AP World Unit 1

Song Dynasty (960–1279): Maintained power through:

• Promoted Neo-Confucianism emphasizing hierarchy, filial piety, and social harmony

• Expanded the civil service exam system based on Confucian texts (favored wealthy)

• Achieved economic strength through commercialization, trade (porcelain, silk), and agricultural innovations like Champa rice

• Built infrastructure such as the Grand Canal to facilitate trade and communication

• Influenced neighboring states (Korea, Japan, Vietnam) with Chinese bureaucracy, Confucianism, and Buddhism

How did Islamic states unify and govern diverse populations?

• Applied Sharia law as a unifying legal framework

• Developed Persian-influenced bureaucracies and administrative systems

• Supported cultural and scientific achievements (House of Wisdom, advances in math and medicine)

• Spread Islam through trade, military conquest, and Sufi missionary work

How did Hindu and Muslim states in South Asia build and maintain power?

• Hindu kingdoms (Vijayanagara, Chola) promoted trade and religious tolerance

• Delhi Sultanate spread Islam through conquest and political integration

• Bhakti movement made Hinduism more accessible and challenged caste hierarchies

• Sufi missionaries helped spread Islam through personal piety and syncretism

How did African states like Mali and the Swahili city-states gain wealth and influence?

• Controlled and taxed trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean trade routes

• Traded valuable goods like gold, salt, ivory, and slaves

• Adopted Islam, especially among elites, facilitating trade and diplomacy

• Developed urban centers like Timbuktu as centers of commerce and Islamic learning

How did the Aztec and Inca empires organize their societies and economies?

• Aztecs used a tribute system demanding goods, labor, and human sacrifice

• Practiced chinampa agriculture (floating gardens) for food production

• Incas used the mit’a labor system, requiring rotational public service

• Built extensive road networks to connect the empire

• Exercised state control over resources and labor

How did European societies maintain order and structure during this period?

• Practiced feudalism: land-for-loyalty relationships among kings, nobles, knights, and peasants

• Operated manorial system: peasants worked land for lords in exchange for protection

• The Catholic Church unified Western Europe culturally and politically

• Monasteries preserved knowledge and served as centers of education

How did the Khmer Empire (9th–15th century) develop and influence the region?

• Hindu empire located in modern Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand.

• Religious beliefs and culture spread via the Indian Ocean trade network.

• Constructed Angkor Wat, a massive Hindu (later Buddhist) temple complex.

• Adapted Indian religious, architectural, and political ideas.

How did Islam and trade shape North and West Africa?

• Islam spread to North Africa in the 7th–8th centuries, then across the Sahara to sub-Saharan Africa.

• Trans-Saharan trade routes brought wealth and goods (especially gold and salt).

• Islamic empires and city-states (like those in Mali and along the Swahili Coast) rose to power through trade and religious influence.

How did the Hausa Kingdoms develop and what challenges did they face?

• Located off the Niger River, a series of city-states/kingdoms.

• Achieved economic stability and religious influence via long-distance trade (notably salt and leather).

• The city of Kano became a major trade and religious center.

• Experienced political and economic decline in the 18th century due to internal wars.

What were the key features of the Aztec (Mexica) Empire?

• Arrived in central Mexico in the mid-1200s; capital at Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City).

• Expansionist policies and a professional army built a large empire (about 12 million people).

• Maintained control through a tribute system and human sacrifice.

• Trade flourished, but many people were enslaved.

• Women were subordinate but could inherit property.

How did the Inca Empire organize its society and economy?

• Located in the Andes Mountains of Peru; capital at Cuzco.

• Expansionist with a strong army, bureaucracy, unified language (Quechua), and extensive road/tunnel systems.

• Society based on the mit’a system (rotational labor tax for state projects).

• Women had higher status than in many societies and could pass property to daughters.

• Polytheistic religion with human sacrifice; Sun god was central.

• Practiced mummification and ancestor veneration.

• Built monumental architecture (Temple of the Sun, Machu Picchu).

What characterized the Maya civilization?

