Ap World History Unit 2: Networks of Exchange

What time period was Networks of Exchange (Unit 2) in?

1200-1450

What were the Silk Roads?

a vast network of roads and trails that facilitated trade and the culture of ideas across Eurasia

What items were traded in the Silk Roads and Why?

Luxury Goods (Chinese Silk)= Roads were so vast that they needed to make profit

What were the causes of the Expansion of the Silk Road?

1. Innovations in Commercial Practices

2. Transportation

What were the innovations in commercial practices? (Silk Roads)

1. Paper Money: a merchant could deposit bills in one location & withdraw from another location (ease of trade + security of transaction)

2. Flying Money: merchants could secure paper money in one region and exchange it for coins in another

3. Banking Houses: could present a bill of exchange and receive the amount of $ equal to the bill

What were the innovations in transportation? (Silk Roads)

1. Caravanserai: series of inns and guests houses where merchants and their animals could stay for the night

   (provides safety + centers of cultural exchange)

2. Saddles: made riding easier over long distances + could load goods

What was the overall effect of these innovations (Silk Roads)?

1. Easier to pay + get paid for goods

2. Made traveling faster + safer

What were the effects of the Silk Roads?

1. New trading Cities

2. Increase demand in luxury goods

3. Cultural Diffusion

What were the new trading cities that emerged during the Silk Roads?

Kashgar: built around a river+ suitable for agriculture= merchants can stop for food and water

• With increasing demand of trade= Kashgar hosted profitable markets + thriving center for islamic scholarship

Proto-Industrilization

when China began producing more goods than the population could consume so they sold the goods in distant markets

Who was Genghis Khan? How did he start the Mongol Empire?

Genghis Khan: united Mongol groups and further conquered majority of Asia with the help of his sons after his death

How did the Mongols use their military power to gain control?

They were skillful riders + used bows to showcase their strong brutality which caused some areas to forfeit b/c of their reputation

How was the Mongol Empire organized?

• Into Khanates (military regions)

• They adopted many cultural norms in the areas they conquered

What was the economic situation like in the Mongol Empire?

1. The Silk Roads were very organized and prosperous

2. Improved Infractature (built bridges + repaired roads)

3. Increased Communication: “yam system” allowed them to create friendly ties across the empires which increased trade

What was the Technological and Cultural Transfers like during the Mongol Empire?

• Mongols had high opinions of intellectuals & skilled artisans=sent skilled people to different parts of the Empire=More cultural transfers

• Medical Knowledge

• Adoption of Uyghur Script

What main effect did the Mongol Empire have, despite their brutality?

Despite their brutality, they facilitated many cultural transfers across Eurasia

Indian Ocean Trade Network

a network of sea routes that connected various states throughout Afro-Eurasia through trade

What caused the Indian Ocean Trade to expand?

1. Collapse of the Mongol Empire: fall of the Mongol empire=fall of silk roads= greater emphasis on Indian Ocean Trade

2. Commercial Practices

3. Transportation Technologies

4. Spread of Islam: friendly to merchants=connections=increased trade

What technologies allowed the Indian Ocean Trade to expand?

1. Magnetic Compass

2. Astrolabe: measured stars to get location

3. Lateen Sail: allowed ships to take wind in any direction

4. Knowledge of Monsoon Winds: blew in directions depending on times of the year

5. Improvements in Ships: Junk Ships & Dhows

   • Ships=easier travel=common goods can be traded

What were the effects of the Indian Ocean Trade?

1. Trading Cities

2. Diasporic Communities

What were the trading cities that arose during Indian Ocean trade?

1. Swahili

2. Malacca: strait of Malacca; taxed ships

3. Gujarat: taxed ships

Diasporic Communities

group of people who established a home in another place while retaining customs

• connective links; increased scope of trade by introducing new cultures

Who was Zheng He and how did he transfer technology?

Zheng He: commissioned by Ming Dynasty to explore Indian Ocean + grow tributary system

• Ships were equipped with new technology= later adopted

• encouraged other areas to join trading

What was the Trans-Saharan Network?

a series of trade routes that connected North Africa an d the Mediterranean world with the interior of West Africa and Sub Saharan Africa

What caused the Trans-Saharan Network to expand?

1. Transportation Technologies (Camels)

2. Saddles

3. Caravanserai

   Inventions=Comfortable travel + carry bigger loads + find shelter= Greater expansion of network

What goods were traded on the Trans-Saharan Network? How did specialized regions impact the network?

1. Gold

2. Kola Nuts

3. Horses

4. Salt

Regions specialized in specific goods=demand to trade with each other=greater expansion of network

What empire grew due to the Trans-Saharan Network? how did converting to Islam help them?

Mali: converted to Islam=connected them to connections of Dar Al Islam=allowed them to grow more wealthy once participating in Trans-Saharan Network

How did Mali gain wealth? Who was Mansa Musa?

• Exported gold + taxed merchants traveling through their territory

• Mansa Musa: went on a pilgrimage to Mecca & while at a stop with Egypt he gave away gold=worth of gold rose

• Musa’s influence furthered trade=Mali became wealthier

What kind of exchanges did these trading networks facilitate?

1. Cultural Transfers

   • religion spread= areas took their own spin on in & added in their own cultural influence

2. Literacy + Artistic Transfers

3. Scientific +Technological Innovations

How did these trade routes expand cities?

Cities that were placed strategically began to become more urbanized and grow in wealth, influence, & productivity

How did these trade routes decline cities?

Militaries also began using these trade routes to captivate cities

How did these trade routes increase travel and allow people to write about their experiences?

Trade Routes provided safety & security

1. Ibn Battuta: muslim scholar; traveled over Dar Al Islam; wrote about places, ppl, and culture

   • helped readers develop understanding of others cultures

2. Marco Polo: Italy→ China; traveled throughout Indian Ocean

3. Margery Kemp: took pilgrimages to Christian sites; ppl were able to learn more art Christian variants

What were the environmental effects of these trading routes?

1. Diffusion of Crops/Agricultural Transfers

2. Disease

How did agriculture transfers effect the environment?

As more crops (bananas & fruits) were introduced in areas where they flourished=diets expanded=population growth

Bubonic Plague

Trade routes allowed this to spread easily due to everyone being in proximity with each other and traveling