AP World History Lecture Review Flashcards

Advanced Placement (AP) World History Exam Strategy and Thesis Construction

• To ensure full credit, students must provide specific information rather than vague statements. For example, avoid phrases like "Europeans wanted to go around the world because they wanted all kinds of stuff"; instead, specify which Europeans, which locations, what specific resources they sought, and the specific navigation technology used.

• Contextualization for an essay requires at least $4$ sentences of specific information. This serves as the definitive study guide for the historical periods covering $1200$ to the present.

• The thesis statement must be specific and provide analytical categories that will be discussed throughout the essay.

• A good test for specificity: If a reader cannot recall a specific name, number, or procedural step from the note, the level of detail is insufficient.

The Long Essay Question (LEQ) Requirements

• Total points available: $6$ points.

• Thesis: Worth $1$ point. Requires a specific argument and analytical categories.

• Context: Worth $1$ point. Requires at least $4$ specific sentences describing the background of the prompt.

• Evidence: Worth up to $2$ points. One point is earned for providing any evidence; the second point requires at least $2$ specific examples that support the thesis.

• Complexity/Analysis Point: Often difficult to earn but can be secured by providing $4$ specific examples instead of the required $2$. This shows a depth of historical understanding.

• Historical Thinking Skills (HTS): Worth $1$ point. Students must frame the essay using one of the following skills throughout the entire document:   - CCOT (Continuity and Change Over Time): Use phrases like "this represents a historical continuity because…" or "this represents a change because…"   - Causation (Cause and Effect): Use phrases like "the effect of this cause was…" or "this caused this because…"   - Comparison: Use words like "similar" or "different."

• Students should pick one skill and stick to it for the entire essay rather than switching between paragraphs.

• Grading Insight: Scorers may be grading hundreds of essays; using explicit "signpost" language (e.g., "This is a continuity because…") makes it easier for the grader to award points.

The Document Based Question (DBQ) Requirements

• Total points available: $7$ points.

• Overlap with LEQ: Comparison, Context, and Thesis requirements are the same.

• Evidence from Documents:   - Use at least $4$ documents to earn the evidence points.   - A higher goal is to use all $7$ documents; using all seven is one pathway to earning the Complexity point.

• Sourcing: To earn the sourcing point, you must source at least $2$ documents, but sourcing $4$ documents is another pathway to earning the Complexity point automatically.

• Outside Evidence: Provide at least $1$ good example of evidence not found in the documents. It is recommended to provide $2$ examples in case one does not count.

• Language of Sourcing: Be repetitive and boring to ensure the grader sees the effort. Use phrases like "An example of outside evidence is…" or "The historical situation of Document 3 is…"

Sourcing Methodology: HIPP

• Historical Situation: What is happening at the time the document was written (e.g., the Cold War or the Cuban Missile Crisis)?

• Intended Audience: Who the document was written for.

• Point of View (POV): How the author’s identity (gender, class, political affiliation) impacts what they are saying. Avoid simply saying an author is "biased"; explain how they are biased (e.g., "As a male Cuban born before the revolution, he dislikes women's rights, which is evidenced by…").

• Purpose: Why the author wrote the document and what they want the audience to do.

Geography and Regional Identification

• South Asia: Refers to the Indian Subcontinent.

• Southeast Asia: Refers to regions such as Java, Thailand, and Indonesia.

• The Caribbean: Located between North and South America.

• It is a common error for students to confuse South Asia with Southeast Asia.

Historical Review: $1200\text{--}1450$

• Song Dynasty (China):   - Introduced movable block printing to the class.   - Economic effects include the invention and use of paper money.   - Known as "proto-industrialized," meaning it had signs of industrialization (like large-scale manufacturing) but was not fully industrialized. This is a "buzzword" for the exam.   - Legitimized rule through Neo-Confucianism and the civil service exam.

• Abbasid Caliphate (Southwest Asia):   - Known for the House of Wisdom in Baghdad, where scholars translated Greek and Indian texts.   - Achieved significant medical innovations.   - Legitimized authority through the title of Caliph, which held both religious and political significance.   - Relied on Persian bureaucrats for governance.   - Ultimately conquered by the Mongols; the city of Baghdad was destroyed in $1258$.

• Southeast Asian States:   - Vijayanagara Empire: A Hindu-led centralized state in South Asia (India) founded by two brothers from the Delhi Sultanate. Known for the "Victorious City."   - Srivijaya, Majapahit, and the Sultanate of Malacca: These states controlled trade by taxing the Strait of Malacca.   - Khmer Empire: A land-based empire in Southeast Asia known for the monumental architecture of Angkor Wat, which transitioned from a Hindu to a Buddhist temple.

• African States:   - Great Zimbabwe: Known for monumental architecture like the walled enclosure. Their wealth was based on gold traded with Swahili City-States (e.g., Kilwa, Mombasa, Mogadishu, Zanzibar) in the Indian Ocean network.   - Ethiopia: Unique as an "island of Orthodox Christianity" surrounded by Islamic states. Known for the Church of St. George at Lalibela, carved entirely from stone.   - Mali Empire: Part of the Trans-Saharan trade network, exchanging gold for salt. Mansa Musa built the Great Mosque of Djenne.

