AP WORLD HISTORY: MODERN Test Booklet

8.1-8.5 Practice APMC

“It was my privilege to attend the All African People’s Conference held in Ghana. The conference was significant because
it brought together the most representative gathering of African leaders ever assembled. There were about 300 delegates
representing some 65 organizations coming from 28 African countries. Of the nine independent African countries only
one, Sudan, was not represented.

The nationalist organizations were represented by their top leadership. Therefore, whether the colonial powers like it or
not, the decisions of the conference must be taken with some seriousness. The conference announced clearly that African
freedom and independence are a necessity, and that the struggle to achieve independence would continue. The
conference’s declaration on colonialism and imperialism significantly called upon ‘the independent African states to
render maximum assistance by every means possible to the dependent peoples in their struggle.’ The final decision of the
conference was to commend nonviolent methods but also to endorse other methods if they are deemed necessary.

Presently, there is negligible Russian influence in Africa. Nevertheless, this influence will grow unless the problem of
racism in the multi-racial areas of Africa is solved. It is my opinion that American influence will decline steadily unless
the United States is much more vocal in its support of responsible movements for independence in Africa. The United
States does not need to be as cautious as it currently is.”

George M. Houser, president of the American Committee on Africa, a nongovernmental organization founded to support nonviolent African
independence movements, report about the All African People’s Conference held in Ghana, 1958

1. The conference as described in the first and second paragraphs is best explained in the context of which of the
following developments in the aftermath of the Second World War?
(A) The development of regional free-trade agreements
(B) The intensification of ethnic rivalries in Africa
(C) The spread of industrial methods of production
(D) The dissolution of European empires

2. The conference’s decision to “endorse other methods,” as mentioned in the second paragraph, is best explained in
the context of which of the following?
The growth of the international arms trade provided armed groups in Africa with military superiority over
(A)
European powers.
Many African colonies had failed to obtain the greater self-governance promised after the First World War
(B)
and doubted that European powers would fulfill similar promises after the Second World War.
Many African societies had been strongly influenced by European methods of administration, economic and
(C)
political philosophy, and culture.
The Non-Aligned Movement was attractive to many African societies that opposed both European policies in
(D)
Africa and the development of a bipolar global order.

3. The author’s opinion in the third paragraph regarding the caution that the United States was employing in
supporting African independence movements is most directly explained in the context of which of the following
developments in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War?
(A) The United States had vastly more economic and military power than its European allies.
(B) The United States and the Soviet Union preferred to engage in proxy wars rather than in direct conflict.
The United States used its influence in international organizations to rally support for its policies in Third
(C)
World nations.
(D) The United States used its intelligence agencies to overthrow regimes in Third World nations.

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“The Soviet structure of power is committed to the perfection of the dictatorship and to maintaining the concept that
Russia is in a state of siege, with an enemy that lies just beyond the walls. This mentality has profound implications for
Russia’s international conduct. Moscow assumes that the aims of the capitalist world are antagonistic to the Soviet
regime. However, the Kremlin is under no compulsion to accomplish its goal of spreading its influence in a hurry. If it
finds unassailable barriers in its path, it accepts them and accommodates itself to them. There is no trace of any feeling in
Soviet psychology that that goal must be reached at any given time.

In these circumstances it is clear that the main element of any United States policy toward the Soviet Union must be that
of patient and vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies. Soviet economic development, while it can list
certain formidable achievements, has been precariously spotty and uneven. It is difficult to see how the deficiencies of the
Soviet economic system can be corrected by a tired and dispirited population working largely under the shadow of fear
and compulsion. And as long as they are not overcome, Russia will remain an economically vulnerable and impotent
nation, capable of exporting its ideological enthusiasm but unable to export real evidence of material power and
prosperity. Indeed, it is the strong belief of this writer that Soviet power bears within it the seeds of its own decay, and
that the sprouting of these seeds is well advanced.”

George F. Kennan, United States diplomat to the Soviet Union from 1944 to 1946, article submitted anonymously to an academic journal devoted to the
conduct of foreign policy, published in Washington, D.C., 1947

4. The recommendation provided in the second paragraph is best explained in the context of which of the following
historical situations in the aftermath of the Second World War?
(A) The emergence of fascist states engaged in territorial expansion in Asia and Africa
(B) The implementation of genocidal policies by totalitarian states
(C) The creation of secret competing alliance systems by European powers
(D) The attempts by Soviet officials to establish ideological ties with newly independent states

5. Which of the following best explains the purpose of the arguments expressed in the passage?
(A) To influence Soviet government officials to adopt economic policies that would harm the Soviet Union
(B) To influence United States government officials to adopt policies designed to avoid a major war
(C) To convince world leaders to unite in order to stop the evils of communism
To convince Soviet citizens that the United States meant them no harm in the hopes of creating a sustainable
(D)
peace

6. Which of the following best explains how the historical circumstances of Kennan’s service as a diplomat in the
Soviet Union influenced his point of view regarding the “Soviet structure of power” in the first paragraph?
He witnessed how the Soviet Union used its industrial capabilities to produce vastly more quantities of war
(A)
equipment than Germany could produce.
He witnessed how German atrocities had turned ethnic groups within the Soviet Union who had initially
(B)
opposed Stalin against the Nazis.
He witnessed how the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany allowed it to decide the fate of states in
(C)
Eastern Europe that it occupied.
He witnessed how conflict between Germany and the Soviet Union allowed Stalin to further centralize his
(D)
power and use Russian nationalism to mobilize the population.

