AP World History Review: Units 1-5

Unit 1: Global Tapestry (c. 1200 - c. 1450)

Big Idea 1: Song China

• Song China maintained rule through Confucianism and imperial bureaucracy.

• Buddhism continued to shape society.

• The Song economy flourished.

State Building in Song China

• Two sources of strength (continuities):

  • Confucianism:

    • Hierarchical philosophical understanding.

    • Revival during the Song Dynasty.

    • Expansion of civil service examination led to order, stability, and meritocracy.

  • Imperial Bureaucracy:

    • Appointed officials are carrying out policies.

    • Expanded during the Song Dynasty to consolidate power.

• Buddhism in China:

  • Outside influence (from India via the Silk Roads).

  • Innovation: Chan Buddhism (mix of Buddhism and Taoism), spread to neighboring regions.

• Song Economy:

  • Flourished due to innovations:

    • Champa Rice: From Vietnam, harvested multiple times a year, feeding more people.

    • Grand Canal: An Internal waterway, a transportation system making China a populous trading center.

  • Commercialization of the Song economy.

Big Idea 2: Islamic Empires

• As the Abbasid Caliphate declined, new Islamic political entities emerged.

• These entities expanded, innovated intellectually, and facilitated transfers of knowledge.

Rise of New Islamic States

• Abbasid Caliphate's crumbling led to the rise of:

  • Delhi Sultanate (Northern India).

  • Mamluk Sultanate (Egypt, Levant).

• These Sultanates were Turkic, unlike the Arab/Persian Abbasids.

• These states formed the cultural region of Dar Al Islam.

• Spread of Islam through:

  • Military Expansion: Delhi Sultanate.

  • Merchants: Revival of Silk Road trade, spreading culture and ideas.

    • Example: West Africa: Created literate officials, gave rulers religious legitimacy.

  • Sufi Movement: Mystical Islam, adapted to local forms/cultures, facilitating spread.

• Intellectual Innovations and Transfers:

  • Innovations: Mathematics (algebra, trigonometry), literature.

  • Transfers:

    • Muslims in Spain translated Greek classics (Plato, Aristotle) into Arabic, preserving them for later European rediscovery during the Renaissance.

    • Transferred Indian mathematics to Europeans.

    • Adopted and adapted papermaking from China, later transferred to Europe, influencing the spread of ideas via the printing press.

Big Idea 3: State Building in South and Southeast Asia

• Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam influenced state building.

South Asia

• Delhi Sultanate (North):

  • Islamic state with a majority Hindu population.

  • Some Hindus converted (social mobility from lower to upper castes).

  • The jizya tax was imposed on non-Muslims.

  • Inefficient bureaucracy hindered the consolidation of power.

• Vijayanagara Empire (South):

  • Established as a Hindu kingdom by two brothers who were formerly part of the Delhi Sultanate.

  • They converted back to Hinduism and claimed the territory for themselves.

Southeast Asia

• Merchants introduced Hinduism and Buddhism via trade.

• These religions became the basis for new kingdoms and empires.

  • Srivijaya Empire (Hindu): Prospered by taxing ships using sea lanes (ended in 1025).

  • Majapahit Kingdom (Buddhist): Prospered by controlling sea routes.

• Continuity: Religions shape societies.

• Diversity: Religions affect societies differently.

Big Idea 4: Civilizations of the Americas

• Developed strong states, large urban centers, and complex belief systems.

• Examples: Cahokia, Mexica, Inca.

Aztec Empire

• The Mexica people (Aztecs) demonstrated continuity in state building with previous American states (Maya).

  • Tenochtitlan: Magnificent cosmopolitan urban center.

• Tribute System:

  • Decentralized state (continuity from Maya).

  • Local governors extracted tribute, allowing the Mexica to exercise political dominance over distant lands.

• Carried over practices from the Maya, including human sacrifice.

Big Idea 5: African State Building

• Facilitated through participation in trade networks and religion.

Great Zimbabwe

• Prospered due to trade, agriculture, and gold deposits.

• Participation in the Indian Ocean Trade Network connected them to East Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia.

• Merchants influenced the development of Swahili (a blend of Bantu and Arabic).

• The capital city was Great Zimbabwe, which had 20,000 residents at its height.

Ethiopia

• A Christian Kingdom emerged in the 12th century.

• Known for monumental architecture (stone churches).

• Developed its own unique form of Christianity, distinct from Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions.

Big Idea 6: European State Building

• Characterized by religious belief, feudalism, and decentralized monarchies.

Religion

• Roman Catholic Church: Significant cultural continuity.

• Muslim presence on the Iberian Peninsula.

• Reconquista: Revival of Catholicism in Spain.

• Small but influential Jewish population.

Political Systems

• Feudalism: A Decentralized political system.

  • King granted land to lords for tribute.

