AP World History Unit 6 & 7 Review

Big Idea 1: Ideologies of Imperialism

• Various ideologies contributed to the growth of imperialism during this period.

• The Industrial Revolution led to a new wave of empire building, primarily by Europeans, seeking resources and markets.

• Cultural Ideologies:

  • Belief in the superiority of the white race and European culture, justifying domination over other peoples.

  • Roger Kipling's "White Man's Burden" exemplifies this idea, portraying it as a duty of Europeans to civilize other nations.

  • Social Darwinism:

  • Applied biological Darwinism to social and political realities, suggesting that certain nations or races were inherently superior.

  • Strong states believed they had the right to dominate weaker states due to their perceived fitness and superiority.

  • Desire to spread Christianity, with missionaries playing a key role in establishing influence and converting populations.

• Nationalist Motives:

  • Powerful states wanted to be seen as the greatest on the world stage through empire building, driven by national pride and competition.

  • Examples: Britain in India, seeking to expand its global influence and control strategic resources; France in Africa, motivated by national prestige and colonial expansion; Japan colonizing Korea after the Sino-Japanese War, demonstrating its emergence as a major imperial power.

• Economic Motives:

  • Industrialized nations sought new markets to sell manufactured goods and raw materials to fuel their machines and industries.

Big Idea 2: Consolidating and Expanding Empires

• Imperial states used different methods to consolidate and expand their empires, ranging from direct control to economic dominance.

• Non-state to State Control:

  • The Congo: Initially a private colony of Belgian King Leopold II, exploited for its rubber resources, but his brutal policies led to international pressure to transfer it to the Belgian state.

  • India: Originally controlled by the British East India Company, which gradually expanded its influence through trade and military force. Corruption and harsh policies led to the Sepoy Rebellion (Indian Mutiny of 1857), after which the British government took direct control, establishing the British Raj.

• New Imperial Powers Replacing Old Ones:

  • Spain and Portugal were losing power in Asia and Southeast Asia due to economic decline and internal instability.

  • The United States expanded into the Pacific after the Spanish-American War in 1898, acquiring territories like the Philippines, Guam, and Hawaii, driven by economic and strategic interests.

  • Japan expanded into Korea, parts of China, Southeast Asia, and some Pacific islands after the Meiji Restoration, pursuing a policy of aggressive expansion and modernization.

  • Russia expanded into Poland, Eastern Europe, parts of the Middle East, and China, seeking access to warm-water ports and control over strategic regions.

• Scramble for Africa:

  • European powers desired Africa's raw materials such as diamonds, gold, and rubber, leading to intense competition and colonization.

  • Otto von Bismarck of Germany organized the Berlin Conference to peacefully divide Africa among European powers through diplomacy, without African input, establishing rules for colonization and partitioning the continent.

Big Idea 3: Resistance to Imperialism

• The new wave of imperialism led to resistance from colonized peoples, who sought to defend their sovereignty and cultural identity.

• Direct Resistance:

  • Peru: Tupac Amaru II led a rebellion against Spanish authorities, seeking to restore indigenous rights and autonomy.

  • India: The Sepoy Mutiny/Indian Rebellion, triggered by cultural insensitivity and grievances against British rule, aimed to overthrow British authority and restore Indian rule.

• Creation of New States:

  • Balkan states: Nationalism led to fights for independence from the Ottoman Empire, resulting in new sovereign nations like Greece, Serbia, and Bulgaria, seeking to establish their own national identities and governments.

• Religiously Inspired Rebellions:

  • Ghost Dance Movement in the United States: Indigenous groups believed performing the Ghost Dance would awaken their ancestors to expel white settlers, leading to wars with the US, which crushed the rebellion, resulting in further displacement and assimilation of indigenous peoples.

  • The Costa Cattle Killing Movement in South Africa

Big Idea 4: Economic Transformation

• The need for raw materials and increased food supply transformed the global economy, reshaping agricultural practices and trade patterns.

• Shift from subsistence farming to cash crop farming.

  • Farmers grew crops such as coffee, rubber, and sugar for export, often under exploitative conditions imposed by colonial powers.

  • Examples: Cattle ranching in Uruguay and Argentina to satisfy beef demand in Europe and America, leading to deforestation and displacement of indigenous communities; guano extraction in Peru and Chile for fertilizer, resulting in environmental degradation and labor exploitation.

