AP World History Unit 2 - Networks of Exchange (1200-1450)

Overview

• Time Period: 1200-1450
• Focus: How various states were connected through networks of exchange, beyond just trading routes.
  • Networks facilitated economic interaction, cultural diffusion, and transfers.

Major Networks of Exchange

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

General Developments

• Expansion: Increased geographical scale and connections among states.
• Innovations: In commercial practices and technological innovations.
• Wealth and Power: Growth of states due to trade; some states rose while others collapsed.

Silk Roads

• Goods: Mainly luxury goods (e.g., Chinese silk, porcelain).
• Transportation Innovations: Caravansarai provided safety and cultural exchange points.
• Commercial Practices:
  • Money economies (e.g., paper money).
  • Bills of exchange and banking houses.
• Trading Cities: Kashgar as a key city due to its strategic location.

Indian Ocean Network

• Trade: Larger bulk goods (e.g., textiles, spices) and luxury goods.
• Technological Innovations:
  • Magnetic compass
  • Improved astrolabe
  • Ship designs (e.g., Chinese junk)
• Commercial Practices: Credit systems similar to the Silk Roads.
• Swahili City-States: Key players in trade, influenced by Islam.
• Cultural Diffusion: Establishment of diaspora communities and languages like Swahili.

Trans-Saharan Trade Network

• Innovations: Improved camel saddles increased cargo capacity.
• Mali Empire: Wealth from gold trade and taxed merchants.
  • Mansa Musa's leadership increased Mali's wealth and network connections.

Effects and Consequences of Connectivity

Cultural Consequences

• Religion and Beliefs: Spread of Buddhism into China.
• Literary and Artistic Transfers: Islamic scholars translating Greek and Roman texts.
• Technological Transfers: Gunpowder spread altering global power dynamics.
• Travelers’ Accounts: Ibn Battuta's detailed writings on Dar al-Islam.

Environmental Consequences

• Transfer of Crops: Champa rice in China increased food production and population.
• Diseases: Bubonic plague spread along trade routes, devastating populations.

The Mongol Empire

• Impact: Facilitated connections across Eurasia, replaced powerful empires (e.g., Song Dynasty, Abbasid Empire).
• Pax Mongolica:
  • Encouraged trade and safety along the Silk Roads.
  • Increased communication and cooperation.
  • Technological and cultural transfers (e.g., Uyghur script for administration).

Study Tips

• Utilize the AP World History Heimler Review Guide for video lessons, note guides, and practice exams to aid in studying.
• Focus on understanding the connections and consequences of these networks rather than memorizing isolated facts.