  • Lords hired knights for protection.

  • Peasants worked the land for lords (manorial system).

Agriculture

• Three-field system: Crops rotated through three fields, increasing food production and leading to population growth.

Unit 2: Networks of Exchange (c. 1200 - c. 1450)

Big Idea 1: Expansion of Exchange Networks

• Networks of exchange expanded geographically, increasing interactions between states.

Three Major Trade Networks

• Silk Roads:

  • Luxury goods traded (silk).

  • Cities along routes grew (Kashgar, Samarkand).

  • Innovations in transportation and commercial technologies facilitated growth.

    • Transportation: Caravan Sarai (inns), improved yokes, saddles, and stirrups.

    • Commercial: Money economies (paper money in China), new forms of credit, banking houses.

• Indian Ocean Network:

  • The most significant sea-based trade network until 1500.

  • Causes of Growth:

    • Desire for goods not found at home.

    • Technological Innovations: Lateen sails, magnetic compass, astrolabe, new ship designs (Chinese junks, Arab dhows).

    • Spread of Islam: Connections and friendly relations among Muslim traders.

  • Growth of cities (Swahili city-states, Sultanate of Malacca).

  • Effects of growth: Establishment of diasporic communities, cultural and technological transfers.

    • Voyages of Zheng He: Increased China's power/influence over Indian Ocean trade.

• Trans-Saharan Trade:

  • Connected North Africa/Mediterranean with the interior of West Africa.

  • Growth due to transportation innovations (Arabian camel, saddles).

  • New empires rose in Africa (Mali), spurred and influenced by trade.

    • Mansa Musa: Further monopolized trade, increasing the wealth of Mali.

Big Idea 2: Cultural Diffusion

• A major effect of the growth of trading routes.

Examples of Cultural Transfers

• Religion:

  • Buddhism: Entered China (from India via the Silk Road), changed to Chan Buddhism.

  • Hinduism and Buddhism: Entered Southeast Asia through trade.

  • Islam: Spread throughout Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia (Swahili, Timbuktu, Delhi Sultanate).

• Scientific/Technological Innovations: Champa rice leading to population explosion, more mouths are fed.

• Rise and Fall of Cities:

  • Rise: Samarkand and Kashgar (centers of Islamic scholarship).

  • Fall: Baghdad (sacked by Mongols).

• Travelers:

  • Ibn Battuta: Traveled throughout Dar Al Islam, documenting his travels.

Big Idea 3: Environmental Consequences

• Increasing interconnection facilitated by trading routes.

Spread of Crops and Diseases

• Crops:

  • Bananas in Africa: Introduced from Southeast Asia via Indian Ocean trade, leading to powerful chiefdoms/kingdoms.

  • Champa Rice in East Asia: Leading to population explosion.

• Diseases:

  • Bubonic Plague (Black Death): Spread due to increasing connectivity.

Big Idea 4: The Mongol Empire

• Created the largest land-based empire in history and facilitated interconnection across Afro-Eurasia.

Mongol Facilitation of Trade and Connection

• Controlled the Silk Road network, enabling trade by providing safety and continuity.

• Encouraged international trade and extracted wealth.

• Increased communication and cooperation across Eurasia (Persian/Chinese courts).

• Technological and Cultural Transfers:

  • Transfer of technology and ideas due to Mongol policy of sending skilled people to various parts of the empire.

  • Advances in astronomy and astronomical tools (accuracy of calendars, improved astrolabes).

Unit 3: Land-Based Empires (c. 1450 - c. 1750)

Big Idea 1: Development and Expansion of Land-Based Empires

• Occurred mainly through the use of gunpowder.

Empire Examples

• Ottoman Empire:

  • Expanded rapidly due to gunpowder weapons.

  • Sacked Constantinople (1453) and renamed it Istanbul.

  • Janissaries: Enslaved Christians converted to Islam and trained as elite fighters.

• Safavid Empire (Middle East):

  • Established in 1501 under Shah Ismail as a Shiite Islamic dynasty.

  • Conflict with Sunni Mughals and Ottomans.

  • Shah Abbas: Built up the Safavid military, including gunpowder weapons.

  • Enslaved Christian army.

• Mughal Empire (South and Central Asia):

  • Established in 1526 by Babur, displacing the Delhi Sultanate with gunpowder.

  • Akbar expanded Mughal rule.

• Qing Dynasty (China):

  • Ming dynasty weakened due to internal divisions.

  • Manchu people from the North raided China (1636), establishing the Qing dynasty.

  • Qing rulers were Manchu, not Han Chinese.

Rivalries

• Safavid-Mughal conflicts in the Middle East:

  • A series of wars due to conflicting territorial ambitions and religious beliefs (Shia vs. Sunni).

  • The conflict led to several wars over decades, and neither could claim a clear victory.

