WHAP LEQ planning guide

Prompt 1 contextualization

During the period 1450–1750, Europe and Asia experienced major transformations driven by state expansion, global trade, and intellectual change. Long-standing institutions like the Catholic Church, Confucian bureaucracy, and Islamic empires continued to shape political authority, even as new commercial and military developments challenged traditional power structures. The Protestant Reformation fractured Christian unity in Europe, while in Asia, states like the Mughal, Safavid, and Qing dynasties relied heavily on religious or philosophical systems to legitimize rule. At the same time, global interaction—through missionary activity, trade with the Americas, and the spread of gunpowder empires—intensified debates about religious authority, tolerance, and state control. Because of these global shifts, belief systems deeply influenced political structures, social hierarchies, and cultural developments across both regions.

prompt 1 evidence 1

Evidence 1 — Protestant Reformation → Political Fragmentation in Europe

Belief systems reshaped politics as the Protestant Reformation (1517+) led to the decline of unified Catholic authority and the rise of state-controlled churches, such as Henry VIII’s creation of the Anglican Church in England (1534). This shift allowed monarchs to centralize power and break from papal oversight.

Factor: Political
Region: Europe

prompt 1 evidence 2

Evidence 2 — The Counter-Reformation → Cultural + Social Control

The Catholic Counter-Reformation, including the Council of Trent (1545–1563) and the work of the Jesuits, used religious education, censorship, and art (Baroque style) to reinforce Catholic identity and combat Protestantism. This shaped cultural expressions and standardized Catholic doctrine across Europe.

Factor: Cultural / Social
Region: Europe

prompt 1 evidence 3

Evidence 3 — Confucianism in Ming/Qing China → Political Legitimacy + Social Order

In Asia, the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1912) dynasties used Neo-Confucianism and the civil service examination system to maintain bureaucratic control and reinforce strict social hierarchies, such as filial piety and patriarchal structures. This shows belief systems deeply shaping political authority and social norms.

Factor: Political / Social
Region: Asia (China)

prompt 1 evidence 4

Evidence 4 — Akbar’s Religious Policies in Mughal India → Cultural Synthesis + Social Tolerance

Emperor Akbar (r. 1556–1605) used religion to unify a diverse empire by promoting sulh-i kull (universal tolerance) and sponsoring a blended belief system called Dīn-i Ilāhī. His policies reduced tension between Muslims and Hindus and promoted cultural synthesis in art, architecture, and court life.

Factor: Political / Cultural
Region: Asia (India)

prompt 3 contextualization

Between 1450 and 1750, Eurasian land-based empires grew dramatically in size and complexity, relying on new gunpowder technologies, expanding bureaucratic systems, and state-sponsored religion to maintain control. The development of centralized administrations, state-supported militaries, and standardized tax systems allowed rulers to manage diverse populations across vast territories. Empires such as the Ming, Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal competed for influence along key trade routes, from the Indian Ocean basin to the Silk Roads. In this period, political legitimacy increasingly blended with religious authority, as rulers used architecture, art, and religious institutions to reinforce their right to rule. As a result, although each empire developed within unique cultural traditions, they shared many strategies for strengthening and expanding state power.

prompt 3 evidence 1

Evidence 1 — Ottomans: Devshirme + Janissary Corps (Political/Military Consolidation)

The Ottomans used the devshirme system to recruit Christian boys, convert them to Islam, and train them as elite Janissary soldiers and administrators loyal only to the sultan. This created a centralized, professional military and bureaucracy that reduced noble power and strengthened state authority.

Empire: Ottoman
Type: Political / military consolidation

prompt 3 evidence 2

Evidence 2 — Mughal Elite Military (Mansabdars) → Centralized Control

The Mughals used the mansabdari system, giving military officers ranked positions (mansabs) and revenue assignments (jagir) based on merit and loyalty.
Like the Ottomans, this reduced the independent authority of local chiefs and ensured direct loyalty to the emperor.

Type: Political + military consolidation
Empire: Mughal

prompt 3 evidence 3

Evidence 3 — Ottoman Use of Architecture (Süleymaniye Mosque) → Religious + Political Legitimacy

Süleyman the Magnificent commissioned major architectural works such as the Süleymaniye Mosque to display imperial wealth and reinforce his status as the protector of Sunni Islam.
Architecture served as a public demonstration of political authority and religious legitimacy.