• Colonial economies were transformed to serve the needs of urban centers in imperial hubs, rather than the needs of the colonial peoples themselves.

  • Cash crops included cotton, rubber, and palm oil, which were exported to Europe and America while local food production was neglected, leading to food insecurity and dependence on colonial powers.

Big Idea 5: Economic Imperialism

• Industrialized states and businesses practiced economic imperialism primarily in Asia and Latin America, exerting control over resources and trade.

• Economic imperialism: One country wields significant economic power over another, often through unequal trade agreements and financial manipulation.

• Example: Britain and China:

  • Opium Wars: Britain smuggled opium into China to fix a trade deficit, undermining Chinese sovereignty and social order. China banned opium, leading to the Opium Wars, which Britain won due to superior industrial capacity.

  • The result was the British forced China to open trading ports and agree to free trade, imposing unfair conditions and extracting economic concessions.

  • China was divided into spheres of influence among imperial powers like Japan, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States, each with exclusive trading rights, further eroding Chinese autonomy and sovereignty.

• Imperial powers organized the economies of their holdings to give themselves an economic advantage, exploiting resources and labor for their own benefit.

Big Idea 6: Migration

• Various environmental and economic factors contributed to patterns of migration, leading to significant demographic and cultural changes.

• Reasons for Migration:

  • Work:

  • New labor systems emerged as slavery was outlawed, but often retained exploitative characteristics.

  • Indentured servitude: Workers agreed to work for a number of years to pay for passage to a new place, often facing harsh conditions and limited freedoms.

  • Asian contract laborers: Chinese and Indian workers worked for low wages in mines, plantations, and construction projects, contributing to the development of colonial economies.

  • Penal colonies: Britain sent convicts to Australia for hard labor, contributing to the colonization and development of the continent.

  • Bad Conditions at Home:

  • Poverty in India led to mass migration, with the British offering indentured servitude in Mauritius, seeking to escape starvation and destitution.

  • Irish Potato Famine (1845) led to millions immigrating to America to work in factories and build railroads, seeking economic opportunities and escaping famine.

• Immigrants settled in large cities, contributing to urbanization and creating ethnic enclaves that reflected their own culture, enriching urban landscapes and fostering cultural diversity.

• Immigrants Often Faced discrimination:

  • Chinese Exclusion Act in the United States, restricting Chinese immigration and denying rights to Chinese residents.

  • White Australia Policy in Australia, aiming to exclude non-European immigrants and preserve a white majority.

Unit 7: Global Conflict and Change (1900-Present)

Big Idea 1: Change in States After 1900

• Internal and external factors led to significant change in various states, reshaping political systems and social structures.

• Russian Revolution:

  • Internal: Russia lagged in economic growth and civil liberties, facing widespread poverty and social unrest.

  • External: Losses in the Crimean War and Russo-Japanese War exposed the government's incompetence and fueled discontent.

  • The Bolsheviks seized power and established a communist government, forming the Soviet Union, and implementing radical social and economic reforms.

• Chinese Revolution:

  • Internal: Ethnic tension, famine, diminished government revenue weakened the Qing dynasty's authority.

  • External: Encroaching western industrialization and imperialism undermined Chinese sovereignty and traditional industries.

  • The Qing dynasty was overthrown by Sun Yat-sen, ending Chinese dynasties and paving the way for a new republic.

• Mexican Revolution:

  • Internal: Huge wealth gap and long-term cooperation with US investors created social inequalities and resentment.

  • A revolution led by Francisco Madero sought to correct these problems,addressing issues of land ownership, political representation, and economic justice.

Big Idea 2: Causes of World War I

• World War I was caused by a combination of militarism, alliances, imperialism, and nationalism (M.A.I.N.), creating a complex web of tensions and rivalries.

• Militarism: Buildup of military weaponry, fostering an arms race and aggressive military planning.

• Alliance System: Defensive groupings of nations pledged to come to each other's aid if attacked, escalating conflicts and creating a domino effect.

• Imperialism: Fierce competition among imperial powers to lay claim to unclaimed lands (e.g., Scramble for Africa), leading to clashes and rivalries.

• Nationalism: Intense feelings of pride in one's own national identity, culture, and language, fostering a sense of superiority and hostility towards other nations.

