AP World Unit 4: Summary

Technological Innovations and Exploration (1450-1750)

• Advances in navigation and shipbuilding technology facilitated exploration.

• New ship types:

  • Caravel: allowed for exploration of the West African coast.

  • Carrack: used in Mediterranean trade, precursory to the galleon.

• Navigational tools:

  • Improved compass and astronomical charts enabled long-distance travel.

• Motivation for exploration:

  • European nations aimed to gain wealth, spread Christianity, and establish political dominance.

  • Mercantilism drove competition, leading to the establishment of extensive trade networks.

European Explorers

• Vasco da Gama: first European to reach India by sea.

• Christopher Columbus: aimed for Asia, but reached the Caribbean; sponsored by Spain.

• English, French, and Dutch governments supported voyages for trade expansion.

• Spanish and Portuguese explorers initiated contact with the Americas and Asia.

Columbian Exchange

• New connections between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres following exploration.

• Transfer of:

  • Crops: Introduction of European crops to the Americas (e.g., wheat) and American crops to Europe (e.g., maize, potatoes).

  • Animals: Transfer of livestock to the Americas and introduction of new species.

• Impact of the exchange:

  • Population Changes: Increase in crops sustained growing populations.

  • Diseases: Introduction of diseases like smallpox and measles devastated native populations in the Americas.

Maritime Empires (1450-1750)

• Established by European powers:

  • Portuguese and Spanish Empires: Focused on the Americas and Asia.

  • French and British Empires: Developed trade networks and colonization efforts.

• Asian nations (Ming China and Tokugawa Japan) resisted foreign influence to protect local cultures.

• The Asante Empire and the Kingdom of Kongo established trade connections with Europeans.

Challenges to State Power (1450-1750)

• Resistance against European incursions:

  • Pueblo Revolts and King Philip’s War in the Americas.

  • Maroon societies in Brazil, reflecting resistance to European rule.

• Queen Nzinga allied with the Dutch to resist Portuguese expansion.

• Russian internal challenges, particularly from Cossacks, against government pressures.

Changing Social Hierarchies (1450-1750)

• Increased social mobility due to slave labor and different regional collaborations.

• Control of markets sometimes led to social stratification.

• Ethnic discrimination escalated with varying policies:

  • Qing dynasty restricted ethnic Han Chinese.

  • Enslaved people faced severe restrictions in the Americas.

  • Jews in Spain and Portugal faced persecution.