AP World History 23-23.

All notes from Heimler’s History on YouTube and in person lectures.

Unit 1: The Global Tapestry 1200-1450

1.1- State building in Song China

• The Song State Structure:

  • divided into 6 departments- personal, finance, rites, army, justice, public works.

  • overseen by the censorate (a branch of government tasked with fighting corruption)

• Confucianism in Song China

  • a RELIGION AND BELIEF SYSTEM

  • based around the idea the everyone has a job to do and must stick to it, otherwise the world will fall into chaos

  • based around a social hierarchy and respect within relationships

  • peasants to their king, wives to their husbands, kids to their fathers, younger brother to older brother, and the only equal relationship, friend to friend

• Civil Service Exam

  • a test needed to pass for entrance into Song China’s government

  • a basis for shifting power from elders to a new generation

  • MEN studied their entire lives to be able to take the test, and if they passed, they were guaranteed a spot in the government which meant wealthy and sustainability for him and his family

• Role of merchants in China

  • long distance trade

  • sent out to make more money for China, as well as the entire state of Afro-Eurasia

  • they had very specific practices, often handmade goods that could not be found in other places around the world

  • held markets and other store for availability to others within the Song territory

• Increase of iron production

  • Song China consistently produced 32,000 suits of armor annually within themselves

  • this led to a shortage of iron for money, so paper money begins to be used

• How did money change during the Song Dynasty?

  • since the Song was producing so many new iron products, there was not enough of it left to be used as money

  • led to the start of paper money

• Impact of gunpowder in China

  • accidental discovery of gunpowder by Daoists who were trying to make an elixir of immortality

  • literally blew up in their faces

  • fireworks were made and used before the invention of guns or bombs

• How was Japan influenced by China?

  • architectural changes

  • very prominent in the capital city of Japan at the time, Heian. lots of Chinese art and structure used in the buildings of the city

  • various cultural practices and religions transferred to Japan because China and Japan were so physically close together

• Influence of Buddhism in China

  • in the beginning, Buddhism was strictly atheistic

  • came from India, but developed and changed on it’s way to China

  • Mahayana Buddhism was a Vietnamese faction (most relevant). based around relics, deities, and multiple Heavens and Hells.

• Why was China a wealthy country?

  • they were MADE wealthy through their large population, agriculture based economy, and manufacturing of new products (IRON.)

  • iron, paper money, armor = wealth

• How was China unified?

  • common language

  • Confucianism

  • culture

  • shared beliefs

  • shared customs (clothes, lifestyle, food, etc.)

1.2 - State Building in India and South East Asia

• State building in South Asia - India

  • Hinduism dominated - polytheistic

  • Hinduism unified India due to the caste system (labor system - explained in unit 4)

  • believed in the cycle of reincarnation - the better you did in this life, the better you would do in the next life until you eventually were with God

  • ethnic religion

• Hindu beliefs:

  • Samsara

    • cycle of birth and rebirth (mentioned above)

  • Atman

    • representation of inner self

  • Moksha

    • liberation from birth to rebirth

  • Brahman

    • an all pervasive world - a soul to reunite yourself with after rebirth

  • Karma

    • cause and effect (positive and negative)

• Bhakti Movement

  • encouraged the worship of one god

  • mystical movement

  • did not matter what class you were

• Caste system

  • form of hierarchical organization

  • based of social class

• State Building in Southeast Asia

  • Majapahit Empire

    • Hindu with Buddhist influence

    • had most power

    • required tribute from other states

  • Khmer

    • Hindu

    • exceedingly prosperous

    • Hindu representation

1.5 - State Building in the Americas and Africa

• Africa

  • Muslim merchants were women

  • Swahili was internal

  • merchants were above commoners in status

  • cultural fusion

  • Great Zimbabwe

  • Hausa kingdoms were urbanized and monarchies - Islamic

  • gold, ivory, timber, slaves

• Kin Based Networks

  • Mediterranean Sea trading network within the Swahili people and their lands

• Hausa Kingdom

  • urbanized monarchies based around Islam

1.6 - Developments in Europe 1200-1450

• What happened when Rome fell?

  • Byzantine empire kept Christianity alive

  • Eastern-Orthodox

  • Roman-Catholic

• Europe between 476-1000

  • lots of influence on Eastern Asia

  • crusades

  • Christianity was pushed around between empires

  • Feudalism

    • a system on allegiances between powerful monarchs, kings, and knights

      • greater lords and kings gained allegiances from lesser power

  • Dark ages:

    • decline in culture

    • feudalism

    • rise of the Black Death

  • High Middle Ages:

    • basically the revival after the Dark Ages

• Magna Carta

  • document of protection against the kings and feudalists

• Roman Catholic Church and it’s importance

  • took over after the fall of Rome

  • influenced all further Christianity

• Crusades

  • Christian/ Islamic wars

  • Christianity wins

• Economic and Social Change

  • Little Ice Age

    • average global temperature drops in Europe and North America

  • Renaissance

    • Rebirth of Rome as a Culture

      • art

      • politics

      • economics

      • philosophy

1.7 - Comparison from 1200-1450

• State building

  • compare Song Dynasty and Abbasid Caliphate

    • Abbasid was Islamic and was run by Arabs

    • Song was Buddhist and Confucian

    • both used religion to shape societies

  • Mali empire and Ghana

    • Mali was heavily trade reliant

    • both accepted Islam

    • Ghana was very short lived

  • Aztecs and Incas

    • Aztecs took tribute and sacrifices

    • Incas had an elaborate bureaucracy

    • Incas used the Mit’a system and were highly civilized

  • Europeans

    • global trade

    • military strength

• Religion and it’s role in state buid