Big Idea 2: Gaining and Maintaining Power in Land-Based Empires

• Rulers legitimized power and consolidated control through bureaucracies, sponsoring art, centralizing tax collection, and developing large militaries.

Methods of Legitimizing and Consolidating Power

• Formation of Large Bureaucracies:

  • Ottomans: Used the devshirme system to staff the imperial bureaucracy.

• Development of Military Professionals:

  • Ottomans: Janissaries.

  • Tokugawa Shogunate: Samurai were put on the government payroll and became salaried bureaucrats.

• Religious Ideas, Art, and Monumental Architecture:

  • Europe: Kings claimed rule by divine right.

  • Louis XIV (France): Built the Palace of Versailles.

  • Aztecs: Human sacrifice rituals displayed wealth and power.

  • Inca: Sun Temple at Cusco.

  • Emperor Kangxi (Qing): Used imperial portraits to promote Confucian wisdom.

• Tax Collection Systems:

  • Mughal Empire: Zamindar tax collection system.

  • Ottomans: Tax farming.

Big Idea 3: Role of Belief Systems

• Shared beliefs bound people together, but conflicting beliefs caused conflict.

Examples

• Christianity in Europe:

  • Protestant Reformation led to a split between Catholics and Protestants.

  • Religious wars in Europe until 1648.

  • Catholic Reformation (Counter-Reformation).

• Sunni-Shia Split in Islam:

  • Intensified conflict between the Ottoman and Safavid empires.

• Syncretism:

  • Sikhism (South Asia): Blend of Hindu and Islamic doctrines.

Unit 4: Maritime Empires (c. 1450 - c. 1750)

Big Idea 1: Maritime Technology and Transoceanic Trade

• New and updated maritime technology facilitated transoceanic trade and the development of sea-based empires.

Knowledge and Technology Used

• Europeans borrowed technologies from classical, Islamic, and Asian worlds:

  • Astrolabe (Greeks and Muslims).

  • Magnetic compass (China).

  • Lateen sail (Mediterranean trade network).

• European innovations in ship design:

  • Caravelle (Portuguese): Nimble and fast with decent-sized cargo holds.

  • Dutch flout: Large cargo space, enabling dominance of trade on the Indian Ocean.

Big Idea 2: State-Sponsored Exploration

• Led to the rapid expansion of trade and transatlantic contact with the Americas.

Motivations for Exploration

• Wealth-building.

• Spread of Christianity.

• Competition with other states (gold, God, and glory).

Key Players

• Portuguese:

  • Established a trading post empire around Africa and into the Indian Ocean, seeking a monopoly over the spice trade.

• Spain:

  • Sponsored Christopher Columbus to seek a new water route to Asia, dramatically increasing interest in transatlantic sailing.

  • Led to seeking the sea route to Asia unsuccessfully.

Big Idea 3: The Columbian Exchange

• A transfer of animals, foods, and diseases from Europe to the Americas, and vice versa.

Features of the Exchange

• Foods transferred between the New World and the Old World (Americas and Afro-Eurasia):

  • From the Americas to Europe: Potatoes, maize.

  • From Europe to the Americas: Wheat and rice.

  • Food exchanges led to expanded diets and population increase.

• Animals transferring:

  • Americas to Europe: Turkeys, llamas.

  • Europe to the Americas: Cattle, pigs, and horses.

• Spread of Disease:

  • Smallpox and measles devastated indigenous populations of the Americas.

Colonization

• Portuguese colonized Brazil:

  • Focus on agriculture, particularly sugarcane.

  • Initially used coerced indigenous labor, but diseases decimated the population.

  • This led to more demand for enslaved labor from Africa.

Big Idea 4: Maritime Empires, Mercantilism, and Coerced Labor

• European states established empires fueled by mercantilist economic policy and coerced labor systems.

Empires

• Africa:

  • Some Africans perceived European traders as intruders, while others, like the Asante Empire, grew as a result.

• British:

  • Took over India, beginning by establishing trade posts through the British East India Company and exploiting divisions between Muslims and Hindus.

• Spain:

  • Exploited the Aztec and Inca empires and established colonial economies based on agriculture.
    They also transformed the Maida system, using forced labor in dangerous silver mines.

  • Treaty of Tordesillas: Dividing the Americas, with Portugal getting Brazil.

Economic Policy

• Mercantilism: The dominant economic system, aiming to enrich the homeland by exploiting colonies for resources and markets.

Slave Labor

• Africans were transferred to the Americas for work:

  • The labor of enslaved Africans shaped and enriched languages and customs. Okra, religious beliefs, and languages were introduced to American culture.

Big Idea 5: Economic and Societal Changes

• The development of maritime empires significantly changed the economies and societies in which they were established.

