AP World History Study Guide

Topic 1.1 Developments in East Asia from c. 1200 to c. 1450

## China

### Significance of the Song Dynasty (960-1279):

• China experienced significant wealth, political stability, and artistic and intellectual advancements.

• China became a global leader in manufacturing.

• The economy transitioned from local production to market-based production, becoming the world’s most commercialized society.

• Buddhism and Confucianism spread, influencing culture and philosophy.

• The bureaucracy expanded through meritocracy, fostering greater social mobility.

  Economic Developments in Postclassical China:

• The Grand Canal: An efficient waterway transportation system, enabling China to become a major trading hub.

• Gunpowder: Gunpowder technology and guns spread via the Silk Roads to Eurasia.

• Agriculture:

  • Irrigation systems and heavy plows (pulled by water buffalo or oxen) increased agricultural productivity.
  • Food production rose, leading to rapid population growth.

• Tributes: System where other states paid money or provided goods to the Chinese emperor to gain favor and income for China.

  Social Structures in China:

• The Song government provided aid to the poor and established public hospitals.

• Women were expected to defer to men, exemplified by the practice of foot binding.

  Religious Diversity in China:

• Buddhism spread from India via the Silk Roads.

• Three forms of Buddhism:

  • Theravada Buddhism: Emphasized personal spiritual growth through self-discipline and meditation.
  • Mahayana Buddhism: Focused on spiritual growth for all beings and service.
  • Tibetan Buddhism: Combined elements of Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism, also emphasized rituals.

• All forms followed the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

• Neo-Confucianism:

  • Evolved between 770 and 840.
  • A syncretic system combining rational thought with Daoism and Buddhism.

  Japan

  Feudalism:

• Japan was a feudal society for centuries with no centralized government.

• Landowning aristocrats (daimyo) competed for control, while most people were rice farmers.

  Government:

• In 1192, the Minamoto clan installed a shogun (military ruler).

• Japan experienced regional rivalries for four centuries.

• A strong central government was not established until the 17th century.

  Korea

  Connection to China:

• Korea had a direct relationship with China and a tributary status due to its location.

• Korea centralized its government modeled after the Chinese.

• Koreans adopted both Confucian and Buddhist beliefs.

  Aristocracy:

• Korea had a more powerful landed aristocracy, limiting social mobility compared to China.

  Vietnam

  Social Structures:

• Vietnamese women enjoyed greater independence than Chinese women.

• Preferred nuclear families (father, mother, and children in one household) unlike extended families in China.

• Villages operated independently with weak political centralization.

• Merit-based bureaucracy was adopted, but loyalty was given to village peasants rather than the emperor.

  Topic 1.2 Developments in Dar al-Islam from c. 1200 to c. 1450

  Innovations:

• Mathematics: Nasir al-Din al-Tusi laid the groundwork for trigonometry.

• Literature: ‘A’ishah al-Ba’uniyyah, a prolific female Muslim writer, wrote about her mystical journey.

• Medicine: Improved medical care and hospital practices in cities like Cairo; doctors and pharmacists had to pass examinations.

  Social Structures:

• Merchants were viewed more favorably in Islamic society compared to Europe and Asia.

• Revival of trade on Silk Roads enabled merchants to become wealthy.

• Muslim women had higher status compared to Christian or Jewish women:

  • Inherited and retained property after marriage.
  • Could remarry if widowed.
  • Received cash settlement in case of divorce.
  • Practiced birth control.

  Transfers:

• Preservation and commentaries on Greek moral and natural philosophy.

• House of Wisdom in Abbasid Baghdad was a center of learning.

• Scholarly and cultural exchanges in Muslim and Christian Spain.

  Islamic Rule in Spain:

• In 711, Muslim forces invaded Spain.

• Muslim rule lasted for seven centuries.

• Umayyad rulers in Córdoba promoted tolerance among Muslims, Christians, and Jews.

• Trade was promoted, facilitating the entry of Chinese and Southeast Asian products.

  Topic 1.3 Developments in South and Southeast Asia from c. 1200 to c. 1450

  South Asia

  Political Structures in South Asia:

• Southern India was more stable than northern India.

• Chola Dynasty (850-1267): Reigned over southern India for over 400 years.

• Northern India experienced more upheaval.

• Rajput Kingdoms: Formed after the fall of the Gupta Empire in northern India and present-day Pakistan.

• Delhi Sultanate:

  • Brought Islam into India (13th-16th centuries).
  • Reigned for 300 years.

  Religion in South Asia:

• Hinduism was the predominant religion before Islam.

• Differences between Hinduism and Islam:

  • Hindus are polytheistic; Muslims are monotheistic.
  • Hindu art depicts deities, while Muslims disapprove of visual representations of Allah.
  • Hinduism has a hierarchical caste system; Islam promotes equality.
  • Hindus recognize multiple sacred texts; Muslims follow the Quran.

