AP World History - Unit 2 Summary

Overview

• Time Period: 1200 to 1450
• Main Focus: Connections and networks of exchange among states and empires
• Key Concept: Networks of exchange included not just trade but also the diffusion of culture, religion, languages, and technology.

Major Networks of Exchange

1. Silk Roads

   • Stretched across Eurasia
   • Mainly luxury goods (e.g., Chinese silk and porcelain)
   • Expanded due to demand for luxury goods
   • Innovations:
     • Caravanserai: Inns providing safety and cultural exchange
     • Money Economy: Introduction of paper money, e.g., China’s flying money system
     • Credit Systems: Introduction of bills of exchange
   • Rise of trading cities, e.g., Kashgar

2. Indian Ocean Network

   • Maritime trade with a broader range of goods (common goods like textiles and spices)
   • Importance of monsoon winds for navigation
   • Innovations:
     • Magnetic Compass
     • Astrolabe
     • Ship Designs: Chinese junk
   • Rise of Swahili city-states, integration into Islamic trade networks
   • Establishment of diaspora communities, e.g., mixing of Arab and Persian cultures

3. Trans-Saharan Trade Network

   • Expanded due to camel saddle innovations
   • Mali Empire: Wealth through gold trade and taxation
   • Key Figure: Mansa Musa

Effects of Exchange Networks

Cultural Consequences

• Spread of Religions: Buddhism spread to China via Silk Roads
• Literary/Artistic Transfers: Greek and Roman classics translated into Arabic
• Technological Transfers: Spread of gunpowder from China

Rise and Fall of Cities

• Rise: Hangzhou in China due to trade
• Fall: Baghdad destroyed by Mongols

Travelers and Accounts

• Ibn Battuta: Documented travels across Dar al-Islam

Environmental Consequences

• Crops: Transfer of Champa rice to China
• Disease: Spread of Bubonic plague along trade routes

Mongol Empire

• Expansion: Largest land-based empire, replaced major empires
• Pax Mongolica: Increased trade and communication
• Technological Transfers: Medical knowledge to Western Europe
• Cultural Adoption: Uyghur script for administration

Resources

• AP World History Heimler Review Guide: Comprehensive study resource

These notes provide a condensed overview of key concepts, networks, consequences, and the roles of various empires and technologies during the period of 1200 to 1450 in AP World History Unit 2.