Global History Flashcards

Judaism

  • Founded in Jerusalem in the 1000s BCE by Abraham.
  • Abraham was a shepherd from the city of Ur, located in Mesopotamia.
  • Established a covenant (sacred agreement) with God:
    • Abraham received the land of Canaan (modern-day Israel) and many descendants (the Hebrews) if he swore to worship God and only God.
  • Judaism is the first example of monotheism in world history.
  • Second covenant between Hebrews & God:
    • Hebrews must follow the 10 Commandments; in exchange, God would protect the Hebrews.
  • Arguments for & against Hebrews being ruled by a king:
    • For: provided order and unity for Hebrews
    • Against: “worshiping” a king made it so that God would not be able to protect the Hebrews
  • After experiencing the Babylonian Captivity, the Hebrews wrote their teachings in the Torah.

Hinduism

  • Founded in India ca. 1500 BCE after Aryan invasions.
  • No single founder:
    • Blend of beliefs from Dravidians and Aryans.
  • Holy text: the Vedas
  • Polytheistic.
  • Caste system created a rigid social hierarchy within the religion.
  • Caste:
    • Brahmin
    • Kshatriya
    • Vaisyas
    • Sudras
    • Dalits -> untouchables
  • Dharma -> role of your caste.
  • Karma -> rewarded for doing your dharma.
  • Reincarnation -> soul reborn into higher caste
  • Moksha -> end of reincarnation.

Buddhism

  • Founded by Siddhartha Gautama ca. 480 BCE.
  • Gautama was a Kshatriya prince born in Northern India, later left his palace to find answers to life’s suffering.
  • Both a philosophy and a belief system: no worship of any gods or deities.
  • Dharma, karma, reincarnation.
  • Nirvana -> end of reincarnation.
  • Rejected caste system
  • Cultural diffusion: Buddhist teachings spread throughout much of Asia including China, Korea, and Japan.
  • 4 Noble Truths:
    • Life is suffering.
    • Suffering is caused by desire.
    • To end suffering, you must end desire.
    • To end suffering, follow the Eightfold Path.
  • Eightfold Path: moral code of conduct for Buddhists.

Ancient China: Qin Dynasty

  • 221—206 BCE
  • Founded by Shi Huangdi.
  • Despotic.
  • Legalism: believed government should create strict laws with clear punishments.
  • Ends period of Warring States and unifies China.
  • Centralizes power.
  • Standardizes Chinese society:
    • Writing system, weights & measures, etc.
  • Constructs Great Wall:
    • Forced labor.
  • Short lived dynasty:
    • Peasant revolts.

Han Dynasty (China)

  • 206 BCE—220 CE
  • Benevolent.
  • Confucian.
  • Silk Road.
  • Civil service system/exams.
  • Monopoly on silk production.
  • Long lasting, over 400 years.

Rome

  • Republic: representative democracy.
  • Patricians & Plebeians
  • Senate/Consuls.
  • 12 Tables: Roman legal code, basis for later legal codes, lasting legal principles.
  • Julius Caesar:
    • Dictator for life.
  • Octavian/Augustus
  • Pax Romana.
  • Bread & Circuses.
  • Christianity
  • Germanic tribes invaded:
    • Led to the fall of Rome in 476 CE.

Christianity

  • Founded in Judea ca. 30 CE by Jesus Christ.
  • Jesus claimed to be the son and messiah of the Hebrews’ God.
  • When Christianity was founded, Judea was controlled by the Roman Empire.
  • Romans persecuted Jesus and his followers; eventually crucified (hung on cross).
  • Edict of Milan (313 CE): legalized Christianity in Roman Empire.
  • 400s CE: Christianity was the official religion of the Roman Empire.
  • Holy book: the Bible
    • Old Testament -> Hebrew Torah
    • New Testament -> the Gospels, or Jesus’s teachings
  • Both Jews and Christians follow the 10 Commandments.

Byzantine Empire

  • Eastern half of Roman Empire, survives after the Western half falls.
  • Preserved Greco-Roman culture.
  • Constantinople was the capital:
    • Location at crossroads of trade on Black Sea & Med. Sea.
  • Justinian reconquered former Roman lands, built Hagia Sophia.
  • Justinian’s Code: laws based on 12 Tables and other Roman laws.
  • Byzantines preserved ancient Greek and Roman knowledge.
  • Great Schism (1054): Christian church splits into Roman Catholic & Eastern Orthodox.

