Lesson 4: 5.4 - Government and Economy of Africa

Why are political stability and development important to life in Sub-Saharan Africa?

genocide, colonialism, AIDS/HIV, authoritarian, Sierra Leone Civil War, industrialization, raw materials, democracy, African Union, commercial farming, poverty, Sub-Saharan Africa, apartheid, gross domestic product (GDP), human rights, Pan-Africanism, dictator, infrastructure, Sudan civil war, civil war, dictatorship, developing country, subsistence farming

CIV 6-7.2 - Assess specific rules and laws (both actual and proposed) as means of addressing public problems.
GEO 6-7.6 - Explain how changes in transportation and communication technology influence human settlements and affect the diffusion of ideas and cultural practices.

This prompt requires a DOK Level 3 response.

To answer this prompt, students must:

Analyze the provided documents to understand the political, social, and economic conditions in modern Russia.
Interpret the information within the documents to identify evidence of democratic or authoritarian practices.
Synthesize the information from multiple documents to form a comprehensive argument about the level of democracy in Africa
Evaluate the credibility and bias of the sources to determine the reliability of the information.

Students may believe Sub-Saharan African governments follow traditional tribal practices. In fact, modern governments typically use a republican system that formally divides powers among executive, legislative, and judicial branches, similar to that of the United States. The practical administration of these governments often concentrates power in the hands of the executive branch, however.
Students may assume the African Union has similar policies as the European Union, such as shared continental citizenship and a union-wide currency. The African Union promotes economic and political development but does not sponsor these types of shared structures.
Students may believe all Sub-Saharan Africans live in rural areas where they work as subsistence farmers or herders. While agriculture remains a large part of regional economies, about one-third of all Sub-Saharan Africans now live in large urban areas. Regional urbanization rates are among the fastest growing in the world.
Students may think Sub-Saharan Africa is a large desert with few natural resources. Nearly half of the region is made up of arable land. Valuable deposits of energy and mineral resources are also found throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. The presence of these resources attracted European imperialism during the 1800s.

Written or oral response

Written or oral response that takes a clear position on the extent of democracy in Africa, provides a plausible, clear, and through explanation of issues in African politics, includes relevant and insightful justifications with no content errors.

Primary Source Packet

Student Worksheet for the investigation

National Archives Source Analysis Tools