Units 1-4 detailed flashcards AP World

Aztecs

Mexica (meh-shee-ka) people who established a large empire in the Valley of Mexico (1325-1521).

Aztec Decline

Caused by Spanish conquistadors introducing disease, having superior technology, and getting conquered people to rise up against the Aztec rulers.

Mansa Musa

Ruler of the Kingdom of Mali known for his wealth and famous pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca, which spread Mali's fame and Islam's influence.

Great Zimbabwe

Large settlement in southeastern Africa (1000-1450) known for its massive stone enclosures.

Kilwa

A major East African city-state (957-1513) on the Swahili Coast that played a key role in the Indian Ocean trade.

Kilwa’s Cultural Impact

Interactions with Islamic and Indian Ocean sailors led to the adoption of Islam and the development of the Swahili language.

Astrolabe

Innovation important to Indian Ocean Trade that allowed sailors to determine their latitude by sighting the stars.

Lateen Sail

A triangular sail that allowed ships to sail against the wind; crucial innovation for the Indian Ocean Trade.

Emporium Cities

Large coastal cities that served as major commercial hubs where goods from one trade route were exchanged for goods of another (e.g., Calicut, Malacca, Canton).

Monsoon Winds

Seasonal wind patterns in the Indian Ocean that determined the timing and direction of sailing voyages, forcing traders to stay in emporium cities for months.

Zheng He

Chinese Muslim admiral who led massive Ming Dynasty treasure fleets across the Indian Ocean in the early 15th century to showcase Chinese power and collect tribute.

Trans-Saharan Goods

Gold, slaves, and ivory moving north; Salt, horses, and manufactured goods moving south.

Trans-Saharan Innovation

The camel saddle and use of caravans made long-distance trade across the desert possible.

Dar al Islam

Term referring to the vast region of the world under Islamic rule or influence; important for connecting Afro-Eurasian trade routes.

Formation of Swahili

Formed from cultural interactions between Bantu-speaking populations of East Africa and Arabic/Islamic sailors and traders in the Indian Ocean.

Bubonic Plague (Silk Road)

The Black Death spread westward along the Silk Road, carried by fleas on rats that traveled with merchants and goods.

Mongol Empire (Rule Strategy)

Effectively ruled vast conquered territories by allowing religious tolerance and employing foreign administrators (often Muslims or Chinese) from the conquered peoples.

Pax Mongolica

The period of stability under Mongol rule that led to a massive increase in trade, communication, and the speed of cultural diffusion across the Silk Roads.

Chinggis Khan

Principal Mongol ruler and founder of the Mongol Empire who unified the disparate nomadic tribes.

Khubilai Khan

Grandson of Chinggis Khan who established the Yuan Dynasty in China after defeating the Song Dynasty.

Yuan Dynasty

Mongol-led dynasty in China (founded by Khubilai Khan) that replaced the Song Dynasty.

Yuan Dynasty Practice Kept from Song

Continued to use the established taxation system and some bureaucratic structures of the Song Dynasty.

Marco Polo

Venetian merchant traveler who spent time in Khubilai Khan's court; his writings (later circulated in Europe) significantly impacted the European vision of Asian wealth and culture.

Gunpowder Empire (Definition)

Large states that relied on firearms (gunpowder weapons) to conquer, control, and expand their territories (e.g., Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal).

Devshirme System

Ottoman practice of taking Christian boys from conquered Balkan territories, converting them to Islam, and training them to become loyal, elite military (Janissaries) or bureaucratic administrators.

Selimiye Mosque (Legitimacy)

Ottoman architectural masterpiece built by Sinan; its monumental size and stunning design legitimized Ottoman power by displaying wealth, religious devotion, and engineering superiority.

Tax Farming (Ottoman)

An Ottoman method of tax collection where the government sold the right to collect taxes in a specific district to private individuals (tax farmers); often led to corruption and exploitation.

Q: Which khanate controlled Russia and primarily relied on extracting tribute from local princes rather than establishing a complex administrative structure like the Yuan Dynasty?

