AP World History Unit 2 Notes

Unit 2: Networks of Exchange (1200-1450)

Time period: 1200-1450 CE
Focus: How various states and empires were connected through networks of exchange.
Emphasis: Economic interaction and cultural diffusion/transfers.
Networks of Exchange (Trading Routes): Facilitated economic interaction and cultural diffusion (religion, languages, technology).

Geographical Range Expanded: All three networks existed before 1200, but their geographic scale increased during this period, leading to further connections.
Innovations: Commercial practices and technological innovations facilitated the expansion.
Wealth and Power: Increased connectivity led to the growth of wealthy and powerful states due to their participation.
Rise and Fall of States/Cities: Increased interconnectivity caused the rise of some and the collapse of others.

Stretched across Eurasia.
Traded mainly luxury goods (e.g., Chinese silk and porcelain) due to the expense and difficulty of travel.
Proverb: "If it don't make the boom boom, I ain't got the room room to carry it on my camel."
Increased demand led to increased production by Chinese, Indian, and Persian artisans.
Example: Peasants in the Yi River delta scaled back food production to produce more luxury goods for trade, a risky move mitigated by the network's benefits.

Transportation Technologies:
- Caravanserai: Inns and guest houses along the Silk Roads, approximately a day's journey apart, provided safety and facilitated cultural/technological transfer.
Commercial Practices:
- Money Economies: Use of paper money (developed in China) to facilitate exchange, unlike barter economies. The Chinese called it the "flying money system".
- New Forms of Credit: Introduced in China and spread to Europe (banking houses). A merchant could present a bill of exchange, which had the name of a merchant and the amount of money owed to him, and then he would receive that amount of money from the banking house, kind of like using a check.

Kashgar: Located at the convergence of two major Silk Road routes. The presence of a river and lush valley made it an attractive stop for merchants, leading to its growth in power and wealth.

Existed for centuries before 1200, with significant expansion during this period.
Enabled by understanding of monsoon winds.
Traded common goods (textiles, spices) and luxury goods.

Technological Innovations:
- Magnetic Compass: Helped merchants determine direction.
- Improved Astrolabe: Measured stars to determine latitude and longitude.
- Chinese Junk: Massive ships with large cargo holds.
Commercial Practices:
- Various forms of credit (similar to the Silk Roads).

Swahili City-States: Collection of independent city-states along Africa's East Coast that acted as brokers for goods from the African interior (gold, ivory, enslaved people). They grew in power and wealth and became Islamic due to Muslim merchants, connecting them to Dar al-Islam.

Settlements of ethnic groups in locations outside their homeland.
Arab and Persian communities in East Africa led to intermarriage, fostering trust and spreading Islam.
The new language emerged called Swahili, which began as a mixture of native Bantu languages and Arabic words.

Ming Dynasty sent Zheng He throughout the Indian Ocean, enrolling states in China's tributary system.
Technological and cultural transfers occurred due to his voyages, including the spread of Chinese maritime technology.

Expanded during this period, mainly due to innovations in transportation technology (improved camel saddles for larger cargo loads).
Empire of Mali: Grew in wealth and power through participation in the network.
Conversion of the Malian leadership to Islam in the 9th century
Mali grew stupid rich through the trade of gold and by taxing merchants traveling to basically all parts of West Africa.
Mansa Musa expanded trade in the 14th century, further increasing Mali's wealth.

Transfer of Religion/Belief Systems:
- Buddhism: Entered China via the Silk Roads, carried by merchants and missionaries.
artistic transfers:
- Islamic scholars in Baghdad's House of Wisdom translated Greek and Roman classics into Arabic and made extensive commentaries on them, including their own developments in philosophy and medical practices. These works were then later transferred to Europe, where they created the basis for a cultural awakening known as the Renaissance, which we're going to talk all about in Unit Four.
Transfer of Scientific and Technological Innovation:
- Gunpowder: Invented in China, spread to Muslim empires and then to Eastern Europe. It would fundamentally alter the balance of power across the world.
Rise and Fall of Cities:
- Rise: Hangzhou (China) became wealthy and urbanized due to its location at one end of the Grand Canal.
- Fall: Baghdad was destroyed in 1258 by Mongol armies.
Travelers' Accounts:
- Ibn Battuta: Traveled throughout Dar al-Islam and wrote detailed notes about his experiences, providing a firsthand account of life in the region.

Transfer of Crops:
- Champa Rice: Introduced to China via the tribute system, leading to increased food production and population growth.
Transfer of Disease:
- Bubonic Plague: Spread from China along trade routes (Silk Roads, Indian Ocean), leading to significant population loss in the Middle East and Europe.

Established the largest land-based empire of all time, replacing powerful empires across Eurasia, leading to increased connectivity.
Khanates: States ruled by the khan.
Facilitated increased networks of exchange (Silk Roads flourished under Mongol control).
Encouraged international trade and extracted wealth as facilitators of commerce, increasing communication and cooperation (Pax Mongolica).
Technological and cultural transfer: Mongols created the conditions for the transfer of Greek and Islamic medical knowledge to Western Europe, and adopted the Uighur script.