AP World History Review

Main Topics to Know for AP World Exam!!

Song Dynasty (Unit 1)

Chinese dynasty that used Confucianism, civil service exams, and bureaucracy.

Song Dynasty Economic Innovations (Unit 1)

Economic innovations of Song Dynasty China including Champa rice, paper money, the Grand Canal, and iron/steel production.

Song Dynasty Cultural Traditions(Unit 1)

Cultural traditions in Song Dynasty China including Filial piety, Buddhism, and Confucianism.

Neighbors Influenced by China(Unit 1)

Korea, Japan, and Vietnam

Islamic State Rise(Unit 1)

Abbasid decline, Seljuks, Mamluks, and the Delhi Sultanate.

Cultural Impacts of Islam(Unit 1)

Architecture, calligraphy, universities

Scholarly Advances in Islam(Unit 1)

House of Wisdom (Baghdad), medicine, math, translations

Hindu/Buddhist States(Unit 1)

Srivijaya (Buddhist) and Vijayanagara (Hindu)

Americas & Africa (c. 1200-1450)(Unit 1)

Inca roads, Mexica tribute, Mali's gold wealth

Decentralized Europe(Unit 1)

Feudalism, manorialism, Catholic Church's power.

Religion & Politics (c. 1200-1450)(Unit 1)

Caliphs, divine kingship in Africa, Catholic pope

Cultural Diffusion (c. 1200-1450)(Unit 1)

Spread of Islam (Africa, India), Buddhism (SE Asia)

Travelers (c. 1200-1450)(Unit 1)

Ibn Battuta (Islamic world), Marco Polo (China), Margery Kempe (pilgrimage)

Compare States (c. 1200-1450)(Unit 1)

Centralized Song vs. decentralized Europe vs. tribute-based Aztecs

Silk Roads(Unit 2)

Luxury goods (silk, porcelain), caravanserai, paper money

Mongol Empire(Unit 2)

Unified Silk Roads, protected trade, spread gunpowder/plague

Indian Ocean Trade(Unit 2)

Monsoon winds, Swahili coast cities, diasporic Muslim/Chinese communities

Trans-Saharan Trade(Unit 2)

Gold, salt, camels, spread of Islam to West Africa

Cultural Effects of Trade (c. 1200-1450)(Unit 2)

Spread of Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism; diasporic communities

Environmental Effects of Trade (c. 1200-1450)(Unit 2)

Champa rice, bananas, black plague, soil exhaustion

Compare Trade Networks (c. 1200-1450)(Unit 2)

Silk Roads (luxury goods), Indian Ocean (bulk goods), Trans-Saharan (overland, camels, gold)

Gunpowder Empires(Unit 3)

Ottomans(janissaries), Safavids(Shi'a), Mughals(Akbar)

Centralized Bureaucracy (c. 1450-1750)(Unit 3)

Ottoman devshirme, Mughal zamindars, Chinese exams

Religious Policies (c. 1450-1750)(Unit 3)

Sikhism, Akbar’s tolerance, Tokugawa Neo-Confucianism

Compare Empires (c. 1450-1750)(Unit 3)

Admin systems, military tech, religion (Shi’a Safavids vs. Sunni Ottomans)

Tech for Sea Travel (c. 1450-1750)(Unit 4)

Astrolabe, compass, caravel, lateen sail

Exploration Causes (c. 1450-1750)(Unit 4)

Gold, Glory, God, Mercantilism

Columbian Exchange (c. 1450-1750)(Unit 4)

Maize/potatoes to Old World, smallpox/horses to New World

Maritime Empires (c. 1450-1750)(Unit 4)

Spain, Portugal, Britain, France, Dutch — used joint-stock companies

Governance of Empires (c. 1450-1750)(Unit 4)

Viceroy, Royal Charters, British EIC, slavery

Resistance to Empires (c. 1450-1750)(Unit 4)

Maroon communities, Pueblo Revolt, King Philip’s War

Social Hierarchies (c. 1450-1750)(Unit 4)

Casta system in Spanish America, Creoles, mestizos

Economic Strategies (c. 1450-1750)(Unit 4)

Mercantilism, joint-stock companies, silver trade

Effects on Societies (c. 1450-1750)(Unit 4)

African diaspora, population collapse in Americas, syncretism

Compare Maritime Empires (c. 1450-1750)(Unit 4)

