WAP Codified Religions and Cultural Traditions

AP World History Study Guide: Codified Religions and Cultural Traditions

Course Focus: Prepares students for the AP World History test in May, covering the development of codified religions and cultural traditions.
Time Period: Starts at 1200 CE but requires understanding events from 1500 BCE for context.
Codified Religions: Religions with written texts and rituals, passed down consistently across generations.
Note: This is not a theology class; focus is on overarching themes and their impact on world history and societies.

Founders: Aryans.
Key Text: Rig Veda.
Core Beliefs:
- Reincarnation: Belief in rebirth after death, influenced by:
  - Karma: Good and bad deeds.
  - Dharma: Duty to family and community (e.g., caste role).
- Moksha: Ultimate goal of breaking the reincarnation cycle to join the universal spirit.
Caste System:
- Creates social and political structure in India, reducing need for strong central government.
- Structure:
  - Brahmin: Priests and academics (top, emphasizing religion’s importance).
  - Kshatriya: Warriors and kings.
  - Vaishya: Merchants, landowners, skilled workers.
  - Sudra: Peasants, farmers (base of the population pyramid).
  - Untouchables: Outside the caste system, handling undesirable jobs (e.g., waste, dead bodies).
- Function: Promotes social order through karma and dharma; good behavior ensures upward movement in caste in the next life, discouraging chaos.
Historical Impact: Provides social unity and political stability, enabling cycles of strong central governments and regional kingdoms.

Key Feature: Monotheistic (one God, Yahweh).
Core Beliefs:
- Ten Commandments: Moral code for behavior to reach the afterlife.
- Covenant: Special relationship with God, making Jews the "chosen people."
Ethnic Religion: Applies only to those born into it, not focused on conversion.
Historical Impact:
- Small population in a turbulent region, leading to persecution and diasporas (e.g., Babylon, Roman Empire).
- Resistance to assimilation due to strict adherence to beliefs, making Jews distinct and often persecuted.

Founder: Siddhartha Gautama (a prince who became the Buddha, "Enlightened One").
Core Beliefs:
- Four Noble Truths:
  1. All life is suffering.
  2. Suffering is caused by desire.
  3. To end suffering, end desire.
  4. Follow the Eightfold Path to end suffering.
- Eightfold Path: Guide to achieve enlightenment (nirvana) through right mindset, actions, and meditation.
- Reincarnation, Karma, Dharma: Similar to Hinduism but outside the caste system.
Universalizing Religion: Applies to all (men, women, rich, poor), spreading via Silk Roads to China, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean.
Historical Impact:
- Appeals to lower castes seeking enlightenment in one life, challenging the Hindu caste system.
- Conflicts with Hindu governments due to rejection of caste hierarchy.

Founder: Jesus (originally Jewish).
Key Feature: Monotheistic, universalizing religion.
Core Beliefs:
- Influenced by Judaism (Ten Commandments) and Zoroastrianism (good vs. evil, heaven vs. hell).
- Holy Trinity: Unique to Christianity, not found in Judaism.
Historical Impact:
- Spreads in the Roman Empire among the poor, offering hope for a better afterlife.
- Initially persecuted (seen as cannibalistic due to communion, conflicting with Roman emperor worship).
- Spreads via merchants and missionaries (e.g., Paul), eventually becoming the Roman Empire’s official religion.
- Provides social cohesion in large empires where governments fail to meet all needs.

Context: China unified by political philosophies, not religion, focusing on the dynastic cycle and Mandate of Heaven.
Dynastic Cycle:
- Ruling family weakens over time (corruption, overtaxation).
- Natural disasters (e.g., Huang He River floods) signal loss of the Mandate of Heaven.
- New leader (e.g., warlord) overthrows the emperor, starting a new dynasty.
Legalism:
- Characteristics: Authoritarian, strict laws, and harsh punishments (e.g., mutilation, death).
- Standardization: Unified weights, measurements, language, and roads (e.g., Qin dynasty’s Great Wall construction through forced labor).
- Impact: Unpopular due to severity, leading to the Qin dynasty’s collapse after Emperor Shi Huangdi’s death.
Confucianism:
- Founder: Confucius, author of the Analects.
- Core Beliefs:
  - Emphasizes respect (filial piety, ancestor veneration) and education.
  - Society as a family: Emperor as father, subjects as children; mutual care and obedience ensure peace.
  - Civil Service Exam: Merit-based bureaucracy requiring knowledge of Confucian texts, history, and laws.
- Historical Impact:
  - Adopted by the Han dynasty (200 BCE) and lasts until 1911 (Chinese Revolution).
  - Stabilizes China by linking the Mandate of Heaven to the