AP World History Lecture Notes

Introduction

• Covering units 1-5 of AP World History.
• Exam date: May 8th.
• Review sessions are provided over two nights.
• Super chats for shoutouts available until 9:00 p.m. Eastern time.

Unit 1: The Global Tapestry (1200-1450)

Big Idea 1: Song China

• State Building:
  • Song China maintained rule through Confucianism and an imperial bureaucracy.
  • Confucianism: Hierarchical understanding from Tong dynasty.
  • Imperial bureaucracy expanded, ensuring power consolidation and rule.
• Buddhism Influence:
  • Buddhism's influence from India via the Silk Roads.
  • Chan Buddhism in China, blending with Daoism.
• Economic Flourishing:
  • Innovations like Champa rice and the Grand Canal.
  • Misunderstanding: China was not isolated during this period.

Big Idea 2: Islamic Empires

• Abbasid Caliphate Decline:
  • Rise of new Islamic states like Delhi Sultanate and Mluk Sultanate.
  • Expansion through military, trade, and Sufi movements.
• Intellectual Innovations:
  • Advancements in mathematics, literature, and translation of Greek classics.

Big Idea 3: South and Southeast Asia

• Influence of Religions:
  • Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam influenced state building.
  • Delhi Sultanate: Islamic state in a Hindu majority.
  • VJ Anagara Empire: Hindu Empire established by brothers who reverted from Islam.

Big Idea 4: Civilizations in the Americas

• State Building Examples:
  • Examples include Cahokia, Mashika (Aztecs), and the Inca.
  • Aztec Empire: Tribute system, monumental architecture, and decentralized state.

Big Idea 5: African State Building

• Economic and Cultural Development:
  • Influence of trade, agriculture, and resources like gold.
  • Example: Great Zimbabwe and its role in the Indian Ocean trade.
  • Swahili language development.

Big Idea 6: European State Building

• Religious Influence:
  • Strong Roman Catholic presence and Muslim presence in Iberia.
  • Decentralized political systems and feudalism.
  • Agricultural innovation: Three-field system led to a population increase.

Unit 2: Networks of Exchange (1200-1450)

Big Idea 1: Expansion of Trade Networks

• Silk Roads:
  • Luxury goods trade and cities like Qashqar and Samarand.
  • Transportation and commercial technology innovations facilitated trade.
• Indian Ocean Trade:
  • Largest sea-based network by 1500.
  • Causes: Desire for goods, technological innovations, spread of Islam.
  • Growth effects: Diasporic communities, cultural, and technological transfers.
• Trans-Saharan Trade:
  • Connected North Africa, Mediterranean, and West Africa.
  • Growth due to Arabian camels and saddles.
  • Empire of Mali’s rise under Mansa Musa, monopolizing trade.

Big Idea 2: Cultural Diffusion

• Religious and Scientific Transfers:
  • Buddhism entered China via Silk Roads, changing to Chan Buddhism.
  • Islam spread creating literate officials and legitimacy.
  • Scientific and technological innovations like Champa rice.

Big Idea 3: Environmental Consequences

• Spread of Crops and Diseases:
  • Example: Bananas in Africa, Champa rice in East Asia.
  • Spread of bubonic plague along trade routes.

Big Idea 4: The Mongol Empire

• Largest Land-Based Empire:
  • Facilitated trade and cultural transfers across Afro-Eurasia.
  • Encouraged communication and cooperation, scientific advancements.

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

Big Idea 1: Expansion of Empires

• Use of Gunpowder:
  • Key in the expansion of empires like Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal, and Qing.
• Inter-Empire Rivalries:
  • Conflicts due to territorial ambitions and religious differences.

Big Idea 2: Consolidation of Power

• Bureaucracies and Militaries:
  • Ottomans' Devshirme system.
  • Safavid's enslaved army.
• Religious and Artistic Legitimacy:
  • Examples: European divine right, French monumental architecture.

Big Idea 3: Belief Systems

• Conflicts and New Religions:
  • Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation.
  • Sunni-Shia split intensified conflicts.
  • New syncretic religions like Sikhism.

Unit 4: Transoceanic Interconnections (1450-1750)

Big Idea 1: Maritime Technology

• European Exploration:
  • Innovations borrowed from other cultures, leading to new ship designs.

Big Idea 2: State Sponsored Exploration

• Motivations:
  • Wealth, spread of Christianity, and competition.
  • Portuguese trading empire and Spanish westward exploration.

Big Idea 3: Columbian Exchange

• Transfer of Goods and Diseases:
  • Exchange of foods, animals, and diseases between Europe and the Americas.
  • Impact on indigenous populations and demand for African slaves.

Big Idea 4: Mercantilism and Labor Systems

• Economic Policies:
  • Mercantilism's impact on colonial economies.
  • Encomienda and Hacienda systems in Spanish colonies.

Big Idea 5: Changes in Economies and Societies

• Joint Stock Companies:
  • Rise in European economic power and global trade.
  • Triangular trade created interdependent global economy.

Big Idea 6: Resistance to Colonization

• Examples of Resistance:
  • Maratha Rebellion in India and Pueblo Revolt in North America.

Big Idea 7: Social Changes

• Social Hierarchies:
  • Qing dynasty policies.
  • Spanish Casta system in the Americas.

Unit 5: Revolutions (1750-1900)

Big Idea 1: Enlightenment and Reform

• New Ways of Thinking:
  • Natural rights and social contract.
  • Influenced women’s suffrage and abolitionism.

Big Idea 2: Nationalism and Revolutions

• Revolutionary Movements:
  • American, French, and Haitian revolutions inspired by enlightenment and nationalism.
  • Key documents: Declaration of Independence, Rights of Man, Letter from Jamaica.

Big Idea 3: Industrial Revolution

• Transformation of Manufacturing:
  • Shift to machine-made goods.
  • Began in Britain due to natural resources and capital.

Big Idea 4: Global Manufacturing Shifts

• Western Industrialization:
  • Spread to Europe, U.S., Japan, and Russia.
  • Decline in traditional manufacturing regions like India.

Big Idea 5: New Technologies

• Advancements in Manufacturing:
  • First vs. Second Industrial Revolution.
  • Impact of railroads and telegraph.

Big Idea 6: Economic Shifts

• Capitalism and Transnational Businesses:
  • Rise of free market capitalism.
  • Increased standards of living and rise of the middle class.

Big Idea 7: Calls for Reform

• Labor Movements and Marxism:
  • Rise of labor unions and Karl Marx’s critique of capitalism.
  • Ottoman Tanzimat reforms.

Feel free to review this guide to reinforce your understanding of major historical themes and concepts discussed in the lecture.