UNIT 2 - Networks of Exchange
🌏 Unit 2: Networks of Exchange (1200–1450)
2.1 The Silk Roads
Q: What were the main causes of the growth of exchange networks?
A: Crusades opened new networks; rise of new empires (Abbasid, China, Mongols); transportation improvements (magnetic compass, rudder, junk, camel saddle).
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Q: What were the effects of the Silk Roads on cities?
A: Created thriving cities like Kashgar (abundant food/water) and Samarkand (center of cultural exchange); development of caravanserai (inns every 100 miles).
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Q: What were the economic effects of the Silk Roads?
A: New financial systems—money economy, flying cash, banking houses; Hanseatic League formed to protect trade interests; early form of the EU.
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Q: What were other effects of the Silk Roads?
A: Spread of bubonic plague; trade in luxury goods (silk, porcelain, spices, horses, fruits); cultural diffusion and artistic influence; city growth.
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2.2 The Mongol Empire and the World
Q: Who were the Mongols and who was Chinggis Khan?
A: Pastoral nomads north of the Gobi; skilled horsemen and herders. Genghis Khan (Temujin) united tribes, used merit-based promotions, and conquered vast regions.
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Q: How did the Mongols conquer under Genghis Khan?
A: Brutal tactics, killed male aristocrats, enslaved skilled workers; promoted by merit; used siege weapons and strategies from conquered peoples.
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Q: How did Genghis Khan govern his empire?
A: Promoted Pax Mongolica; religious tolerance; built bridges; Yam postal system; protected Silk Roads; used Uyghur script; gave autonomy to conquered peoples.
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Q: What were the weaknesses of Mongol rule?
A: Poor administration, overextension, economic strain, and no clear succession plan → empire split into 4 khanates.
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Q: Describe the Golden Horde.
A: Khanate in Russia/Central Asia by Batu; Russians paid tribute until Ivan III overthrew them in 1380.
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Q: Describe the Il-Khanate.
A: Khanate in the Middle East by Hulegu; sacked Baghdad, killed the caliph, adopted Islam, Persians as administrators.
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Q: Describe the Yuan Dynasty.
A: Chinese khanate by Kublai Khan; rebuilt cities; religious tolerance; hired foreigners; ended civil service exams; promoted trade.
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Q: Describe the Chagatai Khanate.
A: Central Asian khanate; ruled by descendants of Chagatai Khan.
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Q: What were the long-term impacts of Mongol invasions?
A: Spread of plague; invention of the cannon; cultural diffusion; movement of scholars; eventual decline of Yuan Dynasty.
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2.3 Exchange in the Indian Ocean
Q: What caused expansion of Indian Ocean trade?
A: Spread of Islam; demand for goods; monsoon wind knowledge; maritime tech (lateen sails, rudder, compass, astrolabe).
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Q: What goods were traded in the Indian Ocean?
A:
* India: textiles, pepper, steel
* SE Asia: spices
* Africa: slaves, ivory, gold
* China: silk, porcelain
* SW Asia: horses, figs, dates
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Q: How did Indian Ocean trade grow states and cities?
**A:** Melacca gained wealth from naval tolls; Swahili city-states like Mombasa & Zanzibar thrived; boosted regional power.
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Q: What were other effects of Indian Ocean trade?
A: States like Gujarat grew rich from port taxes; spread of religion & tech; Zheng He’s voyages spread Chinese prestige.
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2.4 Trans-Saharan Trade Routes
Q: How did people trade across the Sahara?
A: Camel saddles enabled long-distance trade through oases.
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Q: What goods were traded across the Sahara?
A: Gold, salt, slaves, and ivory.
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Q: Describe the rise of the Mali Kingdom.
A: Founded by Sundiata; peaked under Mansa Musa, a devout Muslim who made a famous pilgrimage to Mecca and was extremely wealthy.
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2.5 Cultural Consequences of Connectivity
Q: How was religion impacted by trade?
A: Spread of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam; syncretism (Zen Buddhism, Neo-Confucianism); cultural blending in art and languages (Swahili, Urdu).
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Q: What scientific & technological innovations spread via trade?
A: Papermaking, mathematics, medicine, seafaring tools (astrolabe, compass), gunpowder, Champa rice, and new farming methods.
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Q: What were additional effects of trade connectivity?
A: Urban growth (Timbuktu, Samarkand, Hangzhou); plague devastation; Crusades kept Europe connected; feudalism weakened.
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Q: Who was Marco Polo and what did he do?
A: Italian merchant who visited Yuan China; his writings inspired renewed European interest in Asian trade.
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Q: Who was Ibn Battuta and what did he do?
A: Moroccan Muslim traveler who visited most of the Islamic world; documented cultures from an Islamic viewpoint.
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Q: Who was Margery Kempe?
A: English mystic who traveled across Europe and the Holy Land; wrote the first autobiography by a middle-class medieval woman.
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2.6 Environmental Consequences of Connectivity
Q: What were agricultural consequences of connectivity?
A: Spread of crops (Champa rice, bananas, cotton, sugar, citrus); new farming (terraces, paddies); environmental damage and Little Ice Age.
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Q: How did trade relate to contagious disease?
A: Increased contact spread diseases like the bubonic plague through Silk Roads and other routes.
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Q: What was the impact of the bubonic plague?
A: Killed 1/3 of Europe; weakened feudalism; higher wages; reduced agricultural output; millions died in Asia and Europe.
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