Spanish vs. Dutch vs. Portuguese — goals and governance

Enlightenment Ideas(Unit 5)

Natural rights, social contract, John Locke, Voltaire

Revolutions(Unit 5)

American (1776), French (1789), Haitian (1791), Latin American (Bolívar)

Industrial Revolution Causes(Unit 5)

Coal, iron, rivers, capital, inventions in Britain

Spread of Industrialization(Unit 5)

US, Japan, Germany

New Tech (c. 1750-1900)(Unit 5)

Steam engine, railroads, telegraph

Government Roles (c. 1750-1900)(Unit 5)

Meiji reforms, state-funded railroads/canals

Economic Systems (c. 1750-1900)(Unit 5)

Capitalism (Adam Smith), laissez-faire, Marxism

Labor Systems (c. 1750-1900)(Unit 5)

Factory work, child labor, trade unions

Responses to Capitalism(Unit 5)

Socialism, Utopian socialism, labor strikes

Social Changes (c. 1750-1900)(Unit 5)

Middle class rise, women in factories, urbanization

Compare Revolutions(Unit 5)

Haitian vs. French; outcomes and ideals

Imperial Motives (c. 1750-1900)(Unit 6)

Social Darwinism, nationalism, civilizing mission

Imperial Expansion (c. 1750-1900)(Unit 6)

Scramble for Africa, India under British Raj

Resistance to Imperialism(Unit 6)

Zulu Kingdom, Mahdist revolt, Sepoy Rebellion

Global Economy (c. 1750-1900)(Unit 6)

Raw materials exported, cash crops like cotton/rubber

Economic Imperialism(Unit 6)

British in India, US in Latin America, Opium Wars

Migration Causes(Unit 6)

Indentured labor, famine, economic opportunity

Migration Effects(Unit 6)

Ethnic enclaves, anti-immigrant policies (Chinese Exclusion Act)

Causation of Imperialism(Unit 6)

Industrial capitalism drove global imperialism

Power Shifts (c. 1900-present)(Unit 7)

End of empires (Ottomans, Qing), rise of Germany/Japan

WWI Causes(Unit 7)

Militarism, alliances, imperialism, nationalism

WWI Conduct(Unit 7)

Trench warfare, total war, propaganda

Interwar Economy(Unit 7)

Great Depression, Keynesian economics

Post-WWI Tensions(Unit 7)

Treaty of Versailles, rise of fascism/Nazism

WWII Causes(Unit 7)

Appeasement, Hitler, expansionism

WWII Conduct(Unit 7)

Blitzkrieg, atomic bombs, Axis vs. Allies

Mass Atrocities(Unit 7)

Holocaust, Armenian genocide, Rwandan genocide

Causation of Total War(Unit 7)

Nationalism + imperialism + economic issues → total war

Cold War Causes(Unit 8)

U.S. vs. USSR ideologies, nuclear arms race

Cold War Events(Unit 8)

NATO, Warsaw Pact, proxy wars (Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan)

Cold War Effects(Unit 8)

Non-alignment, military-industrial complex, economic alliances

Communism Spreads(Unit 8)

China (Mao Zedong), Cuba, North Korea

Decolonization(Unit 8)

India (Gandhi), Ghana (Kwame Nkrumah), Algeria, Vietnam

Challenges for New Nations(Unit 8)

Challenges with ethnic division, authoritarianism

Global Resistance(Unit 8)

Civil rights, anti-apartheid (Mandela), feminism

Cold War Ends(Unit 8)

Fall of Berlin Wall, USSR collapse

Causation: Cold War Ends(Unit 8)

Economic strain and reform → Cold War ends

Tech Growth (c. 1900-present)(Unit 9)

Internet, green revolution, shipping containers

Health Crises (c. 1900-present)(Unit 9)

HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, vaccinations

Environmental Issues (c. 1900-present)(Unit 9)

Climate change, deforestation, Paris Agreement

Global Economy (c. 1900-present)(Unit 9)

WTO, IMF, multinational corporations

Reform Movements (c. 1900-present)(Unit 9)

Women’s rights, environmentalism, civil rights

Culture (c. 1900-present)(Unit 9)

Hollywood, K-pop, social media — global exchange

Resistance to Globalization(Unit 9)

Terrorism, anti-globalization protests

Global Institutions(Unit 9)

UN, EU, NGOs, human rights courts

Continuity/Change (c. 1900-present)(Unit 9)

Global interdependence, inequality persists