A: The Golden Horde.

Q: The most significant negative consequence of the stable and unified trade routes established during the Pax Mongolica was the:

A: Rapid and widespread diffusion of epidemic diseases, such as the Bubonic Plague.

Q: The primary economic effect of Mansa Musa's pilgrimage to Mecca in the Middle East and North Africa was to:

A: Cause a massive, temporary depreciation (inflation) of the price of gold in the regions he visited. Rationale: The massive amount of gold Mansa Musa distributed and spent temporarily flooded the regional markets, causing the value of gold to drop significantly.

Q: Which of the following Chinese technological innovations had the LEAST impact on the Indian Ocean trade network during the period c. 1200 to c. 1450?

A: Gunpowder. Rationale: Gunpowder was primarily used for land warfare and fireworks during this period and did not yet have a major impact on Indian Ocean naval technology or trade practices.

Q: The Mongol successor state that successfully conquered and destroyed the Abbasid Caliphate's capital of Baghdad in 1258 was the:

A: Ilkhanate of Persia.

Q: Which statement accurately distinguishes the contribution of Ibn Battuta from Marco Polo?

A: Ibn Battuta provided comprehensive accounts of the shared culture and institutions of Dar al-Islam, including the Trans-Saharan region, while Marco Polo focused on East Asia under the Yuan Dynasty.

Q: What prevented the Mongol Empire from successfully expanding into the tropical jungles and islands of Southeast Asia and Japan?

A: Physical/geographic constraints such as dense jungle terrain, vast distance from the homeland, and devastating typhoons ('kamikaze'). Rationale: The Mongol cavalry was ineffective in dense terrain, and the fleets faced environmental obstacles like the famous typhoons that destroyed the invasion of Japan.

Q: The Khanate of Chaghatai served as the geographic connection between the other three major Mongol successor states, occupying which modern-day region?

A: Central Asia.

Q: The adoption of the title Sultan by the Seljuk Turks upon taking control of the Abbasid Caliphate in the 11th century was significant because it confirmed their role as:

A: The supreme military and political ruler who commanded state power, while respecting the Caliph's ceremonial role. Rationale: The title 'Sultan' means 'power' or 'authority' and was used by military rulers who seized secular control while leaving the Caliph as a religious figurehead.

Q: Which traveler's writings are most valuable to historians for understanding the spread of Islamic law, social customs, and educational institutions across the Trans-Saharan trade network into West Africa?

A: Ibn Battuta. Rationale: Ibn Battuta’s travels included a detailed account of the Kingdom of Mali and other Trans-Saharan trade areas, documenting their Islamic culture.

Q: Which trade network was primarily responsible for linking the gold-producing interior of West Africa with the external markets of North Africa and the Mediterranean?

A: The Trans-Saharan Trade Network. Rationale: This network specialized in moving gold and enslaved persons north and salt/manufactured goods south across the vast Sahara Desert.

Q: The conversion of the Ilkhanate to Islam was politically necessary because it helped the Mongol rulers to:

A: Increase their legitimacy among the primarily Muslim local Persian and Turkish populations. Rationale: Converting to the majority religion significantly reduced local resistance and facilitated administrative cooperation with Persian officials.

QQ: The most significant environmental factor that limited the Mongol Empire's expansion into Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia was the:

A: Inability to successfully conduct naval campaigns and effective combat in dense forest/jungle terrain. Rationale: Mongol power relied on open steppe cavalry; they failed consistently in naval operations (Japan) and dense terrain (Vietnam/Middle East distances).

Q: The primary cause for the temporary but massive inflation of gold prices in the Mediterranean region during the 14th century was the:

A: Lavish distribution of gold by Mansa Musa during his pilgrimage through Cairo and Alexandria.

Q: The Khanate of Chaghatai was essential to the Pax Mongolica primarily because its location in Central Asia allowed it to:

A: Maintain the security and flow of the central overland Silk Roads between East and West. Rationale: Chaghatai was situated in the crucial landlocked hub that connected the Yuan Dynasty with the Ilkhanate and the Golden Horde.

