World History Review

Flashcards for exam review based on lecture notes.

What characterized the Delhi Sultanate, Seljuk Empire, and Mamluk Empire?

They were Turkic and utilized Sharia Law, differing from previous Islamic empires.

What was a key difference between Song China and previous dynasties?

It maintained rule through Confucianism and an imperial bureaucracy, with Buddhism shaping society and a flourishing economy.

What is Neo-Confucianism?

A revival of Confucianism in the Song dynasty, carried over from the Tang dynasty, without Buddhist influence. It is a hierarchical vision of reality.

How did Song China's economy flourish?

Due to expansion of the Grand Canal, which facilitated trade, and the introduction of paper money and credit.

How did Islam spread?

Through military expansion (e.g., Delhi Sultanate), trade, and Sufi missionaries. States in Africa converted to Islam to participate in Dar al-Islam trade.

What role did merchants play in the spread of Hinduism and Buddhism?

Merchants introduced Hinduism and Buddhism in Southeast Asia. Srivijaya, for example, was a Hindu empire prospering from taxing ships in the Strait of Malacca.

What contributed to Great Zimbabwe's prosperity?

Gold and participation in the Indian Ocean Trade, leading to the creation of Swahili, a syncretic language between Arabic and Bantu languages.

What innovations facilitated the growth of commerce on the Silk Roads?

Caravanserai (places of rest and cultural exchange) and saddles.

How was the Aztec empire's state-building unique?

Through a tribute system, inheriting a decentralised structure from the Maya, where conquered peoples sent tributes.

What characterized state building in Europe?

Religious belief, feudalism, and decentralised monarchies.

What was the manorial system?

A system where serfs lived on the manor and were bound to the land, with each manor being a center of power.

How did the 3-field system improve agriculture?

By planting two fields while leaving one empty to replenish nutrients, leading to increased food production.

How did geography affect trade in the Indian Ocean?

Understanding of monsoon winds, use of lateen sails, the magnetic compass and astrolabe facilitated Indian Ocean trade.

Why were the Voyages of Zheng He significant?

They were a series of expeditions on the Indian Ocean under the Ming Dynasty, aimed at enrolling states in the Chinese Tributary System.

What role did the Mongols play in trade?

Although producing few sellable goods themselves, the Mongols controlled almost all trade routes. They extracted wealth as facilitators of trade.

What caused the fall of Baghdad and the Abbasid Caliphate?

Interconnections due to trade routes, which led to the Mongol invasion.

How did bananas affect Africa?

Bananas spread from Southeast Asia to Africa, leading to population growth and dietary variety.

What was the Devshirme system in the Ottoman Empire?

A system where enslaved Christians were converted to Islam and became Janissaries, an elite squad.

How did Akbar maintain control over the Mughal Empire?

Through tolerance of religious beliefs.

How did rulers legitimize their power?

Claiming divine right (European kings), using architecture (Louis XIV’s Palace of Versailles, Qing portraits), or religion (Aztec human sacrifice, Incan sun temple).

What was the Zamindar system in the Mughal Empire?

Tax collectors (zamindars) collected taxes from the mostly Hindu population for the Muslim rulers.

How did the Protestant Reformation cause conflict?

Martin Luther denounced the Catholic Church, leading to a split in Christianity between Roman Catholics and Protestants which caused conflict among various rulers.

What maritime technologies did Europeans borrow and update?

The astrolabe, magnetic compass, and lateen sails.

What characterized the Portuguese empire?

A trading post empire made up of strong, strategically placed trading posts around the African coasts and throughout the Indian Ocean.

What was the goal of Spain sponsoring Columbus?

To find a water route to participate in the Asian spice trade.

What was the Columbian Exchange?

The transfer of animals, plants, foods, and diseases between Europe and the Americas.

How did the British gain control in India?

By exploiting the divisions between Hindus and Muslims.

What was the encomienda system?

A coerced labor system where indigenous people worked the fields for the Spanish.

What was the Mita System?

Incan coerced labor system was used by the Spanish to mine silver in the Americas

What characterized the Trans-Atlantic Trade System?

Manufactured goods were traded from Europe to West Africa for enslaved people, who were sent to the Americas, and raw materials from America were sent back to Europe.

Why did maritime empires develop?

The big idea is to establish colonies to enrich the homeland by providing agricultural and mineral wealth.

What principles embodied the Enlightenment?

Natural Rights and the Social Contract.

What factors led to the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain?

Proximity to waterways, lots of coal and iron, urbanization, improved agricultural productivity, and the protection of private property.

For what reason did Japan embrace industrialization?

Defensively, so they didn't fall prey to western takeover.

What replaced Mercantilism during the industrial revolution?

Free Market Capitalism.

What advances occurred during the Industrial Revolution?

The use of steel as a main building material as well as utilization of internal combustion engines.

What factors contributed to Imperialism?

Social Darwinism, the desire to spread Christianity, nationalist motives, and economic motives (raw materials and new markets).

What was the goal of the Berlin Conference?

To divide up Africa among European powers without conflict.

What was the Sepoy Rebellion?

A form of direct resistance to imperial powers in India.

What effects did economic imperialism have on colonized nations?

Colonial economies were weakened because they were growing cash crops but had to purchase their food supply from their imperial parents.

What caused massive migrations between 1750-1900?

People migrated for work, due to bad conditions in their homelands (e.g., Irish Potato Famine), and by taking advantage of cheap transportation technology.

What caused WWI?

A combination of militarism, alliances, imperialism, and nationalism, triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

What factors caused WWII?

The unsustainable peace agreement of WW1, the economic crisis, and the rise of fascist regimes, most notably, Nazi Germany

For what reason did the US drop 2 atomic bombs during WW2?

To deter Japan.

What caused the end of the Cold War?

U.S. military development, the Soviet Union's failed invasion of Afghanistan, and the reform policies of Mikhail Gorbachev.

What did Gorbachev introduce?

Significant reforms such as the restructuring of the soviet economy to reduce the governments influence and the policy of openness that allowed free speech.

What inventions in the 20th & 21st centuries spurred globalization?

Communication technologies such as radios, the internet, and cell phones as well as shipping containers.

How has the structure of work shifted?

More developed nations are now focusing on knowledge work, so less developed countries are now making more stuff.