AP World History Review: Units 1 - 5

Introduction

• Review covers Units 1 through 5 of AP World History.
• The exam is on May 8th.
• The session tonight is about Units 1 to 5; tomorrow will cover Units 6 to 9.

Unit 1: Global Tapestry (1200-1450)

Big Idea 1: Song China

• Confucianism and imperial bureaucracy were key to state building and maintaining order.
• Buddhism influenced Chinese society and economy.
• Confucianism is hierarchical and continued from the Tang dynasty.
• Civil Service Examination expanded, promoting a meritocracy.
• Bureaucracy helped consolidate power.
• Buddhism came from India via Silk Roads; Chan Buddhism evolved, blending with Daoism.

Big Idea 2: Islamic Empires

• As the Abbasid caliphate declined, new Islamic states like the Delhi Sultanate and Mamluk Sultanate rose, often Turkic.
• Dar al-Islam was a cultural region encompassing these states.
• Islam spread through military expansion, merchants, and Sufi movement.
• Intellectual innovations (algebra, trigonometry) and transfers (Greek classics, Indian mathematics) highlighted.

Big Idea 3: South and Southeast Asia

• Delhi Sultanate: Islamic; struggled to consolidate power due to majority Hindu population.
• Vijayanagara Empire: Hindu kingdom established by two Muslim-convert brothers.
• Influence of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam in state-building.

Big Idea 4: Americas

• Civilizations like the Aztecs built large urban centers with complex systems.
• Aztecs used the tribute system for governance, influenced by the Maya.

Big Idea 5: Africa

• States like Great Zimbabwe prospered through trade (Indian Ocean), agriculture, and mining.
• Swahili Coast melded Bantu and Arabic influences.
• Ethiopia was a Christian kingdom with unique developments.

Big Idea 6: Europe

• Feudalism and religious beliefs (Catholic Church) were central.
• Europe's political systems were decentralized.
• Innovations like the three-field system increased agricultural productivity.

Unit 2: Networks of Exchange (1200-1450)

Big Idea 1: Trade Networks

• Silk Roads: Luxury goods like silk; cities like Kashgar and Samarkand flourished.
• Indian Ocean: Major sea-based trade network; technology like magnetic compass and dhow ships facilitated trade.
• Trans-Saharan Trade: Connected North Africa and Mediterranean with West Africa; camels important.

Big Idea 2: Cultural Diffusion

• Buddhism spread via Silk Roads; adapted in China (Chan Buddhism).
• Islam spread in Africa and Asia; cities like Timbuktu became centers for Islamic learning.

Big Idea 3: Environmental Consequences

• Crops like bananas and Champa rice had major impacts on populations and agriculture.
• Diseases like the Black Death spread via trade routes.

Big Idea 4: The Mongols

• Created largest land-based empire; facilitated trade and cultural exchanges.
• Encouraged technology and ideas transfer across Eurasia.

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

Big Idea 1: Expansion through Gunpowder

• Empires like the Ottomans, Safavid, and Mughals expanded using gunpowder.

Big Idea 2: State Building Strategies

• Bureaucracies, military professionals, and religious ideas legitimized and consolidated power.
• Examples include Ottoman janissaries and Mughal Zamindars.

Big Idea 3: Belief Systems

• Christianity: Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation divided Europe.
• Islam: Sunni vs. Shia tensions, especially in Safavid and Ottoman Empires.
• New syncretic religions like Sikhism emerged.

Unit 4: Transoceanic Interactions (1450-1750)

Big Idea 1: Maritime Technology

• New technologies improved navigation and shipbuilding, aiding European exploration.

Big Idea 2: European Exploration

• Motivated by wealth, spreading Christianity, and state competition (Gold, God, Glory).

Big Idea 3: Columbian Exchange

• Transfer of crops, animals, diseases between the New and Old Worlds.
• European colonization of the Americas began.

Big Idea 4: Coerced Labor and Mercantilism

• Systems like encomienda and hacienda in Spanish colonies.
• Mercantilism drove colonial competition and resource extraction.

Unit 5: Revolutions (1750-1900)

Big Idea 1: Enlightenment

• New ideas of governance based on rationalism and natural rights.
• Led to reform movements such as women's suffrage and abolitionism.

Big Idea 2: Nationalism and Revolutions

• Enlightenment and nationalism sparked revolutions (American, French, Haitian).

Big Idea 3: Industrial Revolution

• Began in Britain due to resources, urbanization, and innovations like the steam engine.

Big Idea 4: Decline in Non-Western Manufacturing

• As Europe industrialized, regions like India saw declines in traditional industries.

Big Idea 5: Technological Changes

• Second Industrial Revolution emphasized steel; new technologies like railroads and telegraphs.

Big Idea 6: Economic Shifts

• Rise of capitalism; transnational businesses emerged.

Big Idea 7: Social Reforms

• Labor movements and social reforms emerged due to industrialization's impacts.