Q: Which statement best defines the political role of the Sultan under the Seljuk Turks after they took over the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad?

A: The Sultan held supreme military and secular authority, effectively ruling the state while preserving the Caliph as a religious figurehead.

Q: The primary value of Marco Polo's Travels to contemporary Europeans was that his accounts:

A: Provided the first detailed descriptions of the wealth, technological sophistication, and vast size of China, inspiring later European interest in Eastern travel. Rationale: His writings introduced Europeans to the advanced civilization of the Yuan Dynasty, directly fueling the desire for Eastern goods and knowledge.

Q: A key difference between the Golden Horde and the Ilkhanate was that the Golden Horde's primary political strategy in Russia was to:

A: Maintain control through indirect rule by demanding tribute and military conscripts from subservient Russian princes. Rationale: This strategy minimized their administrative footprint while ensuring a steady flow of wealth and manpower from the vast territory.

Q: The main contribution of Ibn Battuta's travels to world history is that his Rihla confirmed the cultural and legal cohesion of:

A: The vast, interconnected societies of the Dar al-Islam, linked by shared Sharia law and education. Rationale: Battuta's travels proved that the Muslim world, though politically fragmented, was unified by a shared religion, legal system, and social customs.

Q: Which innovation was critical for Trans-Saharan travel but entirely unnecessary for sailing in the Indian Ocean?

A: The camel saddle, maximizing carrying capacity across arid land.

Q: The primary trade goods exchanged between the West African forest kingdoms and North Africa via the Trans-Saharan route were:

A: Gold and salt, essential for wealth in the North and survival in the South, respectively.

Q: Which Chinese technological invention had the least direct and measurable impact on the structure or mechanics of the Indian Ocean trade network before the 15th century?

A: Gunpowder.

Q: The long-term demographic and social effect of the Bubonic Plague in Europe was that it:

A: Caused a severe labor shortage, empowering peasants and leading to the eventual decline of serfdom and demands for higher wages.

Q: The Ilkhanate distinguished itself from the other Mongol Khanates primarily by:

A: Being the only Khanate to conquer and destroy the central religious and political heart of Sunni Islam (Baghdad).

Q: Which of the following describes the most accurate difference between Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta?

A: Polo was a merchant who documented a non-European civilization for European audiences; Battuta was a jurist who documented the shared religious culture of the Islamic world.

Q: A key factor that drove the Sultanate of Delhi's participation in the Indian Ocean trade was its role as a:

A: Primary source for luxury goods like high-quality cotton textiles and finished goods.

Q: Which event best represents the type of biological diffusion that flourished along the secure trade routes of the Pax Mongolica?

A: The transmission of the bacteria Yersinia pestis (responsible for the Bubonic Plague) from Central Asia to Europe.

Q: The Kingdom of Mali and the Swahili city-states shared a similar economic base for their immense wealth, which was rooted in the control and export of:

A: Precious metals, particularly gold, and control of valuable trade bottlenecks.

Q: The fall of the Abbasid Caliphate to the Ilkhanate in 1258 led directly to the rise of which alternative regional Islamic power that successfully resisted further Mongol expansion?

A: The Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt and Syria.

Q: Which of the following best describes the primary geographical function of the Trans-Saharan Trade Network in the 13th century?

A: To act as a conduit for the flow of gold from West Africa to the Mamluk and European economies via North African ports.

Q: The most defining political act of the Ilkhanate that permanently altered the Islamic world was the:

A: Unprecedented and violent conquest of Baghdad in 1258, resulting in the execution of the last Abbasid Caliph.

Q: Which statement accurately differentiates the economic function of the Trans-Saharan Trade from the Indian Ocean Trade during the 13th century?

A: The Trans-Saharan trade primarily moved low-bulk, high-value luxury items; the Indian Ocean trade moved mostly high-bulk, low-value staple goods. Rationale: The Trans-Saharan strictly prioritized high-value, low-bulk items (gold, salt, enslaved persons) due to the difficulty of overland transport.

