoroughly? ______
3- What is historical evidence? ______
4- How many direct comparisons must the student make? ______
5- What must the student analyze? ______
6- How might a student “expand” beyond the basic core? ______
Pre-Writing Reading:
“The Mongols of the Golden Horde settled at (Old) Sarai, just north of where the Volga flows into the Caspian Sea. They ruled their Russian domains to the north and east from afar. To facilitate their control, they granted privileges to the Orthodox Church, which then helped reconcile the Russian people to their distant masters.
The Golden Horde enlisted Russian princes to act as their agents, primarily as tax collectors and census takers. Some had to visit the court of the Great Khans at Karakorum to secure the documents upon which their authority was based.
Alexander Nevskii (ca. 1220–1263), the prince of Novgorod, persuaded some fellow princes to submit to the Mongols. In return, the Mongols favored both Novgorod and the emerging town of Moscow, ruled by Alexander’s son Daniel.
Russia was deeply affected by the Mongol presence. Bubonic plague became endemic among rodents in the Crimea. Ukraine, a fertile and well-populated region in the late Kievan period (1000–1230), suffered severe population loss as Mongol armies passed through on campaigns against eastern Europe and raided villages to collect taxes.
Historians debate the Mongol impact on Russia. Some see the destructiveness of the Mongol conquests and the subsequent domination of the khans as isolating Russia and parts of eastern Europe from developments to the west. These historians refer to the ‘Mongol yoke’ and hypothesize a sluggish economy and dormant culture under the Mongols.
Others point out that Kiev declined economically well before the Mongols struck and that the Kievan princes had already ceased to mint coins. Moreover, the Russian territories regularly paid their heavy taxes in silver. The burdensome taxes stemmed less from the Mongols than from their tax collectors, Russian princes who often exempted their own lands and shifted the load to the peasants.
As for Russia’s cultural isolation, skeptics observe that before the Mongol invasion, the powerful and constructive role played by the Orthodox Church oriented Russia primarily toward Byzantium. This situation discouraged but did not eliminate contacts with western Europe, which probably would have become stronger after the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453 regardless of Mongol influence.
The traditional structure of local government survived Mongol rule – as did the Russian princely families – who continued to battle among themselves for dominance. The Mongols merely added a new player to those struggles. Ivan III, the prince of Moscow (r. 1462–1505), established himself as an autocratic ruler in the late 1400s. Before Ivan, the title tsar (from ‘caesar’) – of Byzantine origin – applied only to foreign rulers, whether the emperors of Byzantium or the Turkic khans of the steppe. Ivan’s use of the title, which began early in his reign, probably represents an effort to establish a basis for legitimate rule with the decline of the Golden Horde and disappearance of the Byzantine Empire.”
~ The Earth and Its Peoples
Political Effects of Mongol Rule on China: / Political Effects of Mongol Rule on the Middle East: / Political Effects of Mongol Rule on Russia:Economic Effects of Mongol Rule on China: / Economic Effects of Mongol Rule on the Middle East: / Economic Effects of Mongol Rule on Russia:
The Essay’s prompt:
Compare and contrast the political and economic effects of Mongol rule on TWO of the following regions:
China
Middle East
Russia
The Thesis Statement:
______
Write one body paragraph of the essay [Now, it is time to analyze the similarity or the difference – to explain how and why this similarity or difference occurred and how and why it impacted people in the empires]:
______
Checklist for the Essay:
· An acceptable thesis statements needs to be comparative, stating at least one specific similarity and at least one specific difference.
· Good essays do not include evidence that is outside the time period or any of the stipulated regions.
· Every paragraph must be comparative.
· A good response provides analysis and uses this analysis as an explanation of a reason for a similarity or difference
Rate Thesis Statement A:
“The Mongols had significant political and economic impact on both Russia and China during their rule, but China was affected more, being ruled directly by the Mongols, whereas Russia was largely left to its own devices under independent princedoms and felt Mongol influence largely via taxes.”
My Grade for this Thesis Statement: ______
Rate Thesis Statement B:
“The Mongols had a large impact on many countries in the western world. The Mongols had a long reign of power but were eventually brought down by technologically advanced weapons but not before their impressions upon China and Russia. The Mongols had an everlasting impact on China’s and Russia’s political and economic systems and are still seen in present times of each country.”
My Grade for this Thesis Statement: ______
1. A result of the Mongol invasion, Moscow(A) Was swallowed up in the growth of Novgorod, the only city to avoid conquest.
(B) Was moved 200 miles to the west.
(C) Allied itself with the Mongols and resolutely crushed Russian resistance movements to the Golden Horde.
(D) Only recovered from its sack and burning in the seventeenth century.
(E) Used its position as collector of tribute for the Mongols and the seat of Russian Orthodoxy to emerge as the political leader of Russia.
2. The Mongol conquests of much of Eurasia in the thirteenth century tended to encourage trade along the Silk Roads primarily by
(A) opening large new markets for both European and East Asian goods in Central Asia
(B) increasing the demand for military supplies needed by the Mongol armies that occupied various regions
(C) decreasing the risk of bandit attacks and reducing the number of local rulers collecting tribute from trade caravans
(D) discouraging seaborne trade along the Indian Ocean routes that competed with the Silk Roads / 3. The rise of the Mongol Empire contributed to all of the following EXCEPT
(A) The spread of Christianity
(B) An empire that extended across parts of Europe and Asia
(C) An unsuccessful attempt to conquer Japan
(D) The spread of the plague
(E) The growth of trade across Central Asia
4. Which of the following territories did the Mongols NOT conquer?
(A) Russia (C) Bulgaria
(B) Ukraine (D) France
5. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
(A) The Mongols destroyed the city of Kiev for resisting Mongol rule but elevated the city of Moscow when the princes of Moscow became willing collectors of tribute for the Mongols.
(B) The Mongols never conquered Japan due to kamikaze winds.
(C) The Mongols used the Chinese civil service examination and promoted Confucian scholars to high positions in government.
(D) A Mongol ruler converted to Islam in Persia.