AMSCO AP World History: Modern Answer Key and Study Guide (copy)
Introduction and Historical Thinking Foundations
AMSCO® Advanced Placement® Edition World History: Modern [1200–Present]: This answer key serves as a supplement to the student text, identifying best choices for multiple-choice questions and describing content for free-response responses.
Core Curricular Elements: Each question in the curriculum is correlated to the fall AP® World History: Modern Course and Exam Description (CED), focusing on four elements: * Historical Thinking Skill. * Reasoning Process. * Theme. * Historical Developments.
Religious Foundations and Continuity: * Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are categorized as monotheistic, all believing in a single deity and tracing their lineage to Abraham. * Hinduism and Stability: Following the collapse of the Gupta Empire, South Asia remained unified under Hinduism. The caste system provided societal stability during periods of political upheaval. * Spread of Buddhism: Spread through the Silk Roads and Indian Ocean via merchants and missionaries; it appealed particularly to lower classes because it rejected caste systems.
Civilizational Structures: * Centralized Civilization: Power is the dominant authority for the state (e.g., Egypt). * Decentralized Civilization: Disperses decision-making throughout the lands (e.g., Greece).
Classical Empire Decline Factors: * Difficulties in tax collection leading to weak government. * Disease and population reduction in urban centers. * Decreased support for leadership. * Increased economic strain due to defense spending requirements.
Unit 1: The Global Tapestry (c. to c. )
Developments in East Asia: * Confucianism: Heavily influenced China and East Asia, emphasizing virtue and female obedience to husbands. * Neo-Confucianism: A synthesis of ethical and rational Confucian thought with abstract Buddhist and Daoist ideas. * Regional Variations: Japan was politically decentralized; Korea maintained a powerful landed aristocracy. * Economic Innovations: Champa rice (fast-ripening) significantly strengthened the Song Dynasty; woodblock printing facilitated the diffusion of ideas.
Developments in Dar al-Islam: * Political Entities: Rise of the Mamluk Sultanate, Seljuk Turks, Abbasids in Baghdad, and Umayyads in Spain (al-Andalus). * Sufism: Adapted to local cultures, interweaving religious elements to spread Islam. * Knowledge Transfer: Islamic scholarship preserved Greek classics (Aristotle), transferred Indian math and Chinese paper-making, laying the groundwork for the European Renaissance. * Baghdad’s Decline: Caused by trade routes shifting north, loss of wealth, and subsequent failure to maintain irrigation canals required for agriculture.
Developments in South and Southeast Asia: * Bhakti Movement (12th Century): Hindu mystical movement that provided broader opportunities for women and did not discriminate against them, unlike traditional Hinduism. * Political Disunity: Both Northern and Southern India experienced fragmentation, though Hinduism provided a unifying cultural thread. * Architecture: The Delhi Sultanate introduced Islamic architectural styles to the city of Delhi.
Developments in the Americas: * Aztec Empire: Used a system of human sacrifice and extracted tribute from conquered peoples; organized into provinces. * Inca Empire: Utilized the mit’a system (mandatory public service/labor) rather than tribute; built a network of roads and irrigation canals to support mountain trade. * Mississippian and Chaco: Represent significant pre-Columbian agricultural and urban developments.
Developments in Africa: * Western Africa: Ghana and Mali built prosperity on gold trade; Mali became a center for Islam and manuscripts under leaders like Mansa Musa. * Eastern Africa: Zimbabwe (centralized) thrived on agriculture and Indian Ocean trade; Great Zimbabwe features massive stone defensive walls. * Slavery: Prisoners of war were frequently enslaved, leading to inter-state tensions prior to European arrival.
Developments in Europe: * Social and Productive Systems: Dependent on free and coerced labor (serfdom) under the manorial system and feudalism. * Crusades: Stimulated outward curiosity and cultural exchange between Europe and the Middle East, introducing higher living standards to Europeans. * Agriculture: Evolution of the three-field system and new plows led to increased food production and population growth.
Unit 2: Networks of Exchange (c. to c. )
The Silk Roads: * Innovations: Caravanserai (rest/business oases), flying cash (Chinese system of credit), and paper money. * Context: Revitalization under the Abbasid and Mongol Empires increased the volume of trade in luxury goods (textiles, porcelain, iron, steel).
The Mongol Empire: * Impact: Created the largest continuous land empire. The Pax Mongolica (Mongol Peace) made trade routes safe, facilitating transfer of gunpowder and scientific knowledge. * Social Status: Mongol women had greater independence (riding horses, wearing trousers) compared to sedentary societies.
Indian Ocean Trade: * Technology: Lateen sails, astrolabes, and compasses were essential for navigation. * Environmental Knowledge: Required advanced understanding of monsoon winds. * Diasporic Communities: Arab and Persian merchants settled in East Africa and India, creating new cultural syntheses.
