AP World History Unit 1 Vocabulary

The State

  • Territory politically organized under a single government.

Song Dynasty (960-1279)

  • Maintained rule through:

    • Confucianism: Philosophy emphasizing social hierarchy and filial piety.

    • Neo-Confucianism: Revival of Confucianism, integrating some Buddhist thought.

      • Reinforced hierarchical nature of society; inferiors defer to superiors.

      • Stressed filial piety: children obeying/honoring parents and ancestors.

    • Women's Status: Subordinate position, stripped of legal rights, endured social restrictions.

      • Limited access to education.

      • Practice of foot binding.

    • Imperial Bureaucracy: Expanded to carry out emperor's will.

    • Civil service examination based on Confucian classics.

    • Theoretically open to all men, but favored the wealthy.

Influence on Neighboring Regions

  • Korea, Japan, and Vietnam were influenced by Chinese traditions.

    • Korea adopted a similar civil service examination.

    • Buddhism.

Buddhism

  • Originated in India, spread to China.

    • Teachings center on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

    • Beliefs shared with Hinduism: reincarnation and Nirvana.

  • Theravada Buddhism: Confined practice to monks and monasteries.

  • Mahayana Buddhism: Encouraged broader participation, bodhisattvas help others attain Enlightenment.

Song Economy

  • Commercialization: Producing more goods than consumed, selling excess in markets.

    • Significant goods traded: porcelain and silk.

  • Agricultural Innovations: Champa rice allowed for multiple harvests a year, leading to population growth.

  • Transportation: Expansion of the Grand Canal facilitated trade and communication.

Developments in Dar al-Islam

  • Dar al-Islam: Areas where Islamic faith was the organizing principle.

  • Judaism, Christianity, and Islam were practiced.

  • Abbasid Caliphate: Ethnically Arab, power declined by 1200.

  • New Islamic Political Entities: Dominated by turkic people.

    • Seljuk Empire established in the 11th century by turkic pastoralists.

Cultural and Scientific Innovations

  • Nasir al-din al-tusi made advances in mathematics, including trigonometry.

  • Muslim scholars preserved Greek philosophical works.

  • House of Wisdom in Baghdad: Library with scholarly works during the Golden Age of Islam.

Expansion of Muslim Rule

  • Military Expansion: Establishment of the Seljuk, Mamluk, and Delhi Sultanates.

  • Muslim Merchants: Stimulated trade and conversion (e.g., Mali).

  • Sufi Missionaries: Adapted to local beliefs, facilitating conversion (e.g., South Asia).

South and Southeast Asia

  • Religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam.

South Asia

  • Buddhism declined.

  • Hinduism remained widespread; Islam became influential with the Delhi Sultanate.

  • Bhakti Movement: Devotion to single Hindu gods.

State Building in South Asia

  • Delhi Sultanate struggled to impose Muslim rule on the Hindu population.

  • Rajput Kingdoms resisted Muslim intrusion.

  • Vijayanagara Empire: Rose in the South as a Counterpoint to Muslim rule.

Southeast Asia

  • Sea-Based Empire: Majapahit Kingdom (Buddhist) controlled sea routes for trade.

  • Land-Based Empire: Khmer Empire (Hindu, later Buddhist).

    • Angkor Wat.

Americas

  • Mesoamerica and Andean civilization.

Mesoamerica

  • Aztec Empire (founded in 1345).

    • Tenochtitlan was the capital city.

    • Tribute States: Conquered people provided labor and goods.

    • Human Sacrifice.

Andean Civilization

  • Inca Empire (early 1400s).

    • Bureaucracy with hierarchies of officials.

    • Mita System: Required labor on state projects.

Comparison of Aztec and Inca

  • Aztecs: Decentralized rule.

  • Incas: Centralized rule.

Mississippian Culture

  • Located in North America.

  • Agriculture.

  • Towns dominated smaller settlements.

  • Monumental Mounds.

Africa

  • East Africa: Swahili Civilization

    • Organized around commerce.

  • Influenced by Muslim traders.

    • Emergence of Swahili language

West Africa

  • Powerful and highly centralized civilizations:

  • Driven by trade.

  • Mostly elite members converted to Islam.

  • Hausa Kingdoms: Series of city-states acting as brokers of trans-Saharan trade.

Great Zimbabwe

  • Capital city built between 1250 and 1450.

  • Shifting mainly to gold.

  • Indigenous shamanistic religion.

Kingdom of Ethiopia

  • Grew and flourished because of trade.

  • Predominantly Christian.

Europe

  • Belief Systems:

    • Christianity.

  • Eastern Orthodox.

  • Roman Catholic.

Belief System and State Building

  • Political fragmentation.

    • Feudalism: Organization around powerful lords and kings.

    • Manorialism: European society and economics organized according to manorialism.

  • Monarchs began to grow in power.