  Social Structures in South Asia:

• Islam had limited impact on the social structure.

• The caste system remained strong, exhibiting continuity.

• Bhakti Movement:

  • Began in the 12th century.
  • Emphasized emotion in spiritual life, focusing on attachment to a particular deity.

  Southeast Asia

• South Asia influenced its neighbors, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam.

  Sea-Based Kingdoms:

• Srivijaya Empire (670-1025):

  • Hindu kingdom based on Sumatra.
  • Built a strong navy and charged fees for ships traveling between India and China.

• Majapahit Kingdom (1293-1520):

  • Based on Java.
  • Had 98 tributaries at its height.
  • Controlled sea routes.
  • Focused on Buddhism.

  Land-Based Kingdoms:

• Sinhala Dynasties in Sri Lanka:

  • Originated from immigrants from northern India.
  • Became a center for Buddhist study after Buddhists arrived in the 3rd century BCE.

• Khmer Empire (802-1431):

  • Situated near the Mekong River.
  • Prospered through complex irrigation and drainage systems.

  Topic 1.4 State Building in the Americas

  The Mississippian Culture:

• First large-scale civilization in North America.

• Located in the Mississippi River Valley.

• Featured a rigid class structure and a matrilineal society.

  The Maya City-States:

• Reached its peak between 250 and 900 CE.

• Spread over southern Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and Guatemala.

• Each city-state had:

  • A king who claimed divine right.
  • A city and its surrounding territory.

• Science and religion were linked through astronomy.

  The Aztecs:

• Migrated to central Mexico from the north in the 1200s.

• Founded Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) in 1325.

• Built aqueducts and a pyramid.

• Theocracy governed by religious leaders.

• Practiced polytheism, rituals, and human sacrifices.

• Women played an important role in the tribute system by weaving cloth.

  The Inca:

• Empire was divided into four provinces, each with its bureaucracy.

• They used the mit’a system of mandatory public service.

• Inca means “people of the sun”; Inti (sun god) was the most important god.

• Priests diagnosed illnesses, solved crimes, predicted battle outcomes, and determined sacrifices.

• Developed terrace systems for growing potatoes and maize.

• Conquered by the Spanish in 1533.

  Topic 1.5 State Building in Africa

  Political Structures in Inland Africa:

• Development influenced by Bantu migrations from west-central Africa.

• Communities formed kin-based networks.

• Groups of villages formed districts led by chiefs.

  Political Structures of West and East Africa:

• Trade brought wealth, power, and cultural diversity.

• Islam spread, adding to the religious diversity.

• Mali: Rose to power after the decline of Ghana.

• Zimbabwe: Prospered through agriculture, grazing, trade, and gold.

• Ethiopia:

  • Flourished through trade with India, Arabia, the Roman Empire, and the African interior.
  • Practiced Christianity.

  Social Structures of Sub-Saharan Africa:

• Communities organized around kinship, age, and gender.

• Men dominated specialized skills.

• Women engaged in agriculture and food gathering.

• Enslaved people increased social status.

• The Indian Ocean slave trade involved the Middle East.

  Cultural Life in Sub-Saharan Africa:

• Ancestor veneration in traditional religions.

• Music had distinct rhythmic patterns.

• Visual arts served religious purposes.

• Griots (storytellers) preserved the community's history.

  Topic 1.6 Developments in Europe from c. 1200 to c. 1450

  Feudalism: Political and Social Systems:

• Provided security for peasants, equipment for warriors, and land for service.

• Wealth was based on land ownership.

• Manorial System:

  • Provided economic self-sufficiency and defense.
  • Reduced the need for trade.

  Political Trends in the Later Middle Ages:

• Monarchies grew more powerful using their own bureaucracy and military.

• King Philip II of France developed a real bureaucracy.

• Estates-General:

  • Advised the king.
  • Included representatives from the clergy, nobility, and commoners.

• Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453):

  • Series of battles between England and France.
  • Stimulated a sense of unity.

  Roman Catholic Church during the Middle Ages:

• Great Schism (1054): Split the Christian Church into Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox branches.

• Established the first universities in Europe.

• Religious leaders were the main thinkers.

• Held great power in the feudal system.

• Had a regional hierarchy of bishops under the Pope.

• Corruption occurred due to wealth and power.

  Christian Crusades:

• Europeans sought to reclaim the Holy Land (Palestine).

• Religious, social, and economic pressures contributed to the Crusades.

• Crusades were a series of European military campaigns in the Middle East (1095-1200s).

  Economic and Social Change:

• The middle class (bourgeoisie) grew, including shopkeepers, merchants, and small landholders.

• Cities grew, promoting markets.

