AP World History Lecture Notes

Introduction

• Review of units 1-5 in AP World History
• Exam date: May 8th
• Sessions: Tonight (Units 1-5), Tomorrow (Units 6-9)
• Super chats for shoutouts until 9 PM Eastern time

Unit 1: The Global Tapestry (1200-1450)

Big Idea 1: Song China

• Confucianism and imperial bureaucracy as central to state building
• Revival of Confucianism and expansion of the civil service exam
• Influence and adaptation of Buddhism (Chan Buddhism)
• Flourishing economy with innovations like Champa rice and the Grand Canal

Big Idea 2: Islamic World

• Fall of Abbasid Caliphate led to new Islamic entities: Delhi Sultanate, Mamluk Sultanate
• Diversity in Islamic states (Turkic vs. Arab/Persian)
• Spread of Islam through military and trade
• Intellectual transfers (Greek classics, Indian mathematics)

Big Idea 3: South and Southeast Asia

• Influence of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam on state building
• Delhi Sultanate: Islamic state with majority Hindu population
• Vijayanagara Empire: Hindu kingdom started by former Muslim converts

Big Idea 4: Americas

• Development of strong states, urban centers, and belief systems
• Aztec Empire: Tribute system and human sacrifice

Big Idea 5: Africa

• State building through trade networks and religion
• Great Zimbabwe and Swahili city-states: Trade prosperity
• Ethiopian Christianity developed apart from Roman Catholicism

Big Idea 6: Europe

• Feudalism and decentralized monarchies
• Roman Catholic Church as cultural continuity
• Agricultural innovations like the three-field system

Unit 2: Networks of Exchange (1200-1450)

Big Idea 1: Trade Networks

• Silk Roads, Indian Ocean, and Trans-Saharan trade networks
• Innovations in transportation and commerce (caravanserai, banking houses)
• Growth of cities like Samarkand and Kashgar

Big Idea 2: Cultural Diffusion

• Spread of Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam through trade
• Rise of diasporic communities (Arab, Persian in East Africa)
• Travels of Ibn Battuta as example of cultural exchange

Big Idea 3: Environmental Consequences

• Spread of crops (bananas, Champa rice) and diseases (Black Death)

Big Idea 4: Mongol Empire

• Largest land-based empire facilitating trade and cultural exchange
• Technological and cultural transfers across Eurasia

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

Big Idea 1: Expansion and Gunpowder

• Importance of gunpowder in empire expansion
• Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal, and Qing empires

Big Idea 2: Power Consolidation

• Bureaucracies, militaries, religious legitimacy, monumental architecture
• Tax systems (Zamindars, tax farming)

Big Idea 3: Belief Systems

• Protestant Reformation and Catholic Reformation
• Sunni-Shia split intensified by Ottoman-Safavid conflict
• Emergence of Sikhism

Unit 4: Transoceanic Interconnections (1450-1750)

Big Idea 1: Maritime Technology

• Innovations facilitating trans-oceanic trade (astrolabe, compass, ships)

Big Idea 2: European Exploration

• Motivations: Wealth, spread Christianity, competition
• Portuguese and Spanish exploration

Big Idea 3: Columbian Exchange

• Exchange of foods, animals, diseases between Old World and New World

Big Idea 4: Colonization and Mercantilism

• European colonization of Africa, Americas, Asia
• Coerced labor systems (encomienda, hacienda)

Big Idea 5: Economic and Social Changes

• Rise of joint-stock companies
• Triangular trade

Big Idea 6: Resistance to Colonization

• Maratha Rebellion, Pueblo Revolt

Big Idea 7: Social Structures

• Qing dynasty policies
• Spanish caste system in Americas

Unit 5: Revolutions (1750-1900)

Big Idea 1: Enlightenment and Reform

• Natural rights, social contract
• Reform movements (women's suffrage, abolitionism)

Big Idea 2: Revolutions

• Nationalism, Enlightenment ideas led to American, French, Haitian revolutions

Big Idea 3: Industrial Revolution

• Began in Britain due to resources, urbanization
• Factory system, specialization of labor

Big Idea 4: Global Manufacturing

• Decline in Asian, Middle Eastern manufacturing

Big Idea 5: Technological Innovations

• Railroads, telegraphs, steam engines

Big Idea 6: Economic Shifts

• Rise of capitalism, transnational corporations

Big Idea 7: Reforms and Responses

• Labor unions, Marxism, Tanzimat reforms

Conclusion

• Review of significant changes in global history during 1200-1750
• Preparation and confidence for the AP World History exam