AP World History Unit 1 Review Flashcards

Flashcards covering key topics from Heimler's History Unit 1 review guide, designed to help students prepare for the AP World History exam.

What is a state?

An organized political community under one government

How did the Song Dynasty maintain and justify their rule?

The revival of Confucianism, or Neo-Confucianism, and the use of an imperial bureaucracy and the Civil Service Exam helped to legitimize its rule.

What were some of the main ideas of Confucianism?

Society is hierarchical, harmony depends on keeping the proper relationships, and filial piety is emphasized.

What was life like for women in Song China?

Women were in a subordinate position, stripped of legal rights, had limited access to education, and footbinding became popular in elite circles.

How did China influence its neighbors in East and Southeast Asia?

Korea adopted the civil service exam and Buddhism.

What are the basic tenets of Buddhism?

The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path

What are some of the different forms of Buddhism?

Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism

What helped Song China to have such a strong economy?

Inherited prosperity and growth from previous dynasties, population doubled, economy commercialized, and the expansion of the Grand Canal helped facilitate trade.

Why was the introduction of Champa Rice so important for the Song Dynasty?

It was a drought-resistant crop that matured early, increasing the amount of food available and increasing the population.

What was the Chinese Tribute System?

Countries acknowledge China's superiority and gain access to trade rights.

What is the connection between Islam, Judaism, and Christianity?

All practiced in Dar al-Islam and claimed to be in the line of God’s messengers and were monotheistic.

Describe the condition of the Abbasid caliphate c. 1200.

By 1200 the Abbasid caliphate had begun to break up and lose its powerful position in the Muslim world. In 1258 their capital, Baghdad was conquered by the Mongols which was their end. They were dominated by ethnic Turks, not Arabs.

Describe the rise of the Seljuk Empire.

The Seljuks were Turks from Central Asia who the Abbasids tried to use to prop up their failing state. However, they created their own empire instead and became a dominant force in the region.

Describe the new Islamic political entities that replaced the declining Abbasid caliphate.

The Delhi Sultanate in South Asia and the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt.

What practices in the new Islamic empires were borrowed from previous empires?

Sharia law, a legal code based on the Quran.

What were some of the intellectual innovations of Dar al-Islam and their effects?

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi invented trigonometry and Muslim scholars preserved the works of Greek philosophers.

Describe the expansion of the Islamic World c. 1200-1450.

Empires spread through military expansion, the travels of Muslim merchants, and the work of missionaries like the Sufis.

What religions could be found in South Asia and what effect did they have on society?

Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism

What religions could be found in Southeast Asia?

Buddhism and Islam

Describe the emergence of new states in South and Southeast Asia and how they kept power.

The Delhi Sultanate was in Northern India and the Rajput kingdoms were rival warring Hindu Kingdoms.

Describe the emergence of new states in South and Southeast Asia and how they kept power.

The Vijayanagara Empire was a Hindu kingdom formed by brothers who had previously converted to Islam.

Describe the emergence of new states in South and Southeast Asia and how they kept power.

The Majapahit Kingdom on Java was a Buddhist Kingdom who maintained influence by controlling sea routes for trade.

Describe the emergence of new states in South and Southeast Asia and how they kept power.

The Khmer Empire began as a Hindu Empire, but eventually leadership adopted Buddhism. Art and architecture (like Angkor Wat) reflect both faiths.

Describe the development of the Aztec Civilization.

Founded in Mesoamerica in 1345 by the Mexica, their capital was the magnificent Tenochtitlan. They were decentralized in how they ruled, conquered people were forced to pay tribute in goods or labor.

How did the Inca maintain and improve their empire?

The Inca had an elaborate bureaucracy throughout the Andean region to control conquered territories. They were highly centralized in how they ruled and used the mit'a system as a source of labor for state projects.

Describe Mississippian Culture.

Located in North America around the Mississippi River Valley, they focused on agriculture and were known as mound builders.

Describe the development of the Swahili Civilization in East Africa.

Swahili city-states grew powerful due to Indian Ocean Trade. They were politically independent but very influenced by merchants from Dar al-Islam. The language Swahili is a combination of Bantu and Arabic.

Describe the development of the empires of West Africa (Ghana, Mali, and Songhay).

These were powerful and highly centralized empires that also grew due to trade with Dar al-Islam. The elites of society converted to Islam, but most subjects held onto indigenous beliefs.

How was the Hausa Kingdom, also in West Africa, different from the empires there?

They were decentralized city-states that shared a common culture and grew powerful through trade because they acted as brokers for trans-Saharan trade.

Describe how the development of Great Zimbabwe in Southern Africa was similar and different from other African states in this time.

It became wealthy due to trade, farming and cattle herding. Its main source of wealth was the gold trade. It was different in that the rulers and people never adopted Islam but maintained their indigenous shamanistic faith.

Describe how the development of Ethiopia in East Africa was similar and different from other African states in this time.

It grew due to trade with the Mediterranean and Arabian peninsula. They had a monarch and strict hierarchy like other states. The big difference is that they were Christians.

Describe the belief systems of Europe and how they affected European society.

Christianity dominated Europe, but in the East the most powerful state, the Byzantine Empire, practiced Orthodox Christianity. Muslims were primarily in the Iberian Peninsula and Jews were a minority group who faced waves of anti-Semitism.

What was feudalism?

The political system of decentralized Europe where powerful lords and kings gained allegiance from lesser lords, who became their vassals.

What was manorialism and what was serfdom?

The economic system of decentralized Europe where peasants were bound to the land where they lived and worked in exchange for a lord’s protection.