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Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Allow one-and-a-half weeks to teach these two chapters.

In writing their essays, students should remember to use the vocabulary of world history. For example, if students are writing about decolonization, they should use terms such as neocolonial economy, primary products, and postcolonial.

Decolonization
The authors of the text note that World War I weakened the hold of Western colonial powers on their colonies, and World War II "crushed the ability of the European powers to maintain the colonial structure." The European powers had sown the seeds of the destruction of their colonial empires in Africa and Asia by educating a middle class of local people to run their colonial bureaucracies. These people turned out their former rulers and took over the government. The authors make the point that power passed from the European class of elite to a local elite. Little in the way of social, political, or economic changes occurred. These were not revolutionary takeovers, and Western powers continued to dominate the trading network. The authors also point out in Chapter 40 that it is difficult to assess how well these nations will respond to the challenges of social, economic, and political reform.

Have students create a table listing the short-term and long-term effects of colonization and decolonization on Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Have students refer to Chapter 38 as well as Chapters 39 and 40 in completing this assignment. You may have students work in small groups or pairs, but students should share their tables in a whole class discussion so that everyone has the same information. Once the table has been completed, have students write four generalizations, one relating to each world region and the effects of decolonization on it.

You might also find these additional readings useful to develop students' background knowledge or for DBQ activities: