AP World History Unit 2 Overview

Time Period

• 1200 to 1450
• Focus on connectivity between states and empires
• Networks of exchange, not just trading routes
• Economic interactions and cultural diffusion

Major Networks of Exchange

1. Silk Roads
2. Indian Ocean Network
3. Trans-Saharan Trade Network

General Developments

• Expansion of geographical range
• Innovations in commercial practices and technology
• Increased wealth and power for participating states
• Rise and fall of powerful states and cities

The Silk Roads

• Stretched across Eurasia
• Focus on luxury goods like silk and porcelain
• Innovations:
  • Caravanserai: Inns and guesthouses for merchants
  • Money economies: Introduction of paper money (Flying Money System)
  • Credit systems: Development of banking houses and bills of exchange
• Rise of trading cities like Kashgar

Indian Ocean Network

• Maritime trade with bulk goods and luxury items
• Key technologies:
  • Magnetic Compass
  • Astrolabe
  • Chinese Junk ships
• Swahili city states as trade brokers
• Cultural diffusion:
  • Establishment of diaspora communities
  • Spread of Islam and creation of Swahili language
  • Zheng He's voyages and their impact

Trans-Saharan Trade Network

• Expanded due to camel saddle innovation
• Empire of Mali grew wealthy through trade of gold
• Influence of Islam and wealth under Mansa Musa

Consequences of Connectivity

Cultural Consequences

• Spread of religions like Buddhism along the Silk Roads
• Literary and artistic transfers (e.g., Baghdad's House of Wisdom)
• Scientific and technological innovations (e.g., Gunpowder)
• Rise and fall of cities:
  • Rise: Hangzhou in China
  • Fall: Baghdad due to Mongol invasion
• Traveler accounts like Ibn Battuta

Environmental Consequences

• Crop transfers like Champa rice increased food production and population
• Plague spread along trade routes (e.g., Bubonic plague)

The Mongol Empire

• Established the largest land-based empire
• Replaced powerful empires like the Song Dynasty and Abbasid Empire
• Facilitated trade and communication:
  • The "Pax Mongolica" ensured safety and continuity on the Silk Roads
  • Technological and cultural transfers (e.g., Uyghur script adoption)

Study Resources

• AP World History Heimler Review Guide for further study and practice