AP World Review: Section 1 Key Terms and Points

AP World History Key Terms and Points Flashcards

Silk Roads

Network across Eurasia, facilitated trade of luxury goods, cultural transfer, and financial innovations like paper money. Kashgar is an example of city that flourished because of roads.

Indian Ocean Trade

Trade network reliant on understanding monsoon winds; facilitated trade of bulk and luxury items, aided by innovations like the magnetic compass and astrolabe. Swahili language emerged from cultural diffusion.

Trans-Saharan Trade

Trade network expanded by camel saddles, facilitated the spread of Islam, and led to the growth of Mali due to merchants traveling to West Africa.

Song Dynasty

Chinese dynasty (960-1279) known for its organized rule, reliance on imperial bureaucracy, and expansion of Silk Road trade networks.

Meritocracy

Ruling class based on talent and ability, exemplified by the civil service exam expanded under Emperor Song Taizu.

Grand Canal

Connected the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers, making China a major trading area.

Champa Rice

Rice from Vietnam that led to increased food production and a population boom in China.

Confucianism

Chinese philosophy focused on personal behavior, good government, and hierarchical social order with filial piety.

Daoism

Chinese philosophy concerned with spiritual elements, nature, and freeing oneself from society.

Buddhism

Religion originated in India but spread to China via Silk Roads, rejecting the caste system and striving to dissolve order.

Shinto

Early Japanese belief system focused on respect for nature and ancestors.

Daimyo

Landowning aristocrats in Japan who battled for control of land.

Bushido Code

"The way of the warrior"; stressed reverence for the gods, fairness, loyalty, and honor in Japan.

Feudalism

System structuring society around land ownership in exchange for service/labor.

Byzantine Empire

Continuation of the Roman Empire (330-1453) with Christianity as the official religion; ended when Ottomans conquered Constantinople.

Dar al-Islam

"House of Islam"; refers to regions where Islam is practiced/implemented.

Abbasids

Arab dynasty that ruled the Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258); facilitated knowledge transfer but was destroyed by Mongol invasion.

Mamluks

Slaves serving as soldiers and bureaucrats, often ethnic Turks.

Crusades

Series of religious wars by Latin Christians to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslim rule.

Sufism

Goal to have a direct, personal experience of God in Islam.

Delhi Sultanate

First Muslim state to rule a large part of India, leading to the spread of Islam in Southeast Asia.

Hinduism

Polytheistic religion associated with the caste system and sacred texts known as the Vedas.

Islam

Strictly monotheistic religion based on the Quran, advocating equality among believers.

Ming Dynasty

Dynasty that came after the decline of Mongol rule in China, establishing peace, expanding borders, and sending Zheng He on voyages.

Magna Carta

Document signed by King John of England in 1215, establishing limited government and individual liberties.

Bubonic Plague

Disease that emerged in China in the 1340s and spread rapidly, killing a large portion of the populations in Europe and the Middle East.

Khmer Empire

Empire in Southeast Asia (802-1431) known for temple complexes like Angkor Wat and advanced irrigation systems; syncretism between Hinduism and Buddhism.

Chinampas

Floating islands used for intensive agriculture in shallow lakes in the Americas.

Tributary system (Aztec)

System used by Aztecs to tax subject peoples, causing resentment and vulnerability.

Mit'a labor system

Mandatory public service system in the Inca Empire.

Quipu

Knot-tying system used by Incas for record-keeping.