Islam & the Umayyad Empire

  • Founded in 600s CE by Muhammad in Mecca (Arabian Peninsula).
  • Muhammad became both religious and political leader.
  • Islam spread after his death throughout the Arabian Peninsula and Middle East.
  • Rightly Guided Caliphs govern growing Islamic Empire after his death (all knew Muhammad personally).
  • Umayyads: first dynasty to rule the Islamic empire.

Islamic Abbasid Empire

  • Abbasids: overthrow Umayyads, create stable, effective government, prosperous economy.
    • This is the Islamic Golden Age.
  • Islamic Achievements:
    • Calligraphy, algebra, medical encyclopedias, optics, translated Greek texts into Arabic, astronomy, lunar calendar.

Islam

  • Holy book: Qu’ran
  • 5 Pillars of Faith:
    • Set basis for Islamic code of behavior:
      • Faith, Prayer, Fasting (Ramadan), Charity, Hajj (Pilgrimage)
  • Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all Abrahamic religions because they trace roots back to Abraham.
  • Muslims refer to Jews and Christians as People of the Book.

African Kingdoms - Ghana, Mali & Songhai

  • Advanced West African civilizations BEFORE arrival of Europeans.
  • Mansa Musa & Mali Empire:
    • Spread Islam in Africa.
  • Wealth from gold-salt trade:
    • Trans-Saharan Trade Routes.

Sui, Tang, & Song Dynasties (China)

  • Sui: Reunited China after 350 year period of disunity; short and harsh (like Qin).
  • Built Grand Canal, which linked the Huang He and Yangtze Rivers.
    • This helped China’s economy by contributing toward trade.
  • Tang & Song: China’s Golden Age.
  • Stable government, civil service system revived, agricultural boom.
  • Achievements in technology:
    • Magnetic compass, mechanical clock, porcelain, gunpowder, moveable type, paper $
  • Inventions will spread to Europe:
    • Influence events in Europe (Protestant Reformation, Age of Exploration).
  • Foot-binding practiced by women.

Mongols

  • Asian steppes (dry grasslands with hot summers and cold winters).
  • Harsh environment/survival difficult/lived in tribes/ frequent tribal warfare.
  • Genghis Khan unified warring Mongol tribes and began building Mongol Empire through conquest.
  • His children and grandchildren expand empire.
  • Largest unified land empire in world history—China to Eastern Europe.
  • Peace and prosperity:
    • Pax Mongolia (or Pax Mongolica).
  • Empire divided into 4 khanates.
  • Kublai Khan (grandson) becomes “Great Khan’ & ruler of Yuan Dynasty in China.
  • Kublai treats Chinese as second class citizens/suppresses Chinese culture/promotes trade.
  • Tang & Song inventions flow via Silk Road toward Europe.
  • Russia isolated from rest of Europe and Renaissance during Mongol rule.

Japan

  • Mountainous geography/archipelago
  • Geography hindered political unity.
  • Korea (closest neighbor) introduces Chinese culture.
  • Selective borrowing from China.
  • Feudalism develops:
    • Emperor only figurehead.
  • Emperor/Shogun/Daimyo/Samurai/ Artisans/Peasants/Merchants
  • Code of Bushido:
    • Samurai code of behavior.
  • Seppuku:
    • Ritual suicide.
  • Shintoism:
    • Traditional Japanese religion, all things in nature have spirit or “kami”.

European Middle Ages

  • 500-1000 CE
  • Period following fall of Rome in Western Europe.
  • Dark Ages, Medieval Times, Age of Faith
  • Feudalism:
    • Serfs = peasants.
  • Manors/Manorialism
  • Christianity/afterlife emphasized
  • Church was the most powerful institution
  • Little education, no trade
  • 1096—The Crusades was a turning point
    • Series of holy wars fought between Western European Christians and Muslims over control of the Holy Land
    • Pope Urban II calls for the wars to begin
    • Breaks down feudal system
    • Opens up trade
    • Growth of towns/cities
    • Social mobility possible
    • Power of Pope reduced
    • Kings begin to grow wealthy/powerful from taxing trade
  • 1348 Black Death is a turning point due to the outbreak of Bubonic Plague.
    • One-third of Europe’s population dies.
    • Labor shortages:
      • Serfs demand wages for work
      • Feudal system further breaks down,
    • Secularism:
      • “Eat drink and be merry”
    • Renewed interest in medicine/human body
    • People question their religious beliefs (how could God let the plague happen to us?)
    • Medieval society is unraveling

