Ap world History unit 1

Develop an argument in which you explain the similarities and differences in the process of state formation around the world from c. 1200-1450

Similarities in state formation (processes used by multiple states-more common)

-Use of religion 

-Trade connections 

-Access to environmental resources

-Collection of tribute 

-Conquest

-Social Hierachies

-Cultural influence on other States

Differences in State Formation (processes used by less states - less common)

-Government Centralization

-City-states connected by trade

How does religion help processes of state formation?

China 

• Confucianism to justify emperor 

Islamic states

• Use Islam in Caliphates to justify sultan’s rule 

India

• Hinduism to reinforce caste system 

Americas

• Aztec, Mayans, & Incas all have rulers with divine authority (granted by gods) based on polytheistic faiths 

West Africa 

• Uses Islam to increase trade & justify leader’s rule (Mansa Musa) 

Europe

Catholic church holds majority of power & divine right of kings (kings not as strong at this time though)

How does trade connections help processes of state formation?

China

• Connection to Silk Road trade

• Grand Canal 

Islamic states

• Muhammad & Muslim merchants

• Silk Roads, Trans-Saharan, Indian Ocean 

India

• Indian Ocean trade

• Sea based kingdom develop due to taxing trade

  • Srivijaya (670-1025)

  • Majapahit (1293-1520)

• Land based through trade: Khmer (Angkor) 802-1431

West Africa: Ghana + Mali 

• Trans-Saharan Trade 

East Africa: Zimbabwe 

• Indian Ocean Trade

How does access to environmental resources help processes of state formation?

China

• Coal, iron, champa rice 

India

• Spices 

Africa

• Gold, silver, ivory  

Europe

• Agricultural

How does collection of tribute help processes of state formation?

China

• Tribute system for trading privileges 

Islamic states

• Jizya tax on non-Muslims 

Maya

• Citizens pay crops to king 

Aztecs

• Conquered regions must pay tribute & perform military service 

Inca

• Mita system

How does conquest help processes of state formation?

Abbasid Caliphate

• Mid E, N Africa, & Spain until 1258

Islamic states after Abassid Caliphate

• Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt

• Seljuk Turks in Mid E

• Delhi Sultanate in India from Turkic Muslims 

Hindu states

• Southern India: Vijayanagara Empire (Hindu) 

• Northern India: Rajput kingdoms (Hindu)

Aztecs

• Conquer neighboring regions

How do social hierarchies help processes of state formation?

China

• Patriarchy + obedience to emperor reinforced by Confucianism 

India

• Caste system 

Africa

• Kinship based so family roles are important 

Europe

• Manor system

• Feudalism

How does cultural influence on other states help processes of state formation?

China

• Writing (woodblock print) + scholarship spreads to Japan & Korea 

India

• Spreads Buddhism on Silk Roads to China, Korea, Japan, SE Asia 

• Some melding of Islam + Hinduism in India- Bhakti movement 

Islamic states

• Spread Islam through trade/ missionary work to W Africa, SE Asia, S Asia, Mid E, Spain 

• Also spread tech, literature, and scientific knowledge through trade 

  • House of Wisdom 

  • Translation of Greek literature

  • Advances in math (Nasir al-Din al-Tusi) + literature (A'ishah al-Ba'uniyyah)

How does government centralization help processes of state formation? 

China

• Emperor

• Bureaucracy 

• Civil service exam

How do city-states connected by trade help processes of state formation?

Mayan city states ruled by own kings 

Kinship kingdoms in Central Africa

Confucianism

A philosophy that adheres to the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius that started in 500 BC. It stresses obedience to superiors in all relationships and social harmony

-Helps to keep order and peace with subjects obeying the emperor’s rule

Caste system 

a Hindu set of rigid social categories that determined not only a person's occupation and economic potential, but also his or her position in society

-Helped to keep order with India’s decentralized government systems

Divine right of Kings

The idea that God chose the king to rule over Christian nations

• Under this theory the king had absolute power, ruling with the authority of God

Grand Canal

A waterway that linked rivers throughout China built in 600 and expanded upon in the 1200s by the Song Dynasty

-Allowed China to become the most populated trading center in the world
-Linked northern and southern China to help economic growth and trade

Muhammad

The Arab prophet who founded Islam (570-632)

- Begins one of the major world religions that will promote widespread trade and influence many empires

Srivijaya (670-1025)

Majapahit (1293-1520)

Sea-based kingdoms- developed due to control of trade routes that linked India and East Asia- trade also brought Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam to the region
- These states maintained power by taxing key Indian Ocean trade routes, using money for government activities
Srivijaya (670-1025)- Hindu kingdom
Majapahit (1293-1520)- Buddhist kingdom

Khmer (Angkor)

Land Based Kingdom (802-1431)

Irrigation helped sustain agriculture and economy; provided stable food source for population and revenue from trade

West Africa: Ghana + Mali 

Trans-Saharan trade connections in West Africa provided the wealth and resources to centralize power. By taxing the lucrative gold-salt trade and controlling trade routes, rulers secured the economic foundation for armies, bureaucracy, and growth.

