Units 1+2 of WHAP world history(minus South Asia's religious developments)

Describe China before 1250

China relied on a bureaucracy and separated eras into dynasties. Zhu Xi used Buddhism and Daoism to develop Confucianism, though rejected at first, his ideas were later developed as Neo- Confucianism and became dominant in Chinese philosophy.

Identify Yin, Yang, Dao, and the mandate of heaven in the Chinese dynastic cycle

Yin and Yang are cosmic forces that explain the nature of all things, and the Dao(essentially heaven) had to live in harmony with the emperor to remain in power. If anything went wrong, the mandate of heaven would be lost, justifying the emperors overthrow.

Describe the Song empire(1100’s)

The Song empire successful in terms of economy, but Zhu Xi(born in that time) saw its faults and called out the imperial government. He was disliked so much, he got kicked out by the government, but after his passing in 1200 CE, his ideas of neo-confucianism were quickly implemented. His ideas lasted through the Mongol/Yuan Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty, lasting up to 1905.

List the different developments of China and how they affected people(5)

Agricultural boom- large increase in population from 45 mill to 115 mill by 1200 CE.

Porcelain- The Tang and Song Dynasties allowed for the creation of chinaware and culture

Printing and gunpowder (gunpowder empires will emerge and will improve military)

Naval technology led to the increased usage of maritime trade.

Paper money benefited transactions as they largely economically expanded, but was overprinted creating less value of the money.

How did Meccas location benefit the Arabs

Mecca was the perfect location to facilitate trade routes in West Africa along the Trans-Saharan and routes straight to East Asia.

Describe Mohammed’s life and emergence as a religious leader.

He was born in Mecca and travelled as a merchant, where he had his 1st vision as a prophet, “Recite!” He converted more and more people while battling assassination attempts by the Quryash, and eventually won.

Describe what the Ummah is

A community of faithful Muslims, and their victories and defeats depend on God’s support.

What are all the Khalifa’s/caliphs and what did they each do?

1. Abu Bakr(632-634 AD)- reunited Ummah and reconquered Arabia

2. Omar-(634-644 AD)- declared jihad(religious war) against rival empires and was tolerant of other religions

3. Othman(644-656 AD)- finished the Qur’an and increased taxes, leading to his assassination.

4. Ali(656-661 AD)-Moves the capital from Medina to Kufa and gets assassinated by one of his followers.

Describe Islam’s rise and divisions within it

Islam first rose with the 5 pillars of Islam→

1. Mohammed is the only prophet

2. Regular prayer

3. Give to poor

4. Fast during Ramadan

5. Traveling to Mecca if able

Shia- was in support of Ali’s descendants, and the imam was the man connected to god.

Sunni- believed in Mohammed and the Qur’an, and is currently the more dominant and accepted Muslim form today.

Describe the overthrow of the Umayyads

The Shia and the Persians united against Umayyads because they were suppressed, so Abu Muslim raised an army and overthrew them(Great Zab River) to create the Abbasid dynasty. Though Abu Muslim was the one who overthrew them, Abbas took the credit and became the next Khalifa.

How did the Abbasids rule

From 750 to 1258 CE, they used polical power, assasination, secret police, and armies to maintain rule, and embracing the Sunni Islams despite the Shia Islams help. Baghdad was built during this time to become the capital, prospering through trade of port facilities out into the Indian Ocean due to its connection to 2 rivers.

What was Europe’s economy like from 1250 to 1450

Used Guilds(for certain professions) and towns(centers of trade)

What was Europe politically like from 1250 to 1450

Feudalism, the main political system, worked through loyalty in exchange for land. Religious figures of Catholicism had the real power.

How did Justinian impact the early Byzantine empire?

He built the “Hagia Sophia” church(Christian architecture, made the Justinian Code, and attempted to conquer the Roman Empire.

How did Islam impact the Byzantine Empire

Constantinople was taken over by Muslim forces in 1453, marking the end of Byzantine rule and the rise of the Ottoman Empire.

Why was the Byzantine and Western Europe economically successful?

Byzantine- silk manufacturing and Constantinople for trade, very urbanized(Alexandria, Damascus, Antioch)

W Europe- Heavy plows developed agriculture, but remained very rural due to constant invasion.

What was the Great Schism

Separated the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church in 1054, leading to theological and political differences between the two branches of Christianity.