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“Psychologists of mass behavior might have an explanation for what went wrong in China in the late summer of 1958.
China was struck with a mass hysteria fed by Mao, who then fell victim himself. Mao began believing the party slogans,
casting caution to the winds.

As we set out by train heading south from Beijing, the scene along the railroad tracks was incredible. Harvest time was
approaching, and the crops were thriving. The fields were crowded with peasants at work. The backyard steel furnaces
that had been established in the peasant communes had transformed the rural landscape. They were everywhere, and we
could see peasant men in a constant frenzy of activity, transporting fuel and raw materials, keeping the fires stoked. Every
commune we visited provided testimony to the abundance of the upcoming harvest. The statistics for both grain and steel
production were astounding. Mao’s earlier skepticism had vanished, and common sense had escaped him. The excitement
was contagious, and I was infected too.

As we continued on our journey, however, Mao’s personal secretary Lin Ke set me straight. What we were seeing from
our windows on the train was all staged, he said. The party secretaries had ordered the furnaces constructed along our rail
route. Rice plants had been moved from faraway fields along our route so that Mao would see a wildly abundant crop. All
of China was a stage, all the people performers in an extravaganza for Mao. The agricultural production figures were
false, Lin Ke said, and what was coming out of the backyard furnaces was useless.”

Li Zhisui, personal physician to Mao Zedong, biography of Mao, published in the United States, 1994

7. Which of the following best explains how the historical situation in which Li Zhisui wrote his biography of Mao
Zedong influenced Li’s assessment of the experience of the Great Leap Forward?
Writing in the United States years after the events he described, Li Zhisui is free to offer his honest opinion,
(A)
without fear of retaliation from the Chinese government.
Writing a biography of his former national leader, Li Zhisui is trying to portray Mao’s policies from a loyal
(B)
and sympathetic point of view.
Writing in the 1990s in the context of a deindustrializing United States economy, Li Zhisui is skeptical of the
(C)
value of China becoming an industrial nation under Mao’s rule.
Writing many years after the events he describes, Li Zhisui likely misremembers many of the actual details
(D)
of the experience of Chinese industrialization under Mao’s rule.

8. Li Zhisui’s description of the actions of the local party secretaries in the third paragraph is significant because it can
be most directly used to explain the ways in which individuals within communist China reacted to the government’s
(A) use of propaganda that advocated for spreading communist revolution in Western societies
(B) implementation of cultural policies that attempted to suppress the practice of religion
(C) use of physical violence against anyone seen as not fulfilling the mandates of the central Chinese leadership
(D) glorification of peasant military contributions and suffering during the war with Japan

9. Which of the following best explains the significance of Li Zhisui presenting two contrasting views of the success
of Mao’s industrialization policy in the second and third paragraphs?

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By doing so, Li Zhisui is trying to show that Mao’s approach of copying Western methods of industrial
(A)
production was finally proved to be a failure.
By doing so, Li Zhisui is trying to convince his audience that adopting Chinese agricultural methods was the
(B)
only way to end the food shortages plaguing Third World countries.
By doing so, Li Zhisui is trying to illustrate the discrepancy between the reality of the resource redistribution
(C)
policy and the facade communists created for propaganda purposes.
By doing so, Li Zhisui is trying to reject the Maoist argument that peasants can be used as substitutes for
(D)
industrial workers in trying to increase a country’s economic output.

“[TASS News Agency]: How is the United Nations Security Council decision on the rapid withdrawal of Belgian troops
from the Congo being fulfilled?

[Patrice Lumumba]: Belgium has already proved that she has no respect for Security Council decisions. The Belgian
government is continuing its aggressive actions and savage reprisals against our people who seek their independence from
Belgian rule. These facts are not widely known in the world because the Belgian colonialists have got the press of other
Western countries to write as little as possible about the actions of Belgian soldiers in the Congo.

[TASS News Agency]: What is the Congolese people’s view of the Soviet Union’s stand on the Congo’s struggle to attain
genuine independence and territorial integrity?