Q: The Khanate of Chaghatai's geographic positioning made it militarily unstable but economically vital to the wider Pax Mongolica because it controlled:

A: The mountain passes and oasis cities that served as the bottleneck for the central, longest segment of the Silk Roads.

Q: A key difference in the governance models of the Golden Horde in Russia and the Ilkhanate in Persia was that the Golden Horde:

A: Relied heavily on the existing Russian princely system to administer and collect tribute, preserving local structures. Rationale: This indirect style of rule, using local princes as vassals, minimized the Mongol administrative burden in the vast, politically decentralized Russian territories.

Q: How did the wealth of the Kingdom of Mali, facilitated by the Trans-Saharan trade, compare to the wealth generated by the trading city-states along the Swahili Coast?

A: Mali's wealth was based on direct access to gold mines and control of an overland network; Swahili wealth was based on maritime control and access to ivory and gold from the interior. Rationale: Mali controlled the source and northern flow of gold, while Swahili cities were coastal middlemen for maritime trade.

Q: The conversion of the Ilkhanate to Islam caused a major political complication because it deepened the hostility with the neighboring Golden Horde for which two primary reasons?

A: The Ilkhans adopted a sedentary Persian lifestyle, which the nomadic Golden Horde leadership viewed as cultural betrayal and a loss of Mongol identity. Rationale: The Golden Horde leadership, which remained more nomadic, viewed the Ilkhans' assimilation as a departure from traditional Mongol values, intensifying their political rivalry.

Q: Which statement best illustrates the core economic lesson derived from Mansa Musa's lavish spending during his Hajj?

A: The massive, sudden influx of a precious commodity (gold) severely devalues that commodity in a localized market (Alexandria and Cairo). Rationale: The event demonstrated the principle of supply and demand: increasing supply of gold without a corresponding increase in demand causes devaluation of the gold itself.

Q: The political title Sultan, adopted by various Turkish rulers (e.g., Seljuks, Delhi Sultanate), best represents the rise of a political system characterized by:

A: A separation of powers where military and state administration was controlled by the Turkic Sultan, but religious legitimacy was deferred to the Arab Caliph. Rationale: The Sultan held the 'power' (the meaning of the title), while the Caliph maintained the ceremonial/religious prestige.

Q: A historian attempting to prove the cultural unity of the Dar al-Islam would most effectively use which piece of evidence from Ibn Battuta's travels?

A: His accounts of being hired as a qadi (judge) in places as distant as Mali, India, and the Swahili Coast, enforcing the same principles of Sharia Law.

Q: The rise of the Kingdom of Mali and the immense wealth of its capital cities, such as Timbuktu, depended most heavily on its strategic control over the:

A: Source areas for gold and the southern terminus of the Trans-Saharan trade routes.

Q: How did the Mongol's failed campaign against the Mamluk Sultanate in 1260 at Ain Jalut reflect a key limitation of the Ilkhanate in the long term?

A: It demonstrated that the Ilkhanate's cavalry-based military could not sustain long-term campaigns far from Central Asian steppes or overcome fierce, organized resistance.

Q: Which set of technological innovations was unique to the Trans-Saharan Trade and not used by the Indian Ocean Trade during this period?

A: Camel Saddles, the domestication of the Dromedary Camel, and the use of Salt as currency. Rationale: These technologies and practices were essential for crossing the desert and are specific to the Trans-Saharan network.

Q: The primary cause of the long-term political fragmentation in the Islamic world following the fall of the Abbasid Caliphate in 1258 was the rise of competing regional powers led by Sultans who claimed:

A: Legitimacy through military conquest and political dominance, creating a patchwork of independent states (Sultanates) that lacked a single religious head. Rationale: The elimination of the central Caliph and the rise of strong military rulers (Sultans) led to the permanent division of Islamic political power.

Q: The Trans-Saharan Trade was so profitable for intermediaries like the Kingdom of Mali was the bottleneck effect created by the scarcity of which two critical resources?

