AP World History: Unit 1 Overview

Introduction

• Time period: Circa 1200 to 1450
• Focus on major civilizations and how they built and maintained states
• Definition of "state": Territory politically organized under a single government

Chinese Civilization: The Song Dynasty

Key Methods of State Building

1. Emphasis on Confucianism

   • Revival of Confucianism (Neo-Confucianism)
   • Hierarchical society and filial piety
   • Subordination of women (e.g., legal rights, foot binding)

2. Expansion of the Imperial Bureaucracy

   • Civil service examinations based on Confucian texts
   • Merit-based bureaucratic positions

Influence on Neighboring Regions

• Spread of Chinese traditions to Korea, Japan, and Vietnam

Economy

• Commercialization and trade (e.g., porcelain, silk)
• Agricultural innovations (e.g., Champa rice)
• Expansion of the Grand Canal

Dar al-Islam

Key Features

• Dominance of Islam as organizing principle
• Decline of Abbasid Caliphate, rise of Turkic empires (Seljuk, Mamluk, Delhi Sultanate)

Cultural and Scientific Achievements

• Math and trigonometry (Nasir al-Din al-Tusi)
• Preservation of Greek philosophy

Expansion

• Military expansion
• Influence of merchants
• Sufi missionaries

South and Southeast Asia

Belief Systems

• Decline of Buddhism in South Asia
• Persistence of Hinduism and emergence of the Bhakti movement
• Spread of Islam

State Building

• Delhi Sultanate and Hindu resistance (Rajput Kingdom, Vijayanagara Empire)
• Southeast Asia: Sea-based (Majapahit) and land-based (Khmer Empire) empires

The Americas

Mesoamerica: Aztec Empire

• Tribute system and role in society (e.g., Human Sacrifice)

Andean Civilization: Inca Empire

• Mita system and centralized control

North America: Mississippian Culture

• Agricultural focus and monumental mounds

Africa

Swahili Civilization

• Influence of trade and Islam
• Development of hybrid Swahili language

West African Empires

• Growth driven by trade (Ghana, Mali, Songhai)
• Hausa Kingdoms: City-states and trade brokers

Great Zimbabwe

• Wealth through trade and gold exports
• Maintained indigenous religions

Ethiopia

• Christian state amidst Islamic and indigenous beliefs

Europe

Belief Systems

• Division between Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christianity
• Influence of Muslims and Jews

State Building

• Feudalism as a socio-political order
• Manorialism as an economic structure
• Growing centralization post-1000 CE

Conclusion

• Comprehensive overview of global state-building and belief systems between 1200-1450
• Insights into how various civilizations maintained power and influenced one another

These notes cover the key aspects and themes of Unit 1 for AP World History, providing a foundation for further study and review.