East Africa: Zimbabwe 

Indian Ocean Trade 

Great Zimbabwe (c. 1220–1450) grew wealthy by controlling the trade of gold and ivory, which flowed to the coast. Rulers taxed this trade, allowing them to finance a centralized state.

China: Access to environmental resources

Coal, iron, champa rice

The ability to control and exploit Champa rice, coal, and iron permitted the Chinese state to grow and sustain a large population and military, transforming its natural environment into political and economic power.

Champa rice

A fast ripening and drought resistant type of rice from Champa Kingdom(Vietnam)

-Greatly increased agricultural production in China and helped to feed the growing population
- Allowed for more crops to be grown and in areas they could not have previously been

India: Access to enviornmental resources

Spices

Valuable spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and pepper that were highly sought after in Europe and beyond, driving much of the Indian Ocean trade.

Africa: Access to enviornmental resources

Gold, silver, ivory  

Allowed rulers to accumulate immense wealth, which was then used to centralize power, build vast empires (like Mali), foster urban growth, and establish trade-based, societies through the control of Trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean trade routes

Access to these resources linked Mali into the Afro-Eurasian exchange networks, attracting North African merchants and wealth. 

Europe: Access to enviornmental resources

Agricultual

New farming techniques like 3 field system, windmills, and plows to help increase productivity and keep Europe as a mostly farming region

Advanced farming technology makes it possible for fewer people to produce more food, so more people moved to cities during this time

Tribute system

A trade system where foreign countries had to pay money or send gifts to honor the Chinese emperor before trading with China

-Gave more money to the government and showed Chinese superiority in trade

Jizya Tax

A yearly tax imposed by Islamic empires on non-Muslim subjects, 

-functioned as a payment for state protection, exemption from military service, and freedom to practice their religion, while also serving as a sign of submission and a source of revenue.

Muslims could not hold high positions and had to pay jizya tax

Maya: collection of tribute

Subjects pay tribute (crops) to king and provide mandatory labor - help to expand roads and other key infrastructure, helping to expand power of the state

Aztecs: collection of tribute

Conquered regions must pay tribute & perform military service 

• Tribute system to control subjects and collect funds

• Conquered people had to perform labor and serve in the military 

Mita System

Mandatory public service

Tax for labor - conquered people required to work on infrastructure and other projects to benefit the state

• Contrast to Aztecs who forced conquered citizens to pay tribute 

• Led to less resentment amongst subjects

Abbassid Caliphate: Conquest

Definition: A major family line that ruled over the Islamic Empire in its peak from the 8th to 13th century

Importance:

• Advances in algebra, medicine, literature, poetry, and learning overall 

• Allowed Christians to cooperate in these ventures as well

Mid E, N Africa, & Spain until 1258

• Islamic empire grows through military conquest and force from 750-1258 under Abbasid Caliphate including the Middle East, parts of Northern Africa, and Spain

• Helps to increase the size of Islamic states

Mamluk Sultanate

The empire spanning across northern Africa controlled by the Mamluks who were slaves of Arabs who had revolted (1250-1517)

-A problem for the Abbasid Caliphate because empire was being attacked by outsiders in Egypt

Seljuk Turks

A group of Muslims from central Asia, north of the Abbasid Empire from the 11th century

-They took control of parts of the Middle East in the Abbasid Empire, further reducing the caliphate’s control of the empire

Delhi Sultanate

Islamic family line that conquered the city of Delhi and parts of southern Asia and ruled from 13th to 16th century

-Shows instability in northern India and influence of Islam leaders in area
Interaction between Islam and Hinduism→ some conversions and some resistance

Hindu states: conquest

• Southern India: Vijayanagara Empire (1336-1646) was ruled by Hindu brothers until it was overthrown by Muslim powers 

• Northern India: Rajput kingdoms

• Decentralized, clan rule (caste system provided social stability); so difficult to maintain central power and lots of invasions occurred

Aztecs: Conquest

The Aztec Empire focused on dominating local elites rather than governing them directly. This allowed the Aztec capital to grow rapidly as wealth flowed inward. 

China: Social Hieracrchies

• Patriarchy + obedience to emperor reinforced by Confucianism 

• Legitimacy and Obedience: Confucianism validated the emperor's power

• Promoting the idea that subjects owed obedience to the state just as children owed respect to fathers.

