Unit 1 Overview: State Building in Various Regions

These flashcards focus on key concepts from the lecture on state building in various parts of the world, including Song China, Dar-al Islam, and developments in Western Europe.

What was the significance of the agricultural revolution in state building before 1200?

It enabled the development of new states, religions, and trade relationships.

What characterized Song China's bureaucracy?

It was a centralized imperial bureaucracy that required members of government to take merit exams.

Bureaucracy

system where people work for the government to help it run smoothly. These workers follow set rules and procedures to manage things like collecting taxes, enforcing laws, and organizing public services.

eg) In the Song Dynasty, officials who passed the civil service exam became part of the government’s bureaucracy, helping manage taxes, roads, and laws.

Merit Exams

Examinations used to select government officials based on talent and knowledge instead of birth.

What was one major consequence of Song China's large bureaucracy?

It became too expensive to maintain.

How did innovations like Champa Rice benefit Song China?

Champa Rice created food surpluses, allowing more people to become artisans or laborers. It also increased the population.

What three religions impacted Song China during its era?

Confucianism, Buddhism, and Neo-Confucianism.

Confucianism

a philosophy that teaches how people should live by respecting their family, being good to others, and behaving morally, justice. It focuses on good relationships, education, and respect for authority.

Buddhism

a major world religion originating in India that emphasizes the path to enlightenment through practices such as meditation, ethical conduct, and wisdom. It teaches the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

Four Noble Truths

Buddhism teach that suffering is a part of life, caused by desires, but it can be overcome by following the Eightfold Path, which leads to ethical living and mental discipline.

Eightfold Path

a key element of Buddhism, consisting of eight practices aimed at achieving enlightenment and overcoming suffering, including right understanding, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration.

Neo-Confucianism

a philosophical system that emerged in China, combining Confucian ethics with Buddhist and Taoist elements, aiming to address spiritual and moral issues in society.

What is Dar-al Islam?

A cultural region encompassing various Islamic empires that emerged after the Abbasid Caliphate.

Name one major achievement during the Islamic Golden Age.

Advancements in math, literature, or medicine.

What was the role of Nasiral-Din al-Tusi in Islamic scholarship?

He made advances in math that laid the groundwork for trigonometry.

How did Hinduism view the caste system?

It upheld an immobile social structure where one's caste dictated their life.

caste system

A hierarchical structure in Hindu society that divides individuals into different social classes based on birth, occupation, and ritual purity.

What was the main governing structure in the Inca Empire?

Highly centralized with a main ruler overseeing local leaders.

How did trade influence social mobility in South and Southeast Asia?

Merchants converting to Islam for better trade relationships challenged traditional Hindu beliefs like the caste system.

What was the impact of the Black Death on European feudalism?

It reduced the labor force and led to revolts against feudal lords due to poor working conditions.

Black Death

A pandemic that struck Europe in the 14th century, causing widespread death and significantly altering the social and economic structures of society.