• Religious Diffusion:   - Buddhism: Split into Mahayana (East Asia/China/Japan), Vajrayana (Tibet), and Theravada (Southeast Asia).   - Buddhism and Christianity provided opportunities for women to become nuns, offering an alternative to traditional domestic roles.

Historical Review: $1450\text{--}1750$

• Maritime Empires:   - Portugal: Established a "trade post empire" in Africa and the Indian Ocean, taxing merchants rather than conquering entire territories.   - Spain: Established colonies in the Americas using the Incomienda and Hacienda systems, which functioned similarly to European serfdom. Forceful conversion to Christianity was a key component.

• Land-Based Empires:   - Ottoman Empire: Used the Devshirme system to recruit Christian boys to become Janissaries (elite slave soldiers).   - They used guns and swords to expand.   - Qing Dynasty: Founded by the Manchu people. They used Imperial Portraits to legitimize their rule, portraying themselves as traditional Chinese emperors to appeal to the ethnic Han majority.

• Scientific and Maritime Innovation:   - Technology like the Magnetic Compass (from China) and the Astrolabe diffused through trade.   - Lateen Sails allowed ships like the Caravel, Carrack, and Flute (Dutch) to catch wind from all directions.   - Cartography (map-making) improved significantly.

Historical Review: $1750\text{--}1900$

• Modernization and Resistance:   - Meiji Restoration ($1868$): Japan rapidly industrialized and westernized by copying Western military, education, and government structures.   - Qing Dynasty (China): Attempted modernization through the Self-Strengthening Movement and Hundred Days Reform but failed due to the desire to keep traditions (Neo-Confucianism) and resistance from leaders like Empress Dowager Cixi.   - Ottoman Empire: Known as the "Sick Man of Europe." They attempted the Tanzania (Tanzimat) reforms, meaning "reorganization," to modernize the legal system.   - Egypt: Under Muhammad Ali, an Albanian general, Egypt industrialized the cotton industry and built a government-owned military.

• Imperialism and Resistance:   - Spheres of Influence: European states (England, Germany, France, Russia) and Japan carved up China for trade rights.   - Yaa Asantewaa: Led the Ashanti people in the "War of the Golden Stool" against British imperialism in West Africa.   - Xhosa Cattle Killing: A resistance movement against British rule in Southern Africa.   - Boer Wars: Conflict between British, Dutch settlers (Boers/farmers), and native Africans in South Africa over gold and diamonds.

Historical Review: $1900\text{--}\text{Present}$

• Global Conflicts:   - World War I ($1914\text{--}1918$): Defined by trench warfare and machine guns. Ended with the Treaty of Versailles, resulting in the collapse of the Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, and German empires and the creation of Mandates in Southwest Asia.   - Russian Revolution: Led by Lenin, who modernized Russia using his first policies, later followed by Stalin’s Five-Year Plans for industrialization.

• Cold War ($1945\text{--}1991$):   - Defined by the rivalry between the USA (NATO) and the Soviet Union (Warsaw Pact).   - MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction): Prevented direct war due to nuclear weapons.   - Detente: A relaxation of tensions (e.g., between Nixon and Brezhnev).   - Proxy Wars: Conflicts like the Cuban Missile Crisis.   - Non-Aligned Movement: Led by Nasser (Egypt), Nehru (India), Sukarno (Indonesia), and Nkrumah (Ghana). They refused to take sides in the Cold War.   - Prague Spring ($1968$): A failed attempt at reform in Czechoslovakia put down by the Brezhnev Doctrine (Soviet intervention).

• Communism in China:   - Mao Zedong: Led the Great Leap Forward (including Backyard Steel production and collectivization) and the Cultural Revolution (facilitated by the Little Red Book).   - Deng Xiaoping: Reformed China by introducing Special Economic Zones (SEZs), which allowed private investment and capitalist elements into the economy to raise the standard of living.   - Tiananmen Square ($1989$): Student protests for free speech and democracy that were forcibly suppressed by the Chinese government.

• Mexican Revolution: Leaders like Pancho Villa and Emilio Zapata fought against Porfirio Diaz to achieve land redistribution and nationalize resources like oil.

Questions & Discussion

• Question: Isn't all evidence "outside" on the LEQ because you don't have documents?

• Response: Technically yes. It's all from your brain. You want to provide two specific examples for the points, but four specific examples for the complexity point.

• Question: How do you get contextualization for a state like Mali or Ghana if you don't know the exact history?

• Response: Use buzzwords. Mention that prior to the Malian empire, there were decentralized states like the Hausa Kingdoms based on kinship networks, or the Ghana Empire, which provided a model for centralization in West Africa.

• Question: What is the "Chick-fil-A" deal in the Cube?

• Response: For $6$ dollars (cash only), you get a chicken sandwich, two cookies, and a water. It's great value.

• Discussion on the Marshall Plan: The speaker clarified that the Marshall Plan gave aid to Western European countries to rebuild and stay allied with the US, while the Truman Doctrine promised to protect any state fighting communism.

• Discussion on the Meiji vs. Qing: Japan started from scratch and adopted Western uniforms and governments, while China's Self-Strengthening Movement failed because they tried to industrialize while keeping traditional structures like the civil service exam.

• Discussion on Sourcing Document 3: Students practiced sourcing a document from a male Cuban revolutionary sympathizer ($1969$). The historical situation was identified as the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the purpose was to argue against women's liberation to maintain traditional roles.