AP World History Unit 2 Overview

Time Period: 1200 - 1450

• Focus: Connections among states through networks of exchange
• Networks facilitated not just economic interaction but also cultural diffusion

Major Networks of Exchange

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

General Developments among Networks

• Geographic Expansion: All three networks expanded significantly in this period.
• Innovations Facilitating Expansion: Technological and commercial innovations led to increased connectivity.
• Economic Impact: Growth in wealth and power for participating states.
• Rise & Fall of States/Cities: Increased connectivity led to the rise of powerful states and the fall of others.

Silk Roads

• Goods Traded: Mainly luxury goods such as Chinese silk and porcelain.
• Transportation Innovations:
  • Caravanserai for merchant safety and cultural exchange.
• Commercial Innovations:
  • Money economies (paper money) initiated in China.
  • New forms of credit, spread to Europe as banking houses.
• Trading Cities:
  • Example: Kashgar, a key stop on the Silk Roads.

Indian Ocean Network

• Scope and Expansion: Expanded due to advanced knowledge of monsoon winds.
• Goods Traded: Bulk goods like textiles and spices, alongside luxury items.
• Technological Innovations:
  • Improved magnetic compass, astrolabe, and ship designs like the Chinese junk.
• Commercial Practices: Similar to Silk Roads, extensive use of credit.
• Example State: Swahili city-states on Africa’s East Coast, integrated into Dar al-Islam.
• Diaspora Communities: Settlements established, e.g., Arab and Persian communities in East Africa.

Trans-Saharan Trade Network

• Expansion: Innovations like camel saddles increased cargo transport capacity.
• Example Empire: Mali Empire grew wealthy through gold trade and taxation.
• Notable Leader: Mansa Musa expanded trade and wealth.

Consequences of Increased Connectivity

Cultural Consequences

• Religion: Spread of Buddhism to China via Silk Roads.
• Literary/Artistic Transfers: Translations in Baghdad's House of Wisdom influencing European Renaissance.
• Scientific/Technological Transfers: Spread of gunpowder from China.

Environmental Consequences

• Crops: Transfer of Champa rice to China, leading to population growth.
• Diseases: Spread of the Bubonic plague along trade routes.

The Mongol Empire

• Impact on Trade: Largest land empire, facilitating increased trade and communication (Pax Mongolica).
• Replacement of Empires: Song Dynasty, Abbasid Empire, and others fell to Mongols.
• Cultural and Technological Transfers: Adoption of Uyghur script, medical knowledge transfer.

Additional Resources

• AP World History Heimler Review Guide for detailed study materials.
• Further videos available for deeper dives into specific topics.