Examples

• The Rise of Joint Stock Companies:

  • Dutch, English, and French founded joint stock companies like the British East India Company and the Dutch East India Company. These companies allowed investors the chance to make money while only risking a fraction of their wealth.

• Economic Disputes:

  • There were rivalries and various conflicts between Morocco and the Songhai Empire. The Moroccan had money issues, so they invaded the Songhai Empire, which led to the Songhai's collapse.

Triangular Trades

• Triangular Trade:

  • Intertwined Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Americas.
    These trades led to long-term economic interdependence in these regions.

Religion:

• Spread through territories via migration, colonization, and trade, leading to the establishment of various religious practices and beliefs that shaped societies across these regions.

  • Blending of indigenous religions from the Americas and Christianity created a new system of beliefs.

Sunnis and Shia had conflict because of their religion, which intensified their divide in the Ottoman and Safavid wars.

Big Idea 6: Resistance to Colonialism

• As states imposed their cultural, political, and economic will on colonized and enslaved people, resistance occurred.

Social Unrest

• Maratha Rebellion - Religious conflicts: The Hindu group called "Maratha" rebelled against the belief invasion. Brought the Mughal Empire to its end, creating a new empire in its place.

  • Pueblo Revolt - Native and Apache Indians revolted against being suppressed with the attempted forced conversion to Christianity by the Spanish. Hundreds were killed, and they burned churches, as well as priests.

Big Idea 7: Socioeconomic Changes

• Social categories, roles, and practices were both maintained and underwent significant changes:

Dynamics Changes include:

• Qing Dynasty - Some Chinese institutions were retained, like the civil service exam and its bureaucracy. However, native Chinese people were often treated as sub-human by the Manchu people, causing the social differences to become more pronounced.

  • New Hierarchy - The Spanish CASTA System created a social hierarchy with Spanish people on top and native people, plus enslaved people, plus Africans at the bottom. Multiple races were the result of relationships throughout these diverse groups.

Unit 5: Revolutions (c. 1750 - c. 1900)

Big Idea 1: The Enlightenment

• New ways of thinking, embodied in the Enlightenment, created reformation and revolution

Features:

• Locus of knowledge shifted from belief to observation and data

• Enlightenment Beliefs: 1. Natural rights-rights from God, not kings. Social contract- people should govern the government and be removed. John locke and Jean Roseau

  • Enlightenment resulted in reform, suffrage(votes for women), abolitionism, and the abolition of slavery.

Big Idea 2: Enlightenment + Nationalism = Revolutions

• Combined ideas of the Enlightenment, as well as nationalism, have led to a revolution around the world.

Features:

• A people's sense of belonging together based on commonality (Language, religion, and etc.), pride in being the way they are.

  • American Revolution - A combination of Enlightenment ideas, combined with nationalism, led to a revolution. The Declaration of Independence displays Enlightenment ideas as well as calls for freedom from oppressive British policies. 1783 led to its creation.

  • French and Haitian Revolution- inspired by enlightenment ideas combined with nationalism, mixed well to make an Independence movement.

    • Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen - France

    • Simon Bolivar's "Letter from Jamaica" - Enlightenment-esque

Big Idea 3: The Industrial Revolution.

• This period transformed the whole world through new innovations and other technologies
  Mass sale and trade of new materials by machines, instead of being created by hand.

Features:

• Started in Great Britain: Proximity to water, materials, and urbanization. Crop rotation and the seed drill are also factors. The factory system of manufacturing and more efficient and effective production led to the factory system as a result.

  • Textiles were a thing. Specialization of division of labor was developed. (Unskilled labor instead.

  • Was divided basically into two parts or periods:

  • 1- Textile and Steamy-type

• 2 - Steel and Electricity Type
  * Second Phase: Steel, electricity, and fossil fuels drove these processes and led to lots of new advantages for businesses

Big Idea 4: West Industrialization Decline

• Middle Eastern and Asian countries share a global decline as industrialized countries boom for success

Features:

• Rapid development of steam power helped European countries dominate world manufacturing and began to spread through other European countries and into the U.S., Russia, and Japan.

  • Immigration, as well as Human Capital, makes the U.S. thrive in this new era.

  • Construction and trans - Siberian railroads led to success in Russia.

  • Japan embraces industrialization and protects domestic culture, avoiding external exploitation as a result.

  • The textile industry in India declined because Britain was so big and led to tension between the two states.

Big Idea 5: Technology = Landscape

• The advent of tech fundamentally changed the landscape of manufacturing. During the Second Industrial Revolution, steel was a huge deal.

Features:

• First Industrial Revolution- powered by the steam engine, powered by coal. Second Industrial Revolution - powered by the internal combustion engine, powered by oil, and creating a fossil fuel revolution.
  Railroads and Transcontinental - U.S and Russia. Railroads were a good source to consolidate power. The telegraph led to a large boost in communication, further fueling the revolution because it was the best technology at the time.