“Writing well means
never having to say,
'I guess you had to
be there.' .”
Jef Mallet
THE COMPARATIVE ESSAY
The comparative essay requires students to
compare and contrast how at least two (perhaps
more) civilizations or nations have undergone or
responded to a historical event or experience
 Students must give equal weight to both (or all)
civilizations or nations specified in the question
 Students must also balance similarities and
differences, although one may be considered more
important than the other
 The central task for this essay is comparison

GENERAL TIPS FOR WRITING THE
COMPARATIVE ESSAY
Students should take 40 minutes to complete the
comparative essay
 Students should spend 5 of the 40 minutes
reading the question, reflecting on the question,
and organizing thoughts concerning the essay
 The comparative essay requires that students
compare and contrast how at least two
civilizations or nations have undergone or
responded to a historical event or experience
 The essay’s focus is on comparison

Because the central task of the comparative essay
is comparison rather than a theme, it may appear
difficult to create a thesis statement. The
question may not lend itself to a clear-cut theme
or argument but by emphasizing how likenesses
outweigh differences or vice versa or by arguing
that similarities and differences are equally
balanced, a solid thesis statement can be created.
Let’s Practice!
FROM THE 2002 WORLD HISTORY AP
EXAMINATION (COURTESY OF COLLEGE
ENTRANCE EXAMINATION BOARD):
Analyze and compare the differing responses of
China and Japan to western penetration in the
nineteenth century.
THOUGHTS TO CONSIDER BEFORE
WRITING
How did the Chinese respond to western
penetration in the nineteenth century ?
 Were all Chinese responses similar or were there
differing responses within China to this
penetration?
 How did the Japanese respond to western
penetration in Japan?
 How did western penetration differ in China and
Japan?
 What important dates in the nineteenth century
regarding western penetration in China and
Japan must be remembered?

Definition: Compare
To examine the character or qualities of
especially in order to discover resemblances or
differences
~Merriam-Webster dictionary
Definition: Contrast
To set off in contrast: compare or appraise in
respect to differences
~Merriam-Webster dictionary
SO, WAIT A MINUTE

It’s not just what is the same but what is
different
REMEMBER TO READ THE
DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY
Analyze and Compare
 Differing Responses of China and Japan
 To Western Penetration
 In the Nineteenth Century

FACTS ABOUT CHINESE RESPONSES TO
WESTERN PENETRATION IN THE
NINETEENTH CENTURY
As late as the 1810s, China had the upper hand
in their relationship with the West
 China was too strong to conquer, and it enjoyed
an enormous advantage in its balance of trade
 Europeans could trade with China only in a small
number of designated ports and cities (including
Kiakhta in the north and Canton on the southern
coast)
 The Chinese accepted only a tiny selection of
Western goods in trade
 In return, they sold the nations of the West silk
and porcelain (not quite the answer yet)

The most profitable commodity was tea, which
the Chinese sold in immense quantities to the
outside world, especially Russia and Britain
 In exchange, the West paid China vast amounts
of silver bullion
 For years, Westerners complained about these
conditions and requested the Chinese to let them
sell more goods in China
 The Qing emperors viewed all outsiders as
barbarians but over time, Westerners made
scientific and technological advances that led to
stronger navies, better weapons, and more
effective armies
 By the early 1800s, the British began flooding
China with opium in order to correct this trade
imbalance

Opium became the drug of choice among Chinese
of all classes
 The British made fantastic profits and the
balance of trade swung in their favor
 The Chinese government (the Qing Dynasty) was
outraged as silver flowed out and opium
addiction increased
 The Qing government arrested dealers, seized
opium supplies, and intercepted boats carrying
the drug (The time period of the question)
 When the Chinese navy blockaded Canton, the
first Opium War began (1839-1842)
 The British easily won and forced the Chinese to
sign the humiliating Treaty of Nanking (Nanjing)

The Chinese were forced to sign the first of
several “unequal treaties” and had to open more
ports to foreign trade, lower tariffs on British
goods, and grant extraterritorial rights to areas
in China were the British lived and worked
(British, not Chinese, laws prevailed in these
areas)
 In addition, China surrendered Hong Kong to
Britain
 A second Opium War led to new treaties and
legalized the opium trade, opened more ports to
foreign trade, and allowed Europeans to set up
economic concessions on Chinese territory
 The Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864) was one
response to the declining Qing Dynasty in the
face of western penetration

The Taiping Rebellion was the costliest and most
devastating civil war in world history
 Hong Xiuquan, the founder of the rebellion,
became convinced that he was Jesus Christ’s
younger brother and decided to establish a
“heavenly kingdom of supreme peace” – the
meaning of the word taiping – in China
 The rebellion waned when competent generals
and a foreign force helped to weaken it
 In 1878, the dowager empress Cixi essentially
“ruled” China until her death in 1908 but she
adamantly opposed modernization
 Cixi opposed all reform, which she regarded as
pro-Western treason

FACTS ABOUT JAPANESE RESPONSES TO
WESTERN PENETRATION IN THE NINETEENTH
CENTURY
Under the Tokugawa shoguns, the real political
power belonged to the shogun, who ran the country
in the emperor’s name
 Tokugawa Japan isolated itself from the rest of the
world
 By the 1720s, the only country Japan had formal
relations with was Korea and some foreign trade
was allowed at the port of Nagasaki (Not the time
period of the question)
 But in 1853, American gunships appeared off the
coast of Japan
 Their commander, Commodore Matthew Perry,
requested Japan to open its economy to foreign
trade (The time period for the question)

