AP World History
Chapter 32: Societies in Crossroads
Background: In the nineteenth century Tokugawa Japan, Qing China, the Ottoman empire,
and Russia faced profound challenges that fundamentally transformed all four powerful
states. The four societies also faced other common problems: population pressures, falling
agricultural productivity, famine, declining revenue, and corrupt bureaucracies.
Assignment: You will be assigned to a group that will represent a panel of western advisers
that includes experts in industry, education, military defense, and constitutional law.
You have been invited by the government of Russia, China, Japan, or the Ottoman Empire to
recommend a program of moderate reform.
Your task:
~ Develop a reform program with specific recommendations.
~ Prioritize your reforms.
~ Explain your reforms and your priorities
Other considerations:
Your recommendations need to be specific. For example, “improve the status of women” is
too general. “Primary education for girls” is more specific.
You will need to take into account social and political structures and significant cultural
traditions of the country to which you are assigned.
Group 1: Russia.
Group 2: China.
Group 3: Japan.
Group 4: Ottoman Empire.