AP World History Review: Units 1-5

General Information

• Event Date: May 8th
• Review Schedule:
  • Tonight: Units 1-5
  • Tomorrow: Units 6-9

Preliminary Announcements

• Lecture will be posted online until the end of exam season.
• Super chats available for shoutouts until 9 PM Eastern Time.
• Moderators will review super chats; inappropriate content will be removed.

Unit 1: State Building and Interactions (1200-1450)

Big Idea 1: State Building in Song China

• Confucianism and Imperial Bureaucracy:
  • Continuity from Tang Dynasty.
  • Civil service examination expanded.
• Buddhism:
  • Introduced via Silk Roads from India.
  • Innovation: Chan Buddhism.
• Song Economy:
  • Innovations like Champa rice and Grand Canal.
  • China highly connected with neighboring regions via trade.

Big Idea 2: Islamic Empires

• Rise of Islamic States:
  • Delhi Sultanate (India) and Mluk Sultanate (Egypt).
• Cultural and Intellectual Innovations:
  • Algebra and trigonometry.
  • Translation of Greek classics into Arabic.

Big Idea 3: Influence of Religion in South and Southeast Asia

• Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism:
  • Delhi Sultanate vs. VJ Anagara Empire (Hindu kingdom).
• Southeast Asia Influence:
  • Trading facilitated Hindu and Buddhist empires (Shrevij Jaya, Majapahit).

Big Idea 4: Civilizations in the Americas

• Aztec Empire:
  • Tribute system and human sacrifice.
• State Building:
  • Continuities with the Maya.

Big Idea 5: State Building in Africa

• Great Zimbabwe and Ethiopia:
  • Prosperous due to trade and agriculture.
• Cultural Influences:
  • Development of Swahili language.

Big Idea 6: State Building in Europe

• Feudalism and Religion:
  • Decentralized monarchies.
  • Influence of Roman Catholic Church.
• Agricultural Innovations:
  • Three-field system and population growth.

Unit 2: Networks of Exchange (1200-1450)

Big Idea 1: Trade Networks

• Silk Roads, Indian Ocean, Trans-Saharan:
  • Innovations: caravanserai, paper money, yokes.
  • Growth of cities like Qashqar and Samarand.

Big Idea 2: Cultural Diffusion

• Spread of Religions:
  • Buddhism to China, Islam to Africa.
  • Zen Buddhism in Japan.

Big Idea 3: Environmental Consequences

• Spread of Crops and Diseases:
  • Bananas in Africa, Champa rice.
  • Bubonic plague spread.

Big Idea 4: The Mongol Empire

• Facilitation of Trade and Cultural Transfers:
  • Largest land-based empire.
  • Promoted international trade and cultural exchange.

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

Big Idea 1: Expansion through Gunpowder

• Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal, Qing Empires:
  • Use of gunpowder for expansion.
• Rivalries:
  • Safavid-Mughal conflicts.

Big Idea 2: Legitimizing Power

• Bureaucracies, Art, and Tax Collection:
  • Ottomans: Devshirme system.
  • France: Palace of Versailles.
• Religious and Architectural Legitimacy:
  • Aztecs, Incas, Qing China.

Big Idea 3: Belief Systems

• Christianity and Protestant Reformation:
  • Split between Catholics and Protestants.
• Sunni-Shia Split:
  • Conflicts in Islamic Empires.

Unit 4: Maritime Empires (1450-1750)

Big Idea 1: Maritime Technology

• Astrolabe, Magnetic Compass, Ships:
  • Innovations from classical, Islamic, Asian worlds.

Big Idea 2: European Exploration

• God, Gold, and Glory:
  • Portugal and Spain lead exploration.
• Columbus's Voyage:
  • Increased interest in transatlantic sailing.

Big Idea 3: Columbian Exchange

• Crops, Animals, and Diseases:
  • Transfer between Americas and Eurasia.
  • Smallpox devastation in Americas.

Big Idea 4: Empire Building and Mercantilism

• Portuguese and Spanish Colonization:
  • Encomienda and Mita systems.
  • Rise of African slave trade.

Big Idea 5: Economic and Social Changes

• Joint-Stock Companies:
  • Rise of British and Dutch East India Companies.
• Triangular Trade and Cultural Exchange:

Big Idea 6: Resistance to Colonization

• Maratha Rebellion and Pueblo Revolt:
  • Reactions to imposed cultural and political control.

Big Idea 7: Social Changes

• Qing Dynasty Policies and Spanish Casta System:
  • Changes in social hierarchies and roles.

Unit 5: Revolutions (1750-1900)

Big Idea 1: Enlightenment

• Natural Rights and Social Contract:
  • Ideas leading to reform movements.

Big Idea 2: Nationalism and Revolution

• American, French, and Haitian Revolutions:
  • Influence of enlightenment thought and nationalism.

Big Idea 3: Industrial Revolution

• Factory System and Urbanization:
  • Began in Britain due to unique factors.

Big Idea 4: Global Manufacturing Shifts

• Decline of Middle Eastern and Asian Manufacturing:
  • European dominance in global manufacturing.

Big Idea 5: Technological Innovations

• Steam Engine and Internal Combustion Engine:
  • Transition from first to second industrial revolution.

Big Idea 6: Economic Changes

• Free Market Capitalism and Transnational Businesses:
  • Rise of corporations like Unilever.

Big Idea 7: Reforms in Response to Industrialization

• Labor Unions and Socialism:
  • Karl Marx's critique of capitalism.
• Ottoman Tanzimat Reforms:
  • Efforts to modernize and industrialize.

• End of review for units 1-5. Continue tomorrow with units 6-9.