A: Gold (abundant only in the South) and Salt (abundant only in the North), creating a necessary, high-value exchange across the desert. Rationale: The highly unequal geographic distribution of these two essential, high-value commodities created a mandatory exchange point that allowed the intermediaries (like Mali) to collect heavy taxes and tolls.

Q: The Ilkhanate distinguished itself from the Yuan Dynasty in China primarily by the speed and depth of its cultural assimilation. This is best evidenced by the Ilkhanate's rapid integration of:

A: Persian administrative practices and the mass conversion of the ruling elite to Islam, creating a Perso-Islamic state structure.

Q: Salt played in the West African economy, making it a high-value import because:

A: It was essential for dietary health and the preservation of food in the hot, humid regions south of the Sahara.

Q: The political title Sultan ultimately became more powerful than the title Caliph in Baghdad after the Mongol invasion because:

A: The Mamluks reinstated a new Caliph in Cairo, but this Caliph's authority was now completely subordinate to the Mamluk Sultan's military power.

Q: The Golden Horde's policy of indirect rule in Russia inadvertently contributed to the rise of Moscow by:

A: Granting Muscovite princes the exclusive right to collect tribute for the Mongols, enabling them to centralize wealth and eventually challenge Mongol authority.

Q: The political hostility between the Ilkhanate and the Golden Horde in the late 13th century was ultimately driven by competition over:

A: Dominance over the rich grazing lands and the lucrative Black Sea/Caucasus trade routes that lay between their territories. Rationale: The strategic region of the Caucasus and the Crimean trade ports were contested ground, fueling military conflict and contributing to the disintegration of the unified Mongol Empire.

Q: The Mamluk Sultanate had a unique military advantage that helped them defeat the Mongols at Ain Jalut: their army was composed primarily of:

A: Trained Turkish slave-soldiers (Mamluks) who provided highly organized, professional, and loyal cavalry with discipline equal to the Mongols.

Q: The rise of the Sultanate of Delhi was analogous to the rise of the Seljuk Sultanate in that both involved:

A: Invasions by Turkic military groups who established rule by military force over a politically fragmented, but culturally sophisticated, non-Turkish society.

Q: The Ilkhanate's decision to embrace Islam was less a reflection of religious zeal and more a pragmatic political move designed to achieve what primary goal?

A: To solidify the loyalty of the large, sophisticated Persian and Turkic Muslim population necessary for local administration and governance. Rationale: The Mongol ruling minority could only govern effectively by gaining the cooperation of the local Muslim elite and population, which conversion achieved by granting them legitimacy.

Q: Which of the following would be the strongest counter-argument to the idea that the Pax Mongolica unified Eurasia?

A: The establishment of the Khanate system permanently divided the former empire into four politically and often militarily hostile successor states. Rationale: The empire fractured into hostile, independent Khanates that frequently warred with each other, demonstrating political disunity.

Q: The defeat of the Ilkhanate by the Mamluks at Ain Jalut was immediately followed by a shifting alliance with the Golden Horde. Why would the Muslim Mamluks ally with the then-pagan Golden Horde against the Ilkhanate?

A: The geopolitical rivalry between the two Mongol Khanates was stronger than the religious difference.

Q: Which of the following is the most accurate depiction of the flow of Trans-Saharan Trade?

A: Gold, enslaved persons, and ivory flowed North; Salt, luxury goods (horses, textiles), and books flowed South.

Q: The Kingdom of Mali's decision to embrace Islam was vital for the Trans-Saharan trade because it:

A: Provided legal and commercial kinship with North African merchants, creating trust and facilitating easier credit and contract enforcement under Sharia law. Rationale: Adopting the shared religious and legal framework of the northern merchants reduced transaction costs and built the trust necessary for long-distance trade.

Q: Unlike the Golden Horde, the Ilkhanate ruled an area that possessed a long history of centralized, settled civilization. This meant the Ilkhanate was forced to adopt a policy of:

A: Rapidly recruiting and integrating local Persian bureaucrats, scholars, and scientists to manage the sophisticated infrastructure and tax base.

