AP World History Unit 1 Notes

AP World History Study Guide Unit 1: The Global Tapestry (c. 1200 to c. 1450)

Developments in East Asia (c. 1200 to c. 1450)

China

  • Song Dynasty (960-1279):

    • Period of great wealth, political stability, and innovation.
    • Developed the greatest manufacturing capability in the world.
    • Shifted from local to market production, becoming the most commercialized society.
    • Expansion of Buddhism and Confucianism.
    • Bureaucracy expanded through meritocracy, allowing social mobility.

  • Economic Developments:

    • The Grand Canal: Efficient waterway system that boosted trade and population growth.
    • Gunpowder: Technology spread via the Silk Roads.
    • Agriculture: Elaborate irrigation systems and heavy plows boosted food production.
    • Tributes: States paid tribute to honor the Chinese emperor.

  • Social Structures:

    • Public assistance and hospitals established by the Song government.
    • Social norms included foot binding for women.

  • Religious Diversity:

    • Buddhism spread from India, resulting in various forms such as Theravada, Mahayana, and Tibetan Buddhism.
    • Neo-Confucianism: Blending of rational thought with Daoist and Buddhist ideas.

Japan

  • Feudalism: Landowning aristocrats (daimyo) controlled land, leading to regional rivalries.
  • Central Government: In 1192, the Minamoto shogunate established military rule.

Korea

  • Close cultural and political ties to China, adopting Confucian and Buddhist beliefs.
  • Centralized government similar to China but maintained a powerful aristocracy.

Vietnam

  • Women retained more independence compared to Chinese women.
  • Preference for nuclear families and independent village operations.
  • Merit-based bureaucracy focused on loyalty to peasants rather than the emperor.

Developments in Dar al-Islam (c. 1200 to c. 1450)

Innovations

  • Mathematics: Nasir al-Din al-Tusi's work led to trigonometry's development.
  • Literature: 'A’ishah al-Ba’uniyyah, a key female Muslim writer.
  • Medicine: Advances in hospital care and medical licensing examinations.

Social Structures

  • Merchants held high status; revival of trade on Silk Roads fostered wealth.
  • Women gained rights, including property inheritance and divorce rights.

Cultural Transfers

  • Preservation of Greek philosophy and science at the Abbasid House of Wisdom.
  • Creation of a tolerant climate in Spain under Muslim rule where cohabitation among religions flourished.

Developments in South and Southeast Asia (c. 1200 to c. 1450)

South Asia

  • Political Structures: Chola Dynasty ruled Southern India (850-1267), compared to more turmoil in Northern India with Rajput kingdoms.
  • Delhi Sultanate: Brought Islam to India, ruling from the 13th to 16th centuries.

Religion

  • Differences between Hinduism and Islam: polytheism vs. monotheism, caste system vs. equality.
  • Bhakti Movement: Emphasis on emotional devotion rather than ritual.

Southeast Asia

  • Influence of Indian culture in places like Indonesia and Cambodia.
  • Srivijaya Empire: Hindu naval kingdom in Sumatra, controlled trade routes.
  • Majapahit Kingdom: Buddhist successor organization in Java.

State Building in the Americas

  • Mississippian Culture: Matrilineal society, structured class system.
  • Maya: City-states with kings claiming divine lineage, linked to astronomy.
  • Aztecs: Theocratic government with tributary systems, known for human sacrifices.
  • Inca: Mandated public service (mit’a) instead of tribute, specialized agricultural systems.

State Building in Africa

  • Political Structures: Bantu migrations led to kinship-based governance.
  • West Africa: Growth of kingdoms like Mali and Zimbabwe.

Social Structures

  • Hierarchy: Kinship, gender, and age defined small community systems in Africa.

Developments in Europe (c. 1200 to c. 1450)

Feudalism

  • Provided security for peasants, led to manorialism for economic self-sufficiency.

Political Trends

  • Increasing power of monarchies, exemplified by King Philip II of France and the development of bureaucracies.

The Church

  • The Great Schism divided Christianity into Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.
  • Established universities, maintained significant power and wealth, leading to corruption.

Crusades

  • Aimed to reclaim the Holy Land, influenced economic and social dynamics in Europe.

Renaissance

  • Revived interest in classical arts, culture, and literature, stimulated by the printing press.

  • Humanism: Focus on individualism and education; significant shift in cultural norms.

Comparisons in State-Building (c. 1200 to c. 1450)

  • Emergence of New States: New states formed, such as the Mamluks and Seljuks.
  • Revival of Empires: Innovation-based versions of the Song, Mali, and Holy Rome.
  • Cultural Synthesis: Adaptation of foreign ideas, such as Neo-Confucianism in China.
  • Expansion through Conquest: The militarization of existing states, such as the Aztec and Inca.
  • Economic Change: Rise of trade networks influenced state power.
  • Patriarchy: Continued patriarchal structures shaped societies.

State Building through Trade

  • Increased cross-cultural exchanges, advances in technologies, boosting literacy and economy.