• Located in Mesoamerica (earlier than Aztecs and Incas, but influential).

• Organized into city-states with advanced writing, mathematics, and astronomy.

• Built pyramids and practiced polytheistic religion with rituals and sacrifices.

• Developed a complex society known for its hieroglyphic writing system and sophisticated calendar.

• Engaged in extensive trade and agriculture, including the cultivation of maize, beans, and squash.

How did the Abbasid Dynasty shape the Islamic world?

• Golden age from 750–1258 CE, centered in Baghdad.

• Major achievements in arts, science, mathematics (e.g., Nasir al-Din al-Tusi), and medicine.

• House of Wisdom became a center for learning and translation.

• Built around trade and financial innovations (receipts, bills).

• Declined due to internal rivalries and Mongol invasions (Baghdad destroyed in 1258).

What was the impact of the Mamluks in the Near East?

• Egyptian group who defeated the Mongols at Nazareth, preserving Islam in the region.

How did feudalism and the manorial system structure medieval European society?

• Feudalism: hierarchy with king, nobles, vassals, and serfs; land exchanged for loyalty and military service.

• Manorial system: self-sufficient estates (manors) worked by peasants/serfs for protection.

• Code of chivalry regulated conflict among lords.

• Women had limited rights; primogeniture (eldest son inherits land).

• Peasants could gain freedom and status through skilled trades as trade expanded.

How did nation-states begin to emerge in Europe?

• Shift from feudal kingdoms to states based on language and culture.

• England: Magna Carta limited king’s power, foundation for Parliament.

• France: Unified through the Hundred Years’ War, expelled English.

• Spain: United by marriage (Isabella and Ferdinand), enforced Catholicism (Spanish Inquisition).

• Russia: Freed from Mongol (Tartar) rule by Ivan III, centralized power under Ivan the Terrible.

How did the Song Dynasty maintain order and influence in China?

• Used Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism to justify hierarchy and subordination of women (foot binding).

• Expanded the civil service exam system; bureaucracy based on merit (but favored wealthy).

• Economic growth from trade, commercialization, and innovations like Champa rice and the Grand Canal.

How did feudalism shape Japanese society?

• Emperor was figurehead; real power held by shogun (military leader).

• Daimyo (landowners) and samurai (warriors) followed the Bushido code.

• Peasants and artisans formed the base of society.

• Women had limited rights and social status.

How did the Delhi Sultanate impact India?

• Islamic rule in northern India, clashed with Hindu kingdoms.

• Brought new colleges, agricultural improvements, and promoted Islam in the region.

• Rajput Kingdoms resisted Muslim rule until eventual conquest.

How did Buddhism develop and spread?

• Founded by Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) in India; rejected caste system.

• Split into Theravada (focus on meditation, simplicity) and Mahayana (ritual, spiritual comfort, wider appeal).

• Spread to China, Japan, Southeast Asia via trade routes.

• Thrived in East and Southeast Asia, declined in India.

How did Christianity grow and influence societies?

• Began with Jesus of Nazareth; spread through Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

• Emphasized compassion, grace, and faith; appealed to lower classes and women.

• Became the official religion of the Roman Empire; influenced law, culture, and politics.

How did Confucianism shape Chinese culture?

• Founded by Confucius; focused on restoring social and political order through relationships and proper roles.

• Emphasized filial piety, loyalty, and community.

• Compatible with other religions; deeply influenced Chinese society and governance.

How did Hinduism structure Indian society?

• Belief in Brahma (universal soul) and reincarnation.

• Caste system structured society; dharma (duty) determined progress toward moksha (liberation).

• Spawned Buddhism; resisted global spread due to caste system.

How did Islam expand and impact societies?

• Founded by Muhammad in 7th-century Arabia; based on Qur’an and Five Pillars.

• Split into Sunni and Shia branches.

• Rapidly spread through the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond via conquest and trade.

How did Judaism influence later religions?

• Monotheistic faith of the Hebrews; based on covenant with God and Torah.

• Emphasized law, morality, and community.

• Precursor to Christianity and Islam.