What was the Bantu migration

Central Africas migrating to South Africa, bringing with them bananas, iron metallurgy(500 BCE), and pushing out forest dwellers.

Describe Sub-Saharan African societies(Bantu Kingdoms) before Islam

Kinship/family-based societies were common

The Kingdom of the Congo was very prosperous in trade networks

Portuguese slave trade, destroying Kongo’s organization of government.

Men had more rights than women

Explain the Spread of Christianity into Sub Saharan Africa

Centered in Axum(Ethiopia), Kebra Negast(story) popularized it, and carved rock churches were made.

Explain the Spread of Islam into Sub Saharan and West Africa

The Sahara was a barrier to the spread, but camels allowed travel via Islamic merchants. The Kingdom of Ghana centered the spread and also prospered in terms of wealth due to the Trans Saharan Gold Salt trade.

Describe Indian Ocean trade in East Africa

Swahili city states were developed on the Coast, and Kilwa became the busiest city on the E African Coast.

Products exchanged included silk, cotton, textiles, perfumes, pearls, Chinese porcelain, slaves, ivory, and gold.

Proof of Islam’s influence in West Africa

Mansa Musa reigned over the Mali empire and its gold salt trade, going on Hajj to Mecca and spreading so much wealth and gold around West Africa(Cairo, Mecca, Niani, Timbuktu), even building a Muslim university.

Describes Hinduisms beginnings in South Asia

Hinduism originated in India around 1500 BCE, a monistic faith interpreting Brahman in multiple forms, emphasizing concepts such as karma, dharma, and moksha and making the caste system.

What is Buddhism in South Asia in the beginning?

Evolved from Hinduism, relies on Nirvana as a way to end suffering(the 8 fold path) and rejects the caste system of Hindus.

How did trade begin in the Indian Ocean for South Asia(5 things)?

Dhows- ships for trade favored by monsoon winds

Junks- large vessels of cargo carrying ships

monsoons- seasonal wind

emporia- commercial center and warehouses

Siraf- Port city surrounded by desert with wealth from the Silk Road and Indian Ocean Basin.

Describe the Mexica/ Aztec society(1325-1521)

Developed in Lake Texcoco with agricultural innovations of chinampas(floating crops), had alliances and maintained wealth and unity through human sacrifice, merchants with luxury products(jade, emeralds, tortoise shells), and tribute from conquered peoples. Used bloodletting as their main reason for human sacrifice, to let the blood flow means moisture for crops.

Describe the Inca Society(1400’s to 1530’s)

Depended on llamas, alpacas, coca(cocaine), Inca roads(communication) across their large empire. Were very religious, and utilized terrace farming for agriculture.

Describe Island society developments(Oceania)

Describe the rise of Turkish Mamluks(1250-1517)

Describe the Mongols and their society in different regions?

The Mongols started by Ghengis Khan, mainly had the goal of religious toleration, protecting silk road merchants, and expanding their empire through conquest. They utilized foreign diplomats like Marco Polo to run China in place of the bureaucracy, and used tribute to maintain wealth.

How did the Mongol Empire end(1206-1368)

The Mongol empire began to struggle with the introduction of paper money and infighting among the khanates, especially within China, the bubonic plague, and peasant rebellion.

Who was Ibn Battuta and how did he spread Islam(1304-1377)

Spread Sufi Islam through his first Hajj to Mecca and hist travel to the middle east and east Africa, East Europe and central Asia, spreading Islam and visiting cities of Damascus, Cairo, and Delhi, central Asian merchant cities. In Spain, the “Reconquista of Spain” prevented the spread of Islam where they were very intolerant.

What was “the little ice age”(1000-1300 CE)

Temperatures became colder, famine occured with shorter growing seasons.

What were the effects of the Bubonic Plague(1346)

Spread by Mongol Merchants along trade routes, Black sea ports, and the Mediterranean Basin(Italian Merchants), an overall decrease in population led to labor shortages, social unrest, higher wages demanded by Wester Europe, the reimposition of serfdom and labor led to rebellion.

What were South Asia’s political developments(500-1500 BCE)

Rise of multiple Hindu Kingdoms in southern regions of India;

Chola Kingdom- used Indian Ocean trade and loose gov.

Vijayanagar kingdom- had hostilities between Muslims and Hindus and used Muslim merchants to maintain their wealth.