Renaissance

  • Starts at about 1500
  • Rebirth of Greek & Roman (classical) knowledge
  • Starts in Italy - wealth from trade, inspiration
  • Three values: Secularism, humanism, and classicism
  • Da Vinci:
    • Mona Lisa, Last Supper
  • Machiavelli:
    • The Prince – “it is better to be feared than loved”

Protestant Reformation

  • Starts in Germany in 1517
  • Martin Luther:
    • German monk
    • Posts 95 Theses to church door
  • 95 Theses:
    • Arguments against corruption and beliefs of the Catholic Church
    • Indulgences wrong, salvation through faith alone, priesthood of all believers, only 2 sacraments needed (baptism & communion), people should read Bible for themselves
    • Beliefs directly challenged authority of Catholic Church
  • Luther excommunicated
  • Diet of Worms, Luther refuses to recant (take back) his beliefs
  • Edict of Worms
  • Luther’s ideas spread due to printing press
  • Other individuals will challenge the authority of the Catholic Church
    • King Henry VIII (England) -> creates Anglican Church
    • John Calvin (Switzerland) -> predestination
  • The impact of the Protestant Reformation is a turning point
    • Permanently breaks the religious unity of Western Europe
    • Catholic Church is forced to make reforms
    • Reduced power of Pope/Catholic Church

Age of Exploration

  • Takes place 1400-1600, also known as Age of Discovery
  • Causes/Motivations
    • Gold, God, Glory
  • Ocean-going technology makes exploration possible
    • Astrolabe, magnetic compass, caravel
  • Europeans want to find a sea route to Asia and get spices for cheap!
  • Monarchs support exploration
    • Prince Henry the Navigator - Portugal
    • Ferdinand & Isabella - Spain
  • Major Explorers
    • Bartolomeu Dias (Portugal):
      • Reached tip of Southern Africa
    • Vasco da Gama (Portugal):
      • Rounded tip of Africa and reached Asia
    • Christopher Columbus (Spain):
      • “Discovered” the Americas
  • “The Encounter”:
    • Turning point
    • Columbus’s first contact with indigenous people in Hispaniola (Caribbean)
    • Columbus & his men brutalize and enslave the natives and give them European diseases
      • Most die off.
    • The Encounter opens up European exploration and colonization of the Americas (Columbian Exchange, Triangular Trade)

Mayas, Aztecs, & Incas

  • Pre-Columbian civilizations of the Americas
  • Mayas:
    • Mexico & Central America
    • Advanced city-states, glyphs, 365-day calendar, number system
  • Aztecs:
    • Advanced cities (Tenochtitlan), medicine, human sacrifice
  • Incas:
    • Peru
    • Advanced cities (Machu Picchu), adapted to mountainous geography, road system, quipu for recordkeeping

Age of Exploration (cont’d)

  • By early 1500s, Spain sends conquistadors to Americas
    • 1519 - Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztec Empire in Mexico
    • 1532 - Francisco Pizarro- conquered Inca Empire in Peru
  • Aztecs & Inca:
    • Advanced civilization BEFORE arrival of Europeans
  • Both civilizations decimated after Europeans arrive
  • Encomienda System:
    • Forced labor
    • Natives work for Europeans on plantations, mines, etc.
  • Mercantilism:
    • Economic policy
    • Colonies exist to benefit the mother country
  • Columbian Exchange:
    • Global exchange of plants, animals, & disease between Europe, the Americas, and Africa
  • Demographic decline:
    • Millions of natives die primarily from European diseases
  • New social class system in Americas:
    • Based on race
  • New governments:
    • Spanish and Portuguese set up colonial governments in the Americas natives don’t govern themselves
  • Atlantic Slave Trade (Middle Passage):
    • After death of indigenous people, Europeans take Africans to the New World and enslave them