AP World History Unit 3 Review

Unit 3 Review: Land-Based Empires (1450-1750)

This unit focuses on comparing various land-based empires between 1450 and 1750. Four empires are essential to know:

• The Qing Dynasty: Central and East Asia.
• The Mughal Empire: South and Central Asia.
• The Ottoman Empire: Southern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.
• The Safavids: The Middle East.

Expansion

• All these empires expanded through gunpowder technology, described as “bang bang and pew pew”.

Maintaining Power

• These empires maintained power through:
  • Growing bureaucracies.
  • Monumental architecture and art.
  • New taxation methods like tax farming or tribute systems.

Role of Belief Systems

• Belief systems played a significant role:
  • Christianity in Europe.
  • Islam in the Middle East, particularly the Sunni-Shia split.
  • New syncretic forms of faith, such as Sikhism in South Asia.