AP World History: Unit 2 Overview (1200-1450)
Key Focus:
- Examines networks of exchange connecting various states and empires.
- Networks of exchange facilitated economic interaction and cultural diffusion.
Major Networks of Exchange:
- Silk Roads
- Indian Ocean Network
- Trans-Saharan Trade Network
General Developments (1200-1450):
- Expansion of geographical range of networks.
- Innovations in commercial practices and technologies.
- Increased wealth and power of participating states.
- Growth and collapse of cities due to connectivity.
Silk Roads:
- Traded mainly luxury goods (e.g., Chinese silk and porcelain).
- Growth due to high demand for luxury items.
- Innovations:
- Caravanserais: Inns providing safety and opportunities for cultural exchanges.
- Money Economies: Emergence of paper money and credit systems (e.g., flying money system).
- Rise of powerful trading cities like Kashgar.
Indian Ocean Network:
- Expansion due to understanding of monsoon winds.
- Traded common goods (e.g., textiles, spices) and luxury items.
- Innovations:
- Magnetic Compass, Astrolabe, Chinese Junk Ships
- Similar commercial practices as Silk Roads.
- Rise of Swahili city-states and influence of Muslim merchants.
- Establishment of diaspora communities (e.g., Arab and Persian communities in East Africa).
Trans-Saharan Trade Network:
- Expanded through innovations in transportation (e.g., camel saddle).
- Rise of the Mali Empire due to trade of gold and taxation of merchants.
- Influence of Islam and role in Dar al-Islam.
Effects of Increased Connection:
Cultural Consequences:
- Religion Transfer: Spread of Buddhism via Silk Roads.
- Literary and Artistic Transfers: Islamic scholars' translations influencing the Renaissance.
- Innovation Transfer: Gunpowder spread from China.
- Rise and Fall of Cities:
- Rise: Hangzhou
- Fall: Baghdad due to Mongol invasion
- Travel and Writings: Ibn Battuta's accounts of Dar al-Islam.
Environmental Consequences:
- Crop Transfers: Introduction of Champa rice in China, leading to population growth.
- Disease Spread: Bubonic plague spread along trade routes.
The Mongol Empire:
- Created large land-based empire facilitating connectivity.
- Replaced powerful empires (e.g., Song Dynasty, Abbasid Empire).
- Increased Trade and Communication:
- Encouraged international trade.
- Facilitated peace and connectivity (Pax Mongolica).
- Technological and Cultural Transfers:
- Exchange of medical knowledge and adoption of the Uighur script.
These notes should provide a comprehensive understanding of the key themes and details from the AP World History Unit 2 lecture, emphasizing the interconnectedness of different regions through trade and cultural exchanges.