AP World History Unit 1 Review: Developments in Asia, Africa, Dar al-Islam, and the Americas (c. 1200 - c. 1450)

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering state-building, religious developments, and political structures across South/Southeast Asia, Africa, Dar al-Islam, East Asia, and the Americas between c. 1200 and c. 1450.

What three major belief systems competed with and borrowed from one another in South Asia c. 1200–c. 1450?

Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam.

What were the key characteristics of Theravada Buddhism in South Asia?

It was practiced only by monks and emphasized personal behavior.

What were the key characteristics of Mahayana Buddhism in South Asia?

It involved Bodhisattvas and a rethinking of Nirvana.

How did Brahmanism differ from Hinduism in terms of practitioners and emphasis?

Brahmanism was practiced only by Brahmins (priests) with an emphasis on dharma (law), whereas Hinduism emphasized bhakti and puja.

Which Turkic states accomplished the first long-term Islamic conquests of South Asian territory?

The Empire of Mahmud of Ghazni (early 11th century) and the Delhi Sultanate (late 12th - early 15th centuries).

What was purdah in South Asia?

The practice of seclusion of women, which was adopted by many Indian men from Muslim practice.

How did the Kingdom of Mali in Western Africa derive its wealth?

From the Trans-Saharan gold trade.

Who was the most powerful king of the Kingdom of Mali, reigning from 1312 to 1337?

Mansa Musa.

Which commercial city-states connected inland African economies with Arab Indian Ocean trade from Mogadishu to Zanzibar and Kilwa?

The Swahili Coast city-states.

What three developments characterized the cultural evolution along the Swahili Coast due to commercial ties?

The adoption of Islam, intermarriage, and the development of the Swahili language.

What does 'Dar al-Islam' mean, and what regions were included in it around 1200?

It is Arabic for 'House of Islam' and included the Middle East, North Africa, and the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Spain and Portugal).

Why were Christianity, Islam, and Judaism referred to as 'religions of the book' or 'Abrahamic faiths'?

They are monotheistic religions believing in only one deity that claim Abraham as a spiritual and/or ethnic father.

What role did the caliph fulfill in the Islamic world?

A combination of religious and political ruler, described as a combination of Pope and Emperor.

Which two Turkic states arose following the fracturing of the Abbasid Caliphate?

The Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt and the Seljuk Sultanate in the Middle East.

What were the ruling years of Song Dynasty China?

960-1279 CE.

How did the Song Dynasty maintain and justify its power despite being militarily weak compared to the Tang and Yuan dynasties?

Through Confucianism and the Imperial Bureaucracy.

According to Confucianism, how was social harmony maintained within hierarchical relationships?

The greater entity was to treat the lesser entity with benevolence and justice, and the lesser entity was to treat the greater entity with filial piety.

What historical period began after the fall of the Han dynasty in 220 CE when Confucianism lost influence?

The Time of Troubles.

Which dynasty reunified China in 581 CE, and which dynasty followed it to expand imperial control west?

The Sui dynasty reunified China in 581 CE, followed by the Tang dynasty.

What changes did the Song dynasty make to the imperial examination system inherited from the Tang?

They established a three-tiered system, removed Buddhist and Daoist questions, and expanded access to education via provincial and district academies.

How did Neo-Confucianism differ from Han Confucianism?

Neo-Confucianism integrated metaphysical ideas about the cosmos, human purpose, and spiritual practices from Buddhism and Daoism into Confucian practice.

Who authored the 'Memorial to Emperor Renzong' in 1058?

Wang Anshi.

How did the Aztec (Mexica) Empire maintain dominance over surrounding city-states by the early 15th century?

Through a tributary system and common worship of Huitzilopochtli.

How did the political structure of the Inka Empire differ from that of the Aztec Empire?

The Inka Empire was highly centralized with a bureaucracy, whereas the Aztec Empire was a collection of semiautonomous city-states.

What was the Mit'a system in the Inka Empire?

A system of forced labor used by the state to build infrastructure.

What was the Quipu system used for in the Inka Empire?

A system of knotted string used for documentation.