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

Overview

• Time Period: 1200-1450
• Focus: How states and empires were connected through networks of exchange.
• Importance: Networks facilitated economic interaction and cultural diffusion.

Major Networks of Exchange

1. Silk Roads

   • Traded mainly luxury goods: Chinese silk, porcelain.
   • Expansion driven by demand for luxury items.
   • Transportation innovations: Caravanserai for safety and cultural exchange.
   • Commercial practices: Money economies and new forms of credit (e.g., flying money system).
   • Rise of trading cities, e.g., Kashgar.

2. Indian Ocean Network

   • Maritime trade network expanded significantly.
   • Relied on understanding of monsoon winds.
   • Traded common goods like textiles and spices, as well as luxury goods.
   • Technological innovations: Magnetic compass, improved astrolabe, and ship designs like the Chinese junk.
   • Commercial practices similar to the Silk Roads.
   • Growth of states like Swahili city-states.
   • Establishment of diaspora communities, e.g., Arab and Persian communities in East Africa.

3. Trans-Saharan Trade Network

   • Expanded due to improved camel saddles for transporting cargo.
   • Increased wealth and power of states, e.g., Mali Empire.
   • Mali grew rich through gold trade and taxing merchants.

Consequences of Connectivity

Cultural Consequences

• Transfer of Religions: E.g., Buddhism spread to China via the Silk Roads.
• Literary and Artistic Transfers: E.g., Translations of Greek and Roman classics in the Islamic world influenced the European Renaissance.
• Scientific and Technological Transfers: E.g., Gunpowder from China spread to Muslim empires and Europe.
• Rise and Fall of Cities: Growth of cities like Hangzhou; destruction of others like Baghdad.
• Traveler Accounts: Ibn Battuta's travels across Dar al-Islam provide historical insights.

Environmental Consequences

• Crop Transfers: Introduction of Champa rice to China increased food production and population.
• Disease Transfers: Bubonic plague spread via trade routes, devastating populations.

The Mongol Empire

• Conquest: Established the largest land-based empire, replacing powerful empires (e.g., Song Dynasty, Abbasid Empire).
• Facilitation of Exchange: Provided safety and continuity along trade routes, promoting international trade.
• Technological and Cultural Transfers: Enhanced cross-empire communication and cooperation.
  • Technological: Transfer of medical knowledge to Europe.
  • Cultural: Adoption of Uighur script for administrative purposes.

Study Resources

• AP World History Heimler Review Guide with comprehensive reviews, practice questions, and exams.