• Jews: Anti-Semitism led to expulsions from England, France, Spain, and Portugal.

• Muslims: Faced discrimination and expulsion from Spain.

• Women: Lost rights due to patriarchal thinking.

  Renaissance:

• Revival of interest in classical Greek and Roman literature, culture, art, and civic virtue.

• Johannes Gutenberg’s Printing Press:

  • Allowed mass production of manuscripts, reducing costs.
  • Increased literacy and spread ideas quickly.

• Humanism:

  • Focused on individuals rather than God.
  • Advocated for education and reform.

  Topic 1.7 Comparisons in the Period from c. 1200 to c. 1450

  State-Building and New Empires:

• The Song Dynasty in China progressed.

• The Abbasid Caliphate was fragmented.

• Rulers of Mali created a more centralized government.

• The Aztecs used a tributary system.

• The Incas used the mit’a system.

• Feudal ties reduced in Western Europe but not in Eastern Europe.

• Japan became more decentralized and feudal.

  Four Types of State-Building, c.1200-c.1450

• Emergence of New States: States arose on land once controlled by another empire examples include the Mamluk Empire, Seljuk Empire, and Delhi Sultanate.

• Revival of Former Empires: New leadership continues or rebuilds a previous empire with some innovations Examples included the Song Dynasty, Mali Empire, and Holy Roman Empire.

• Synthesis of Different Traditions: A state adapts foreign ideas to local conditions Examples included Japan (Chinese and Japanese), Delhi Sultanate (Islamic and Hindu), and Neo-Confucianism.

  • Expansion in Scope: An existing state expands its influence through conquest, trade, or other means examples include the Incas, Aztecs, and City-states in East and Southeast Asia.

  State-Building through Trade:

• Increased trade powered cross-cultural exchanges of technology and innovation.

• Paper Manufacturing:

  • Invented in China in the 2nd century BCE.
  • Spread across Eurasia, reaching Europe around the 13th century.
  • Increased literacy rates.

• Europe benefited from exchanges with the Middle East and Asia.

  Patriarchy and Religion:

• Social organization remained largely patriarchal.

• Convent life for Christians in Europe and Jainism and Buddhist religious communities in South Asia provided opportunities for women.

• In China, women lost independence due to foot binding.

  Unit 2: Network of Exchange: 8%-10% of the AP test (c. 1200 to c. 1450)

  Topic 2.1 The Silk Roads

  Causes of the Growth of Exchange Networks:

• The Crusades: Exposed Europeans to Eastern goods.

• Rise of the Mongol Empire:

  • Unified parts of the Silk Roads.
  • Respected merchants and enforced laws.
  • Improved roads and punished bandits.

• Improvements in Transportation:

  • Saddles for camels.
  • Chinese naval technology advancements like rudders and magnetic compasses.

  Effects of the Growth of Exchange Networks:

• Cities along rivers became trade centers.

• China developed new financial systems:

  • Flying cash: A system of credit due to the unwieldiness of copper coins.

• Increased demand for luxury goods led to expanded production.

• Expansion of iron and steel manufacturing in China, thus proto-industrialization.

  Topic 2.2 The Mongol Empire and the Making of the Modern World

  Genghis Khan:

• In 1210, attacked the Jin Empire.

• In 1219, conquered the Kara Khitai Empire and the Khwarazm Empire.

• By 1227, his kingdom stretched from the North China Sea to eastern Persia.

• Mongolian soldiers were strong riders and proficient with the short bow.

• Instituted religious tolerance.

• Established new trade channels between Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

  Mongolian Empire Expands:

• Genghis Khan's grandsons expanded the empire.

• Batu and the Golden Horde:

  • Conquered Russian kingdoms and forced tributes in 1236.
  • Resistance to the Mongols created the foundation for modern Russia.

  The Long-Term Impact of the Mongolian Invasions:

• Largest continuous land empire.

• Built roads and maintained trade routes.

• Transferred Greco-Islamic medical knowledge and the Arabic numbering system to Western Europe.

• Centralization of power continued or was copied by kingdoms and states.

• Mongol fighting techniques led to the end of Western Europe’s use of knights in armor.

  Topic 2.3 Exchange in the Indian Ocean

  Causes of Expanded Exchange in the Indian Ocean:

• Spread of Islam: Connected more cities.

• Increased Demand for Specialized Products: Increased trade of common and luxury goods.

• Trade of Enslaved People - slave trade became a major part of exchanges in the Indian Ocean.

• Advances in Maritime Technology - Improvements in ships and navigational equipment.

• Growth of States: Institutionalized revenue from trade.

  Effects of Expanded Exchange in the Indian Ocean:

• Diasporic Communities: Merchants interacted with surrounding cultures while waiting for favorable winds.

• Swahili City-States: Thriving city-states developed along the East African coast.