[Patrice Lumumba]: The Soviet Union was the only great power whose stand conformed to our people’s will and desire.
That is why the Soviet Union was the only great power that has all along been supporting the Congolese people’s struggle
with weapons and military advisors, while the West similarly supports Belgium. I should like to convey the heartfelt
gratitude of the entire Congolese people to the Soviet people.”

Patrice Lumumba, leader of Congolese independence movement, interview with the Soviet news agency TASS, July 1960

10. Which of the following most likely explains the Soviet Union’s motivation for being involved in the Congo as
described in the passage?
(A) It wanted to establish its own colonies to extract natural resources for its industrial factories.
(B) It wanted to take advantage of a regional conflict to expand its military power and ideological influence.
(C) It wanted to expand its economic power by establishing free-trade agreements with dependent states.
(D) It wanted to promote greater stability in Third World countries by ending regional conflicts.

11. The level of military engagement between Western nations and the Soviet Union referred to in the passage is best
explained by which of the following developments after the Second World War?
The economic decline of communist states made it impossible for them to transport large armies to distant
(A)
regions.
The ability of the United Nations to send peace-keeping forces limited the scale of the involvement of major
(B)
military powers in regional conflicts.
The continued importance of resource-rich regions in Africa to economic development in the West and the
(C)
Soviet Union discouraged them from engaging in large-scale conflicts that could cause vast destruction.
The possession of nuclear weapons by the United States and the Soviet Union made it too dangerous for
(D)
Western nations and the Soviet Union to engage in large-scale military conflict with each other.

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12. Which of the following explains the most significant difference between the circumstances of military competition
between Western nations and the Soviet Union in developing regions such as Africa and the circumstances of
military competition between Western nations and the Soviet Union in Europe in the late twentieth century?
Unlike in Africa, military competition between Western nations and the Soviet Union in Europe involved the
(A)
establishment of rival military blocs.
Unlike in Europe, military competition between Western nations and the Soviet Union in Africa involved
(B)
covert military actions by rival intelligence agencies.
Unlike in Europe, military competition between Western nations and the Soviet Union in Africa involved the
(C)
establishment of puppet regimes.
Unlike in Africa, military competition between Western nations and the Soviet Union in Europe involved
(D)
using political propaganda to weaken states.

“As a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl, I did not know much about being a freedom fighter, although I read nationalist
newspapers and knew about the pronouncements of Jomo Kenyatta.* I read his book and Kenyatta himself was a frequent
visitor to our home. He would talk to my father for hours on end. But, as children, we did not know what they were
discussing. By the time the British declared a state of emergency in Kenya, I had already taken my first oath to the Mau
Mau cause. Repeating carefully after the instructor, I swore to:

1. Fight for the soil of Kenya, which had been stolen by the Whites.

2. If possible, get a gun and any other valuables or money to help strengthen the movement.

3. Kill anyone who was against the movement, even if that person was my brother.

The state of emergency and the fighting kept me from studying abroad and joining my sister and brothers, who were
studying in England. Finding myself with more time on my hands, I became even more eager to learn about freedom
activities and felt even more commitment to Mau Mau, convinced that it was the only way that Kenya could be free.

Matters worsened as the state of emergency continued. People were arrested arbitrarily by the colonial authorities, and
Black collaborators accused people of being Mau Mau with little or no proof. Despite the pressure, I felt as determined as
ever. In my mind, I had no doubt that I was fighting for a just cause.”

*a Kenyan nationalist and independence leader

Wambui Otieno, Kenyan activist, description of her participation in the Mau Mau uprising against British rule in Kenya in the early 1950s, included in
an autobiography published in 1998

13. Which of the following best explains why the movement described in the passage began after the Second World
War?
The settlement of the conflict divided former German and Japanese colonies among the victorious Allied
(A)
powers.
(B) The racist ideology of the German Nazi regime spread in influence as a result of its early military success.
The defeat of the Axis powers required the Allies to grant political concessions in order mobilize colonial
(C)
populations militarily and economically.
The Allied Western European states began to implement more active measures to intervene in the economy
(D)
through the creation of extensive welfare states.

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14. Which of the following best explains why the Soviet Union supported movements such as the one described in the
passage?
(A) The Soviets supported violent movements based on racial ideology.
(B) The Soviets sought to aid movements that shared their religious ideology.
(C) The Soviets believed that most colonized peoples were incapable of effective self-government.
(D) The Soviets wished to undermine Western governments during the Cold War.

15. The Mau Mau ideology described in the passage differed most significantly from that of the
(A) communist Viet Minh in Vietnam, which sought to overthrow French colonial rule
Biafra separatist movement in Nigeria, which sought to create a new state within an independent Nigeria
(B)
through armed insurrection
Hind Swaraj movement led by Gandhi in India, which sought to achieve an independent India through
(C)
protest and civil disobedience
anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, which used both peaceful protest and armed violence to end rule
(D)
by the descendants of Dutch and English settlers

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