Although the words were friendly, the threat of
naval bombardment lay behind them
 After some debate, the shogun agreed to end his
country’s decades-long isolation
 For a time, it appeared that Japan might fall
victim to the same kind of Western economic
pressure that was crippling China
 But certain samurai leaders staged a military
uprising against the last shogun and in January
1868, overthrew the shogunate and restored
political power to the emperor
 Meiji, the emperor who had ascended to the
throne in 1867, became the first emperor in
nearly a thousand years to enjoy full imperial
powers

The Meiji Restoration of 1868 began Japan’s
modern age
 The members of the new government realized
that, in order to avoid western domination, Japan
would have to adopt Western learning,
economics, and military methods
 In addition, the emperor himself was personally
inclined toward Westernization
 What followed was a revolution from above
 In 1871, Meiji abolished feudalism
 Former samurai were forbidden to wear swords,
their traditional symbols of authority, in public
 The rigid social hierarchy of the Tokugawa
regime ended
 Modern laws were drawn up

The Constitution of 1890 created an elected
parliament, the Diet
 But the emperor had a great deal of power over
the Diet
 Agricultural productivity increased
 But the major economic change involved
industrialization
 New railroads, steamships, ports, and canals
were constructed every year
 Huge corporations called zaibatsu, sponsored
largely by the state, came to dominate the
economic landscape
 Politically, access to positions in government
were increasingly dependent on merit,
competence, and civil service examinations

Meiji reforms and Japanese industrialization
increased the size and power of the merchant and
middle classes, much as industrialization did in
the West
 The feudal prejudice against trade and
artisanship faded away
 The farming population decreased, while the
industrial working class grew
 Taxes increased considerably for both, and the
lower classes were barred from full political
participation by the Constitution of 1890 due to
property qualifications for voting and other
restrictions
 The new tax system funded a national
educational system

Meiji Japan became increasingly militaristic
 Nationalist sentiment ran high
 As a resource-poor island, Japan also needed raw
materials to continue industrial growth
 Japanese expansion began in the 1870s
 Japan forced Korean ports to open to trade, much
as the West had done to China and Japan itself
 Japan modernized its navy and drafted a welldrilled and well-equipped army
 The Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) resulted in
Japan’s occupation of Taiwan and Korea
 During the Meiji Restoration, Japan modernized,
industrialized, and increased the power and
strength of its military forces

BEFORE WRITING, LET’S REVIEW
THE SCORING GUIDE

Basic Core (For a possible total of 7 points)
-Acceptable thesis (1 point)
-Deals with all parts of the question (2 points)
-Backs up thesis with appropriate historical
evidence (2 points)
-Provides one or two relevant, direct comparisons
between or among societies (1 point)
-Analyzes one or more reasons for a difference or
similarity discussed in a direct comparison (1
point)
THE EXPANDED CORE FOR THE
COMPARATIVE ESSAY

The basic core of 7 must be earned before a
student can earn a maximum of 2 additional
points
-Opens with an analytical, clear, comprehensive
thesis
-Deals with all relevant parts of the question:
comparisons, chronology, causation, connections,
themes, interactions, content
-Gives ample historical evidence to back up thesis
-Links comparisons to larger global context
-Draws several direct comparisons
-Regularly examines the reasons for and the
results of key similarities and differences
KEY INGREDIENTS
Thesis
 Addresses all relevant parts of the question
 Historical evidence to support thesis
 Provides direct comparisons between or among
societies
 Analyzes reasons for differences or similarities
discussed in comparisons
 And for expanded core points: Analytical,
Comprehensive, Ample Evidence, Creative - links
comparisons to larger global context, draws
several direct comparisons, and regularly
examines the reasons for and the results of key
similarities and differences

SO, WHAT ARE THE SIMILARITIES AND
DIFFERENCES IN CHINESE AND
JAPANESE RESPONSES TO WESTERN
PENETRATION IN THE NINETEENTH
CENTURY?
HOW THE FACTS WILL DETERMINE
THE THESIS
Facts will provide the evidence needed to create a
thesis statement
 So, ultimately, reflect on the Chinese and
Japanese responses to western penetration and
look for similarities and differences
 If there are more differences that similarities,
emphasize the differences
 The thesis statement or argument that works is
the thesis statement or argument that can be
proven

SAMPLE THESIS PARAGRAPH
Western penetration in the nineteenth century affected
the political, economic, and social realities of nonEuropean lands but these actions also affected the ways
in which non-Europeans responded to western
penetration. While China was never completely
conquered by the Europeans, parts of China were
largely controlled by Europeans. During the nineteenth
century, the Chinese responded to the Opium Wars and
western intrusion through a combination of challenging
the West, embracing traditional ways , challenging the
Qing Dynasty, or seeking moderate reforms. Japan,
though never conquered, responded to the intrusion of
West quite differently. Rather than looking to the past,
the Japanese sought to emulate the West. During the
Meiji Restoration, Japan modernized. Japan sought to
avoid China’s fate by adopting aspects of Western
culture.
WHAT TO NOTICE
Are there significant differences or important
similarities?
 In this essay, the Chinese and Japanese
responses are quite different but that does not
mean that similarities are completely absent
 In addition, Chinese and Japanese responses
were sometimes the very responses of other
groups in the nineteenth century
 Which groups responded similarly?
 Finally, is there merit in copying the dominant
power or should the dominant power be rejected
by embracing that which is culturally unique?
 These thoughts can help clarify the thesis

NOW, LOOK FOR COMPARISONS TO
THE LARGER GLOBAL CONTEXT
Consider looking for general trends or global
issues that move beyond the specific comparison
 Of course, answer the question fully but then use
the facts to shed light on comparable global
trends or patterns

FACTS MATTER
Of course, to write a comparative essay, facts are
critical
 Unlike the DBQ, the only information the
student has to answer the question is the
information the student has remembered
 And the best way to remember information is to
practice and interact with it regularly

“In theory there is no
difference between
theory and practice.
In practice there is.”
Yogi Berra