• Trade brought considerable wealth to East African cities.

  Topic 2.4 Trans-Saharan Trade Routes

  Trans-Saharan Trade:

• Famous by the end of the 8th century.

• Gold was the most precious commodity.

• West African societies, particularly Ghana and Mali, accumulated wealth.

• Islam spread into Sub-Saharan Africa.

  West African Empire Expansion:

• Mali profited from the gold trade and taxed other trade.

• Timbuktu and Gao became centers of Muslim life and wealth.

• Trade led to the administration and maintenance (e.g., establishing currencies).

  Empires in Western Eurasia and Africa in the 13th Century

• Mali: West Africa, major city of Timbuktu. Key Figures include Sundiata who was the founder that built a trade network and Mansa Musa who was a political and religious leader. Legacy was connecting West and North Africa through trade and spreading Islam.

• Al-Andalus: Located in Spain with a major city of Cordoba. Key Figures included Ibn Rushd and Maimonides, legacy was creating a tolerant society and preserving Greek Learning.

• Byzantine Empire: In the Middle East with a major city of Constantinople. Key figures were Justinian and Heraclius. Legacy was carrying on the Roman Legacy and promoting trade between Asia, Europe and Africa.

• Kievan Rus located in Russia with the Key city of Kiev. Key Figures were Vladimir I and Yaroslav of established Christianity and codifying the legal system.

  Topic 2.5 Cultural Consequences of Connectivity

  Influence of Buddhism on East Asian Culture:

• Buddhism spread to China from India via the Silk Roads; Xuanzang helped popularize it.

• Japan and Korea adopted Buddhism and Confucianism.

• In Korea, the educated elite studied Confucian classics, while Buddhist doctrine attracted the peasants.

  Spread of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam:

• Hinduism and Buddhism spread to Southeast Asia through trade.

• The Srivijaya Empire was Hindu, while the Majapahit Kingdom was Buddhist.

• Islam spread over Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia through merchants, missionaries, and conquests.

  Scientific and Technological Innovations:

• Science and technology traveled trade routes.

• Islamic scholars translated Greek classics into Arabic.

• Scholars brought mathematics texts from India and papermaking techniques from China.

• Advances were made in hospital care, including surgery.

  Topic 2.6 Environmental Consequences of Connectivity

  Agricultural Effects of Exchange Networks:

• Population growth in China led to migration southward to Champa rice growing region, contributing to city growth.

• Environmental Degradation:

  • Overgrazing outside of Great Zimbabwe led to its abandonment in the late 1400s.

  Spread of Epidemics through Exchange Networks:

• The Mongol conquests spread the Bubonic Plague (Black Death) from southern China to Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and Europe.

• The Black Death killed one-third of Europe’s population.

• About 25 million Chinese and other Asians died between 1332 and 1347.

  Topic 2.7 Comparison of Economic Exchange

  Similarities among Networks of Exchange:

• The Silk Roads: Specialized in luxury goods.

• The Indian Ocean Trade Routes: Allowed for the exchange of heavy goods.

• The Trans-Saharan Trade Routes: Traded salt from North Africa with gold from West and East Africa.

  Exchange Effects:

• Trade routes gave rise to trading cities.

• Growth led to centralization.

• Cities used their wealth to maintain safety.

• Desire for standardized currency.

  Unit 3: Land-Based Empires: 12%-15% of the AP test (c. 1200 to c. 1450)

  Topic 3.1 Empires Expand

  The Gunpowder Empires:

• Large, multiethnic states in Southwest, Central, and South Asia that relied on firearms to conquer and control territories.

• Included the Russian, Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires.

  Europe:

• The mid-1400s saw the end of plagues, the conclusion of the Hundred Years’ War, and the invention of the Gutenberg printing press.

  • There was a huge increase in literacy due to printing press.

  Russia:

• Russia remained tightly linked to Europe with its capital in Europe.

• It was influenced by Mongol influence from Central Asia and Europe due to Viking invasions and trading.

• Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) expanded the Russian border eastward after being crowned tsar in 1547.

  East Asia:

• China’s Yuan Dynasty was overthrown by the Ming Dynasty in 1368.

• During the Ming era, the Portuguese and other Europeans arrived.

• In 1644, the Manchu established the Qing Dynasty.

• Japan and Korea experienced parallel developments but with unique aspects.

  Rise of the Islamic Gunpowder Empires:

• The warrior leaders of the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires shared many traits:

  • Descended from Turkic nomads.
  • Spoke a Turkic language.
  • Took advantage of power vacuums left by the breakup of Mongol khanates.
  • Relied on gunpowder weapons.

  Topic 3.2 Empires: Administration

  Centralizing Control in Europe:

• England’s King James believed in the divine right of kings.

• The Tudors relied on the “justices of the peace.