AP World History: Units 1-5 Review Lecture

General Information

• Date of lecture: Night before AP World History exam on May 8th.
• Review divided over two nights: Units 1-5 today, Units 6-9 tomorrow.
• Lecture to last approximately 2 hours.

Preliminary Announcements

• Lecture will be posted online for exam season.
• Super chats for shoutouts available until 9:00 PM Eastern time.
• Moderators will filter inappropriate super chats.

Unit 1: The Global Tapestry (1200-1450)

Big Idea 1: Song China & State Building

• Song China maintained rule through Confucianism (hierarchical worldview) and imperial bureaucracy.
• Expansion of civil service exams; meritocracy established.
• Buddhism influenced Chinese culture; Chan (Zen) Buddhism emerged.
• Song economy: innovations like Champa rice, the Grand Canal.

Big Idea 2: Islamic Empires & Expansion

• Abbasid Caliphate decline led to new Islamic states: Delhi Sultanate (India) and Mamluk Sultanate (Egypt).
• Rise of Turkic Islamic empires, continuity with practices from Abbasids.
• Spread of Islam via military expansion, merchants, and the Sufi movement.
• Intellectual contributions: algebra, translations of Greek classics.

Big Idea 3: South & Southeast Asia

• Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam influenced state-building.
• Delhi Sultanate (north): Islamic, majority Hindu population.
• Vijayanagara Empire (south): Hindu, originated from converted brothers from the Sultanate.
• Southeast Asia: Kingdoms influenced by trade (Srivijaya Empire, Majapahit Kingdom).

Big Idea 4: The Americas

• Civilizations developed strong states, urban centers.
• Aztec (Mexica) Empire: tribute system, decentralized state, Tenochtitlan as capital.

Big Idea 5: African States

• Great Zimbabwe prospered through trade, agriculture, gold.
• Connection to Indian Ocean trade network, spread of Swahili language.
• Ethiopian Empire: Christian kingdom known for monumental stone churches.

Big Idea 6: Europe and State Building

• Feudalism and decentralized monarchies characterized Europe.
• Roman Catholic Church as cultural continuity.
• Agricultural innovation: three-field system leading to population growth.

Unit 2: Networks of Exchange (1200-1450)

Big Idea 1: Expansion of Trade Networks

• Key trade networks: Silk Roads, Indian Ocean Network, Trans-Saharan Trade.
• Innovations: caravanserai, paper money, development of yokes, saddles, stirrups.
• Growth of cities like Kashgar and Samarkand.
• Indian Ocean Network: Swahili city-states, technological innovations.
• Trans-Saharan trade: camel saddles, Mali Empire under Mansa Musa.

Big Idea 2: Cultural Diffusion

• Spread of religions: Buddhism to China (Chan Buddhism), Islam to Africa and Asia.
• Scientific and technological transfers: Champa rice, Greek translations.
• Rise and fall of cities influenced by trade: growth of Samarqand, decline of Baghdad.

Big Idea 3: Environmental Consequences

• Spread of crops: bananas in Africa, Champa rice in Asia.
• Spread of diseases: bubonic plague across trade routes.

Big Idea 4: Mongol Empire

• Largest land-based empire in history.
• Facilitated trade and cultural exchange across Afro-Eurasia.
• Technological and cultural transfers heightened by Mongol policies.

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

Big Idea 1: Development and Expansion

• Gunpowder as a key factor in expansion: Ottomans, Safavids, Mughals, Qing dynasty.
• Conflicts: Safavid-Mughal conflict over territory and religious differences.

Big Idea 2: Legitimize and Consolidate Power

• Bureaucracies, military professionals like Janissaries and samurai.
• Use of religion, art, and monumental architecture to legitimize power (e.g., Louis XIV's Versailles).

Big Idea 3: Belief Systems

• Protestant Reformation and Catholic Reformation (Counter-Reformation).
• Sikhism as a syncretic faith emerging in South Asia.

Unit 4: Transoceanic Interconnections (1450-1750)

Big Idea 1: Maritime Technology

• Maritime empires: Portuguese, Spanish; innovations like the caravel, fluyt.

Big Idea 2: State-Sponsored Exploration

• Motivations: wealth, spreading Christianity, competing for glory.

Big Idea 3: Columbian Exchange

• Exchange of crops, animals, diseases between old and new worlds.
• Impact on diets, population growth, indigenous populations.

Big Idea 4: Mercantilism and Labor Systems

• Mercantilist policies driving colonization.
• Coerced labor systems: encomienda, hacienda, and impact on indigenous populations.

Big Idea 5: Economic and Social Changes

• Joint-stock companies, transatlantic trading networks.
• Effects: interdependence among continents, rise of syncretic religions.

Big Idea 6: Resistance to Empires

• Revolts and conflicts, e.g., Maratha Rebellion in India, Pueblo Revolt in North America.

Big Idea 7: Social Structures

• Continuities and changes in societal hierarchies, e.g., Spanish casta system.

Unit 5: Revolutions (1750-1900)

Big Idea 1: Enlightenment Ideas

• Shift from religious belief to empirical thought.
• Natural rights, social contract influencing political reform.

Big Idea 2: Nationalism and Revolutions

• American, French, Haitian revolutions driven by enlightenment and nationalism.
• Important documents: Declaration of Independence, Rights of Man, Bolivar's letters.

Big Idea 3: Industrial Revolution

• Origin in Britain due to geographical and resource factors.
• Rise of the factory system, shift to mass production.

Big Idea 4: Spread of Industrialization

• Decline of traditional manufacturing centers as Western nations industrialized.

Big Idea 5: Technological Advancements

• Transition from steam to combustion-based power.
• Railroads, telegraph revolutionizing communication and trade.

Big Idea 6: Economic Shifts

• Rise of capitalism, transnational businesses.
• Increased standard of living and economic interdependence.

Big Idea 7: Reforms and Responses

• Labor unions, Marx's critique of capitalism.
• Ottoman Tanzimat Reforms, seeking modernization and industrialization.