Trans-Saharan Trade: * Caravans: Used camels and specifically designed saddles capable of carrying pounds. * Empire of Mali: Controlled trade in gold and salt; Timbuktu became a global center for Islamic learning.
Environmental/Biological Consequences: * Black Death (Bubonic Plague): Spread via trade routes, killing millions in Asia and Europe, contributing to the decline of Mongol power. * Crop Diffusion: Champa rice moved into China; bananas moved into Africa; citrus moved to the Mediterranean.
Unit 3: Land-Based Empires (c. to c. )
Empire Expansion: * Methodology: Relied on gunpowder, cannons, and armed trade. * Key Empires: Manchu (Qing), Mughal, Ottoman, and Safavid. * Rivalries: Sunni (Ottoman) vs. Shi'a (Safavid) split intensified due to political contests.
Imperial Administration: * Legitimization: Rulers used monumental architecture (Taj Mahal, Versailles), religious ideas (Divine Right), and professional militaries (Samurai in Japan, Janissaries in Ottoman Empire). * Taxation: Used tribute, tax farming, and devshirme (Ottoman recruitment of enslaved Christian boys for military/bureaucracy).
Belief Systems: * Protestant Reformation: Marked a break with Christian traditions (Luther, Calvin). * Catholic Reformation: Counter-measures defined at the Council of Trent to reform the Church and shore up power. * Sikhism: Developed in South Asia, blending Hindu and Islamic influences.
Unit 4: Transoceanic Interconnections (c. to c. )
Technological Innovation: European voyages were made possible by adopting and improving the compass (China), astrolabe (Muslim world), and new ship designs like the caravel.
Columbian Exchange: * Plants/Animals: Maize, potatoes, and tomatoes to the East; Sugar, coffee, horses, and cattle to the West. * Disease: Smallpox, measles, and malaria decimated indigenous populations (up to in some areas).
Maritime Empires: * Trading Posts: Portuguese created a trading-post empire in Africa and Asia. * Settler Colonies: Established by the British, French, and Dutch in the Americas. * Labor Systems: Evolution from Encomienda and Hacienda systems to Chattel Slavery and the Atlantic Slave Trade.
Resistance: Includes the Pueblo Revolt, Metacom’s War, and the Glorious Revolution.
Unit 5: Revolutions (c. to c. )
The Enlightenment: * Philosophies: Emphasized reason, individual rights (Locke), and the social contract (Rousseau). * Movements: Abolition of slavery, end of serfdom, and early feminism.
Nationalism and Revolutions: * American Revolution, French Revolution, Haitian Revolution (the first successful slave revolt), and Latin American independence movements led by Simón Bolívar. * Unification of Italy and Germany through political manipulation and war.
Industrial Revolution: * Origins: Great Britain (proximity to water, coal, iron, urbanization). * Technology: Steam engines (James Watt), Bessemer process (steel), and electricity. * Society: Growth of the middle class (bourgeoisie), urbanization challenges (pollution, crime), and shift to knowledge work.
Unit 6: Consequences of Industrialization (c. to c. )
Imperialism Rationale: Justified by Social Darwinism, nationalism, and the "civilizing mission."
The Scramble for Africa: European diplomacy (Berlin Conference) and warfare transformed African geography.
Economic Imperialism: Specialized export economies (Rubber in Congo, Cotton in Egypt, Opium in China), benefiting European and U.S. markets.
Migration: Driven by economic need; involved free migration, indentured servitude (Chinese/Indian), and convict labor.
Unit 7: Global Conflict After
Power Shifts: Collapse of the Qing, Ottoman, and Russian Empires (Revolution of ).
World War I: Caused by imperialism, alliances, and nationalism (MAIN causes). Introduced trench warfare and chemical weapons.
Interwar Period: The Great Depression led to Keynesian economics and the rise of totalitarian/fascist regimes.
World War II: Total war involving mass mobilization, propaganda, and atomic weaponry ().
Mass Atrocities: The Holocaust, Armenian Genocide, and later genocides in Rwanda and Sudan.
Unit 8: Cold War and Decolonization
Cold War Structure: Superpower struggle between U.S. (democracy/capitalism) and USSR (authoritarianism/communism).
Proxy Wars: Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in Angola and Nicaragua.
Decolonized States: * India: Partitioned into Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan (). * Israel: Created in ; ongoing conflict with Arab neighbors.
End of Cold War: Economic weakness in the USSR and Gorbachev’s reforms (Perestroika, Glasnost) led to collapse in .
Unit 9: Globalization After
Advances: The Internet, Green Revolution (genetically modified food), and medical breakthroughs (vaccines, antibiotics).
Global Economy: Rise of knowledge economies (Silicon Valley), multinational corporations, and free-trade agreements (WTO).
Challenges: Global warming/Climate change (Paris Agreement), global health epidemics (HIV/AIDS, Influenza of ), and resistance to cultural homogenization.