Type: Cultural + religious consolidation
Empire: Ottoman

prompt 3 evidence 4

Evidence 4 — Mughal Use of Architecture (Taj Mahal + Fatehpur Sikri) → Imperial Power + Cultural Legitimacy

The Mughals similarly used monumental architecture—such as the Taj Mahal and the planned imperial city of Fatehpur Sikri—to display imperial authority and strengthen their image as universal rulers.
These buildings projected power across a diverse empire and helped legitimize Mughal rule.

Type: Cultural + political consolidation
Empire: Mughal

prompt 2 contextualization

Between 1450 and 1750, technological advances such as improved cartography, the magnetic compass, and deep-draft ships enabled long-distance oceanic voyages and rapid global expansion by European powers. These expeditions created the first truly interconnected world, linking Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas through trade, conquest, forced labor systems, and religious missions. The Columbian Exchange drastically altered ecosystems and demographics, while the rise of European-controlled trade networks reshaped long-standing political and economic systems across multiple continents. In this era, cross-cultural contact brought not only goods and wealth but also disease, new religions, intellectual ideas, and coerced labor systems. As a result, regions around the world experienced profound and often uneven transformations in economy, society, and cultural practices.

prompt 2 evidence 1

Evidence 1 — Americas: Columbian Exchange → Demographic Collapse + Economic Restructuring

European arrival brought smallpox, measles, and influenza, causing up to 90% population decline among Indigenous Americans. This demographic collapse enabled Europeans to establish systems like the encomienda and later hacienda systems, reshaping land ownership, labor, and agricultural production. Additionally, crops like sugar and tobacco became major plantation commodities tied to global markets.

Region: Americas
Impact: Social, demographic, economic

prompt 2 evidence 2

Evidence 2 — Africa: Transatlantic Slave Trade → Population Shifts + Political Centralization

As European demand for plantation labor increased, the Atlantic slave trade expanded dramatically, leading to the forced migration of around 12 million Africans. West African states like the Asante and Dahomey grew more centralized and militarized by participating in the trade, while others suffered depopulation and economic disruption.

Region: Africa
Impact: Political, demographic

prompt 2 evidence 3

Evidence 3 — Europe: Influx of Silver → Economic Change + Increased Global Power

European access to New World silver, particularly from Potosí, fueled the rise of capitalism and allowed states like Spain to fund global military campaigns. The massive flow of silver into Europe and then across Eurasia also contributed to inflation (the Price Revolution), reshaping European economies and increasing their involvement in global trade networks.

Region: Europe
Impact: Economic, political

prompt 2 evidence 4

Evidence 4 — Asia: Silver + Trade → Reshaping Asian Economies and Societies

European involvement in Asian trade networks—especially in the Indian Ocean—linked Asian economies more tightly to global markets. The Ming dynasty’s shift to a silver-based tax system increased dependence on global silver flows, while European companies like the Dutch VOC and British East India Company established monopolies on spices, textiles, and later opium. This intensified commercialization and altered traditional production systems (e.g., textile workshops in India producing for export).

Region: Asia
Impact: Economic, cultural

prompt 1

Prompt 1

In the period from 1450 to 1750, the continued development and interactions of belief systems often had political, social, and cultural implications. Develop an argument that evaluates the extent to which belief systems affected ONE or MORE of these factors in Europe and/or Asia during this period.

prompt 2

Prompt 2

Global cross-cultural interactions, including the transfer of knowledge, and the diffusion of resources, religion and culture, as a result of European exploration and colonization increased throughout the period 1450-1750. Develop an argument that evaluates the extent to which ONE or MORE of the following regions were affected by these new interactions.

Europe           Americas        Asia               Africa

prompt 3

Prompt 3

In the period circa 1450-1750, rulers of land-based empires used a variety of religious, political, and economic methods to legitimize and consolidate their power. Develop an argument that evaluates the extent to which TWO of the following land-based empires were similar in how they successfully consolidated or expanded their power during the period.

The Ming              The Ottoman         The Safavid       The Mughal