📚

AP World History Units 1-5 Review

May 7, 2025

AP World History Review: Units 1-5

Introduction

  • Review session for AP World History covering Units 1-5.
  • Exam date: May 8th.
  • Sessions:
    • Tonight: Units 1-5
    • Tomorrow: Units 6-9

Unit 1: The Global Tapestry (1200-1450)

Big Idea 1: State Building in Song China

  • Song China maintained rule through:
    • Confucianism
    • Imperial bureaucracy
  • Buddhism influenced society and economy.
  • Economy flourished due to innovations like Champa rice and the Grand Canal.
  • Key themes: state building, continuity and change.

Big Idea 2: Islamic World

  • Decline of the Abbasid caliphate led to new Islamic states (e.g., Delhi Sultanate, Mamluk Sultanate).
  • Diversity: Differences in governance (e.g., Turkic vs. Arab/Persian rule).
  • Spread of Islam through military expansion, merchants, and Sufi missionaries.
  • Intellectual innovations: Algebra, trigonometry, literature.

Big Idea 3: South and Southeast Asia

  • Influences of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam on state building.
  • South Asia: Delhi Sultanate and Vijayanagara Empire.
  • Southeast Asia: Srivijaya (Hindu) and Majapahit (Buddhist).

Big Idea 4: Americas

  • Civilizations like Aztecs and Inca developed complex states.
  • Aztecs employed tribute systems and monumental architecture.

Big Idea 5: Africa

  • State building facilitated by trade and religion.
  • Great Zimbabwe and Swahili city-states.

Big Idea 6: Europe

  • Feudalism and decentralized monarchies.
  • Role of religion: Roman Catholic Church dominance.
  • Innovations like the three-field system increased agricultural output.

Unit 2: Networks of Exchange (1200-1450)

Big Idea 1: Trade Networks

  • Silk Roads: Luxury goods, growth of cities (Kashgar, Samarkand), commercial innovations (caravanserai, paper money).
  • Indian Ocean Trade: Sea-based trade, technological innovations, spread of Islam.
  • Trans-Saharan Trade: Introduction of camels, expansion of routes.

Big Idea 2: Cultural Diffusion

  • Spread of religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam.
  • Technological innovations like Champa rice.
  • Traveler accounts (Ibn Battuta).

Big Idea 3: Environmental Consequences

  • Spread of crops (bananas, Champa rice) and diseases (bubonic plague).

Big Idea 4: Mongol Empire

  • Largest land-based empire, facilitating trade and cultural exchange.
  • Increased interaction and technological transfers.

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

Big Idea 1: Empire Expansion

  • Gunpowder empires: Ottomans, Safavids, Mughals, Qing.
  • Rivalries: Safavid-Mughal conflict.

Big Idea 2: Consolidation of Power

  • Bureaucracies, military, religious ideas.
  • Monuments (e.g., Palace of Versailles) and tax systems.

Big Idea 3: Belief Systems

  • Religious conflicts: Protestant Reformation, Sunni-Shia split.
  • New religions: Sikhism.

Unit 4: Transoceanic Interconnections (1450-1750)

Big Idea 1: Maritime Technology

  • Borrowed technologies: Astrolabe, compass, ships.
  • European state-sponsored exploration: Gold, God, and glory.

Big Idea 2: European Exploration

  • Portuguese trading post empire.
  • Spanish competition and Columbus's voyages.

Big Idea 3: Columbian Exchange

  • Transfer of crops, animals, diseases.
  • Impact on population and economies.

Big Idea 4: Labor Systems

  • Encomienda and hacienda systems.
  • Increased demand for African enslaved labor.

Big Idea 5: Economic Changes

  • Rise of joint-stock companies (e.g., VOC).
  • Triangular trade: Interdependence among regions.

Big Idea 6: Resistance to Empire

  • Examples: Maratha rebellion, Pueblo revolt.

Big Idea 7: Social Changes

  • Casta system in Spanish colonies.

Unit 5: Revolutions (1750-1900)

Big Idea 1: Enlightenment

  • Shift from religious belief to empirical data.
  • Ideas of natural rights and social contract.

Big Idea 2: Nationalism and Revolutions

  • American, French, and Haitian revolutions.
  • Key documents: Declaration of Independence, Rights of Man.

Big Idea 3: Industrial Revolution

  • Began in Britain due to resources and urbanization.
  • Rise of factory system and specialization of labor.

Big Idea 4: Global Effects of Industrialization

  • Decline of traditional manufacturing in Asia.
  • Spread of industrialization: Europe, US, Japan, Russia.

Big Idea 5: Technological Developments

  • Railroads, telegraph.
  • Shift to oil and steel in the second industrial revolution.

Big Idea 6: Economic Shifts

  • Rise of capitalism (Adam Smith).
  • Transnational corporations (e.g., Unilever).

Big Idea 7: Reforms and Responses

  • Labor unions, Karl Marx's critique of capitalism.
  • Ottoman Tanzimat reforms.

Note: This is a high-level summary for review purposes. Be sure to understand the specific events, innovations, and concepts associated with each big idea. Good luck on your exam!

Full transcript