AP World History Review: Units 1-5

General Information

• Exam Date: May 8th
• Review Schedule:
  • Tonight: Units 1-5
  • Tomorrow: Units 6-9
• Shoutouts available until 9:00 PM (Eastern Time)

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

Big Idea 1: Song China

• Sources of Strength: Confucianism and Imperial Bureaucracy
  • Confucianism: Hierarchical worldview; revival in Song Dynasty
  • Civil service examination: Meritocracy
• Song Economy: Flourished due to innovations
  • Champa Rice: Agricultural innovation from Champa Kingdom, modern Vietnam
  • Grand Canal: Transportation system enhancing trade
• Buddhism Influence: Cultural diffusion
  • Chan Buddhism: Blend with Daoism, spread to neighboring regions

Big Idea 2: Islamic Empires

• Abbasid Caliphate Collapse: Rise of new Islamic states
  • Delhi Sultanate and Mamluk Sultanate
  • Turkic Islamic empires
• Spread of Islam: Military conquests, merchants, and Sufism
• Intellectual Transfers:
  • Algebra, trigonometry
  • Preservation of Greek classics
  • Paper-making from China

Big Idea 3: South and Southeast Asia

• Influence of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam
  • Delhi Sultanate (Islamic) vs. Vijayanagara Empire (Hindu)
  • Srivijaya (Hindu) and Majapahit (Buddhist) Empires

Big Idea 4: Civilizations of the Americas

• Aztecs: Tribute system, decentralized state
• Achievements: Urban centers, belief systems

Big Idea 5: African State Building

• Great Zimbabwe: Trade, agriculture, and gold
  • Swahili language development
• Ethiopia: Christian kingdom, monumental architecture

Big Idea 6: Europe

• Feudalism and Religion
  • Roman Catholic Church's influence
  • Decentralized monarchies, manorial system
• Agricultural Innovation
  • Three-field system: Crop rotation, population growth

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

Big Idea 1: Trade Networks

• Silk Roads: Luxury goods, innovations like paper money
• Indian Ocean Trade:
  • Technological innovations: Compass, astrolabe
  • Swahili city-states, Sultanate of Malacca
• Trans-Saharan Trade: Camels and saddles, Mali Empire

Big Idea 2: Cultural Diffusion

• Buddhism in China, Islam in Africa/South Asia
• Intellectual advancements shared across regions

Big Idea 3: Environmental Consequences

• Spread of crops: Bananas, Champa rice
• Spread of diseases: Bubonic plague

Big Idea 4: Mongol Empire

• Facilitated Trade and Cultural Exchange
  • Controlled Silk Roads, safe passage
  • Technological and scientific advancements

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

Big Idea 1: Expansion through Gunpowder

• Ottoman Empire: Gunpowder, janissaries
• Safavid Empire: Shi'a Islam, gunpowder
• Mughal Empire: Religious tolerance, gunpowder
• Qing Dynasty: Manchu rule, ethnic tensions

Big Idea 2: Power and Control

• Bureaucracies: Ottoman devshirme, other systems
• Military Professionals: Salaried warriors
• Religious and Artistic Legitimization
  • European monarchs' divine right
  • Aztec human sacrifice

Big Idea 3: Belief Systems

• Reformation and Counter-Reformation
  • Protestant Reformation: Martin Luther
  • Catholic Reformation: Council of Trent
• Sunni-Shia Split: Ottoman vs. Safavid
• Syncretism: Sikhism in South Asia

Unit 4: Transoceanic Interconnections (c. 1450-1750)

Big Idea 1: Maritime Technology

• Astrolabe, compass, caravel ships

Big Idea 2: European Exploration

• Motivations: Wealth, spread of Christianity, glory
• Trading Post Empires: Portuguese and Spanish exploration

Big Idea 3: Columbian Exchange

• Transfer of Crops and Animals: Potatoes, maize, livestock
• Diseases: Smallpox impact on indigenous populations

Big Idea 4: Empires and Economy

• Mercantilism: Wealth measured in gold and silver, colonial expansion
• Labor Systems: Encomienda, hacienda, Mita systems

Big Idea 5: Impact on Economies and Societies

• Joint-Stock Companies: E.g., Dutch East India Company
• Triangular Trade: Europe, Africa, Americas interdependence

Big Idea 6: Resistance to Colonization

• Rebellions: Maratha, Pueblo Revolt

Big Idea 7: Social Structures

• Casta System: Hierarchical societal organization based on race

Unit 5: Revolutions (c. 1750-1900)

Big Idea 1: Enlightenment

• Key Ideas: Natural rights, social contract
• Reform Movements: Women's suffrage, abolitionism

Big Idea 2: Nationalism and Revolutions

• American Revolution: Enlightenment ideals, nationalism
• Influence on French and Haitian Revolutions

Big Idea 3: Industrial Revolution

• Beginnings in Britain: Urbanization, coal, iron
• Factory System: Mass production, specialization of labor

Big Idea 4: Shift in Global Manufacturing

• Decline in Asian Manufacturing: India and textiles

Big Idea 5: New Technologies

• Second Industrial Revolution: Steel, electricity
• Railroads and Telegraph: Connecting economies

Big Idea 6: Economic Changes

• Rise of Capitalism: Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations"
• Transnational Corporations

Big Idea 7: Social and Economic Reforms

• Labor Unions: Workers' rights, collective bargaining
• Critiques of Capitalism: Karl Marx and socialism

Good luck on your exam! Remember to review these key concepts and their significance within the broader historical context.