AP World History - Ultimate Guide Notes

Unit 1: The Global Tapestry

Review of History Within Civilizations

• Growth of long-distance trade following the collapse of classical civilizations.

Overview of World’s Major Religions in 1200

• Religions profoundly influenced social, political, cultural, and military developments.

Buddhism

• Cultures: India, China, Southeast Asia, Japan
• Founding: Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) rejected wealth, founded Buddhism.
• Key Concepts: Four Noble Truths; split into Theravada and Mahayana.
• Impact: Rejected caste system, spread via trade routes.

Christianity

• Cultures: Europe, northeastern Africa, Middle East
• Key Beliefs: Based around Jesus Christ; teachings of love and forgiveness.
• Impact: Spread rapidly in the Roman Empire, influenced Western culture.

Confucianism

• Culture: China
• Key Concepts: Social harmony through relationships (ruler/subject, parent/child, etc.).

Hinduism

• Culture: India
• Key Concepts: Belief in a supreme force, Brahma; caste system.

Islam

• Cultures: Middle East, North Africa, Europe
• Key Concepts: Five Pillars of Islam, split into Shia and Sunni.

Judaism

• Culture: Hebrews
• Key Concepts: Monotheism, unique covenant with God.

Developments in the Middle East

• Abbasid Dynasty: Golden age of arts and sciences.
• Mongol Invasions: Led to the decline of Islamic Caliphates.

Developments in Europe

• Middle Ages: Complexity following the fall of Rome.
• Feudalism: Hierarchical system with kings, nobles, vassals, and serfs.
• Nation-States: Emergence in the 13th century with diverse paths in Germany, England, France, Spain, and Russia.

Developments in Asia

China

• Song Dynasty: Confucianism, foot binding.
• Ming Dynasty: Influence of Buddhism and other religions.

Japan

• Feudal System: Led by Emperor, Shogun, and Daimyo.

India

• Delhi Sultanate: Islamic invaders.

Southeast Asia

• Khmer Empire: Hindu influence, Angkor Wat.

Developments in Africa

• Spread of Islam, explosion of trade.
• Hausa Kingdoms: Economic stability through trade.

Developments in the Americas

• Aztecs: Empire built on trade and military.
• Inca: Expansionist policy, religious importance.

Unit 2: Networks of Exchange

Height of the Middle Ages

• Emergence of powerful merchants.
• Hanseatic League: Trade alliance in northern Europe.
• Crusades: Military campaigns for religious and territorial gains.

Mongol Empire

• Genghis Khan’s unification, vast empire, cultural diffusion.

Mali and Songhai

• Wealth through gold trade, notable rulers like Mansa Musa.

Chinese Technology

• Song dynasty advancements in bureaucracy and industrial society.

Trade Networks and Cultural Diffusion

• Explosive growth of trade from 1200-1450.
• Bubonic Plague: Spread through trade routes, massive population impact.

Indian Ocean Trade

• Dominated by Persians and Arabs, cultural intermixing.

The Silk Road

• Central to cultural exchange and trade between East and West.

European Expansion

• Spread of religion and culture, colonial impacts.

Unit 3: Land-Based Empires

Major European Developments

• Renaissance: Revival of arts, humanism, and education.
• Protestant Reformation: Martin Luther’s influence, split from Catholic Church.

Scientific Revolution

• Advances in scientific thought, Copernicus, Galileo, Newton.

European Rivals

• Power struggles and colonial expansion among European nations.

Russia

• Ivan the Terrible, Romanov dynasty, cultural reforms.

Islamic Gunpowder Empires

• Ottoman Empire: Expansion, military strength.
• Mughal Empire: Religious tolerance, art and architecture.

Africa

• Songhai: Sunni Ali, economic and cultural growth.
• Kongo: Portuguese influence, Christianity.

Isolated Asia

• China: Ming and Qing Dynasties, limited foreign interaction.
• Japan: Tokugawa Shogunate, national seclusion.

Unit 4: Transoceanic Interconnections

European Exploration

• Navigational advancements, explorers like Columbus, Magellan.

The Columbian Exchange

• Exchange of goods, diseases, and ideas between Old and New Worlds.

African Slave Trade

• Forced labor systems in the Americas, brutal conditions.

The Commercial Revolution

• Rise of joint-stock companies, mercantilism.

Unit 5: Revolutions

The Enlightenment

• Philosophers like Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu.

American Revolution

• Colonists’ fight for independence from Britain.

French Revolution

• Overthrow of monarchy, rise of Napoleon.

South American Revolutions

• Independence movements led by Bolívar, San Martín.

Mexico

• Hidalgo’s rebellion, Treaty of Cordoba.

Industry and Imperialism

• Industrial Revolution’s impact on global trade, factory system.

Unit 6: Consequences of Industrialization

European Imperialism

• Colonization for raw materials, ethnocentric justifications.

African Imperialism

• Berlin Conference, European colonization.

US Foreign Policy

• Monroe Doctrine, Roosevelt Corollary.

Unit 7: Global Conflict

World War I

• Alliance systems, Treaty of Versailles.

Russian Revolution

• Bolshevik rise, establishment of Soviet Union.

World War II

• Rise of fascism, Axis vs. Allies, Holocaust, atomic bomb.

Cold War

• US vs. Soviet Union, nuclear arms race.

Unit 8: Cold War and Decolonization

Communism and the Cold War

• Division of Europe, proxy wars in Korea and Vietnam.

Fall of the Soviet Union

• Gorbachev’s reforms, dissolution of USSR.

Independence Movements

• India, Africa, Middle East, resistance against colonial powers.

Unit 9: Globalization

International Terrorism

• Rise of Al Qaeda, September 11 attacks.

World Trade and Cultural Exchange

• NAFTA, EU, global economy.

Environmental Changes

• Global warming, ecological sustainability.

Global Health Crises

• AIDS epidemic, global health disparities.

Age of the Computer

• Internet revolution, social media, surveillance concerns.