• Patriarchy and Stability: Confucianism Reinforced patriarchal norms (superiority of men over women), which created a rigid social order. This predictability in social roles facilitated state control over daily life

Africa: Social hieracrchies

Kinship based so family roles are important 

A political structure in which families govern themselves

- Shows difference between earlier African government systems and Asian/European ones (more similar to Americas)
No single central power to unite all of Africa, but instead family networks with chiefs in charge of each
Most began to struggle and traded for larger kingdoms with more centralized rule

Manor System

System focused on economic self sufficiency in which lords would give serfs land in exchange for labor and agricultural work

- More economic than political like feudalism
- Focused on agricultural and craft production to allow villages to become self-sufficient due to decentralization

Feudalism

Loose political system in the High Middle Ages in Europe based on exchanges of land from superior for loyalty and services from inferior

- Stresses how decentralized European politics were and how this system was needed to protect the people
- Kings granted land to lord and then lord owed service to king
Lords gave land to knights and knights gave protection/ military service to lords
- Lords gave peasants land to work and peasants gave crops and livestock to lords

China: Cultural influence on other states

Writing (woodblock print) + scholarship spreads to Japan & Korea

• Woodblock printing helped to distribute technology and other ideas

• Borrowed Chinese government ideas; Shotoku Taishi in Japan- adopted Confucianism for Japanese politics

• This shows China’s power and shaping of close Asian states 

Bhakti Movement

A movement from southern India where Hindus focused on emotional attachment to a deity and spiritual life rather than rituals and study of religious texts

-Helped to spread Hinduism just like Sufis help to spread Islam due to accepting nature and less strict traditions

Islamic States: Cultural influence on other states

• Spread Islam through trade/ missionary work to W Africa, SE Asia, S Asia, Mid E, Spain

Muhammad, the founder of Islam, had been a merchant himself, so the religion was trade-friendly; Muslim traders taught the faith to others along key trade networks that connect to the Middle East region.

• Helped Islamic states to gain more money to fund conquest and government expansion

• Also spread tech, literature, and scientific knowledge through trade 

  • House of Wisdom 

  • Translation of Greek literature (Greek moral philosophy translated to Arabic)

  • Advances in math (Nasir al-Din al-Tusi) + literature (A'ishah al-Ba'uniyyah: Sufi Poet)

House of Wisdom

School of scholarship in Baghdad

-Its significance lies in preserving ancient Greek, Persian, and Indian knowledge while advancing fields like mathematics (algebra), medicine, and philosophy

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi

An Islamic scholar who contributed to many academic subjects (1201-1274)

Gave Muslims some of the most advanced mathematics, astronomy, medicine, law, and philosophy in the world at the time

China: Government Centralization (Emperor)

China’s government had power centralized in emperor (control under single authority)and bureaucracy (appointed officials who carry out emperor’s decisions)

China’s whole system was based in idea of Confucianism (started by Confucius in c. 500 B.C.E,); obedience to superiors and social harmony most important goals of citizens

• This belief system promoted the power of the emperor

Bureaucracy (China)

China’s government had power centralized in emperor (control under single authority)and bureaucracy (appointed officials who carry out emperor’s decisions)

- System grew under Song Dynasty and leaders created more bureaucratic positions
- Dynasty attempted to create more educational opportunities for lower class to pass civil service exams
- Officials are chosen based on skill and merit
Too many positions created→ costly for China

Civil service exam

The examination system was a test people could take to join government bureaucracy; made sure people were most qualified to do government jobs and run the empire more effectively

- Result=meritocracy- a government in which people are promoted based on ability; allowed for some social mobility

City-States

A city and its surrounding territory that have their own independence and rulers

- Form of government for the Mayans, which allowed cities to keep their own independence, but prevented the Mayans for having a united government system as a whole
- Aztecs used it, but lumped city-states together as provinces to keep control of larger areas by placing local warriors in charge

Kinship Kingdoms in Central Africa: City-States connected by trade

Originally all kinship based networks (groups based on family connections) governing various areas but growing population makes this inefficient- led to larger kingdoms

• Hausa kingdom in 1000 with 7 total states all connected through trade

• Ghana reaches peak from 8th-11th century and thrives from gold and ivory trade with Muslims 

  • King in Ghana keeps power centralized 

• Mali in the 12th-16th centuries ruled by Muslim kings (such as Mansa Musa) who used religious connection to keep trade thriving with North Africa (huge gold trade)

• Zimbabwe (on East Coast of Africa)- powerful between 12th-15th centuries and trades gold with Swahili city states through Indian Ocean trade 

Mayan city states: City-states connected by trade

• Lack of one central government with multiple city states instead- these states were united by common language, culture, and trade connections

  • Each ruled by their own king and wars were common between them due to fighting over influence and power