Q: The political title Caliph retained a symbolic function within the Mamluk Sultanate primarily to:

A: Provide the Mamluk Sultan with an undisputed, traditional source of religious legitimacy to rule the Muslim heartlands. Rationale: By keeping a Caliph (even a puppet), the Mamluks could claim to be the protectors of Sunni Islam and the rightful leaders against external threats.

Q: A key difference in the economic structure of the Trans-Saharan Trade compared to the Silk Roads was that the Trans-Saharan network primarily involved reciprocal, high-volume exchange of:

A: Raw materials (gold, enslaved persons, ivory) for raw materials (salt, copper, raw textiles).

Q: The primary source of military manpower for both the Ilkhanate and the Golden Horde remained the Turkic and Mongolic nomadic cavalry. What does this fact most consistently suggest about the stability of the Pax Mongolica?

A: It was inherently unstable and prone to internal conflict as political power rested with large, rival nomadic military groups who valued conquest and mobility over settled governance.

Q: The political claim based on 'Hereditary claims based on descent from the Prophet Muhammad' (a common source of legitimacy) was least relevant to the rise and power of the:

A: Mamluk Sultanate, whose rulers gained power through the military strength of the slave-soldier caste rather than noble lineage.

Q: How did the increased use of gunpowder weapons and cannons contributed to the development and expansion of land-based empires from 1450 to 1750?

A: It rendered traditional defensive structures like feudal castles obsolete, making it easier for central governments to subdue powerful local nobility.

Q: The Devshirme system in the Ottoman Empire directly supported the consolidation of the Sultan's power by:

A: Establishing a bureaucracy and elite military corps (Janissaries) composed of slaves who were personally and completely loyal to the Sultan.

Q: The construction of the Palace of Versailles by Louis XIV of France and the Alternate Attendance Policy enforced by the Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan are historically similar because both methods were used to:

A: Centralize power and control the nobility (Daimyo or French Aristocracy) by financially draining them and forcing them to reside near the central authority.

Q: Which pair of empires demonstrated the most intense political and religious rivalry during the 1450–1750 period, based primarily on the deep schism within Islam?

A: Safavid Empire (Shi'a) and Ottoman Empire (Sunni).

Q: How did the Zamindar tax collection system aid the Mughal Empire in consolidating its power and generating revenue?

A: It allowed local elites to collect taxes and keep a portion, thereby linking local power holders to the central government's success and ensuring stable revenue.

Q: The development of Sikhism in South Asia during this period is an example of cultural syncretism primarily because the belief system:

A: Blended the monotheism of Islam with the concepts of reincarnation and karma from Hinduism.

Q: The Protestant Reformation's core challenge to the existing Christian tradition in Europe was best exemplified by Martin Luther's argument that:

A: Salvation was achieved through faith alone (sola fide) and scripture alone (sola scriptura), not by good works or by paying for indulgences.

Q: In Ming and Qing China, the Forbidden City and the Emperor's title as the Son of Heaven both served to legitimize rule by:

A: Separating the Emperor from the outside world through monumental architecture, reinforcing his divine connection and absolute political authority.

Q: Which Ottoman ruler is best known for capturing Constantinople, renaming it Istanbul, and thus completing the development of the Ottoman Empire into a transcontinental power?

A: Mehmed the Conqueror. Rationale: Mehmed II captured Constantinople in 1453 using massive cannons, securing the empire's dominance and making Istanbul its new capital.

Q: The French Monarchy's use of the Intendant system under Louis XIV was a method of power consolidation that focused on:

A: Employing royal officials to oversee all aspects of local administration, thereby reducing the traditional power of the French nobility in the provinces.

Q: The primary strategic motivation for the Safavid Empire to declare Shi'a Islam (Shiism) as its official state religion was to:

A: Create a unique religious identity that justified their political independence and opposition to the powerful Sunni Ottoman Empire.