• The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was the spark that ignited the war, triggering a chain reaction of alliances and military mobilization.

Big Idea 3: World War I

• Governments used propaganda to mobilize their home fronts and new weapons technology on the battlefield, transforming warfare and society.

• World War I was a total war: Each country leveraged all of its domestic assets, including human resources, industry, and propaganda.

• Propaganda used to persuade people to support the war effort, often demonizing enemies and glorifying their own cause, shaping public opinion and mobilizing support.

• New Technologies: *Poison gas, machine guns submarines, tanks

• Trench warfare: Long-lasting stalemates and incredible casualties, resulting in horrific conditions and psychological trauma for soldiers.

• The war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, which imposed harsh terms on Germany and sowed the seeds for future conflict.

Big Idea 4: Government Involvement in Economies After World War I

• Governments began to take a more prominent role in their nation's economies, intervening to address economic crises and promote recovery.

• Great Depression:

  • Began in the United States in the 1930s and spread worldwide due to intertwined economies, causing widespread unemployment, poverty, and social unrest.

  • In the US, Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal involved massive government spending to rescue the economy, implementing programs such as Social Security and public works projects.

• Germany:

  • Economically ruined after World War I due to hyperinflation, leaving the country vulnerable to political extremism.

  • The Nazi party enacted strong government intervention, ceased reparations payments, and built up the military, stimulating economic growth and restoring national pride.

• Soviet Union:

  • Enacted a series of five-year plans to transform the USSR into an industrial power, collectivizing agriculture and prioritizing heavy industry.

  • Collectivized agriculture to serve the needs of urban industrial centers, leading to widespread famine and death in rural areas, especially in Ukraine, as peasants resisted collectivization and the government seized their crops.

Big Idea 5: The Causes of World War II

• World War II was caused by the unsustainable peace agreement of World War I, economic crisis, and the rise of fascist regimes (Nazi Germany), creating a volatile international environment.

• Treaty of Versailles:

  • The war guilt clause blamed Germany for World War I, fostering resentment and undermining the legitimacy of the Weimar Republic.

  • Germany was forced to pay reparations, destroying its economy and creating conditions for political instability.

• Economic Crisis:

  • The Great Depression led to hyperinflation in Germany, creating conditions for the rise of fascism, as people sought radical solutions to economic problems.

• Rise of Fascist Regimes:

  • The Nazi party in Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, capitalized on extreme nationalism and a deep grievance of the German people due to the Treaty of Versailles, promising to restore German greatness and avenge past injustices.

  • Hitler began taking land surrounding Germany, leading to the British policy of appeasement, which failed to prevent further aggression and emboldened Hitler's expansionist ambitions.

  • Hitler's invasion of Poland in 1939 triggered World War II, as Britain and France declared war on Germany to defend Polish sovereignty.

Big Idea 6: Mobilization for World War II

• World War II was another total war, requiring unprecedented levels of mobilization and societal transformation.

• Totalitarian and democratic nations deployed all their nation's resources to fight and win, blurring the lines between civilian and military life.

• New Technologies: *Firebombing in Tokyo and Dresden

• Atomic bombs dropped on civilian populations in Japan, leading to surrender and ushering in the nuclear age.

• Overlaps with World War I:

  • propaganda

  • manufacturing sectors repurposed for military output

  • colonial powers called up colonial men to fight in the war

  • repression of civil liberties (e.g. Japanese internment).

• Democratic State (United States):

  • Had the strongest industrial sector, capable of producing vast quantities of war materials.

  • Produced a large amount of munitions, supplying not only its own forces but also its allies.

  • Men went to fight, and women took their places in factories, transforming the workforce and challenging traditional gender roles.

• Totalitarian State (Germany):

  • Relied more on forced labor, including in concentration camps, which was counterproductive due to harsh conditions and the diversion of resources from military production.

Big Idea 7: Genocide and Ethnic Violence

• The rise of extremist groups led to the attempted destruction of certain populations through genocide or ethnic violence, resulting in immense human suffering and trauma.

• The Nazi Holocaust:

  • The final solution, aimed to rid the German population of Jews and other undesirables, including Roma, homosexuals, and political dissidents.

  • Forced removal of the Jewish population into concentration camps, with stronger individuals forced into labor camps and weaker individuals