AP World History: Unit 2 Overview (1200-1450)

Big Picture

• Focus on the interconnectedness of states and empires through networks of exchange.
• Networks include trade routes carrying goods, religion, languages, and technology.
• Facilitated cultural diffusion and economic interaction.

Major Networks of Exchange

General Developments (1200-1450)

• Expansion of Networks: Silk Roads, Indian Ocean Network, Trans-Saharan Trade increased in scale.
• Innovations: In Commercial practices and technology expanded networks.
• Wealth and Power: States grew wealthy and powerful through network participation.
• Rise and Fall: Increased interconnectivity led to powerful cities/states rising and others collapsing.

Silk Roads

• Goods Traded: Primarily luxury goods like Chinese silk and porcelain.
• Innovations:
  • Transportation: Caravanserai for safety and cultural exchange.
  • Commercial: Development of money economies and new forms of credit (e.g., flying money system, banking houses).
• Powerful Cities: Example - Kashgar, positioned at a major intersection.

Indian Ocean Network

• Monsoon Winds: Understanding of seasonal winds facilitated trade.
• Goods Traded: Common goods (e.g., textiles, spices) and luxury goods.
• Innovations:
  • Technology: Magnetic compass, astrolabe, Chinese junk ships.
  • Commercial: Similar practices as Silk Roads.
• Powerful States: Example - Swahili city states, brokers of African interior goods.
• Cultural Diffusion: Diaspora communities, spread of Islam, new language Swahili.
• Notable Figures: Zheng He and his voyages.

Trans-Saharan Trade Network

• Innovations: New camel saddles for transporting cargo.
• Powerful States: Example - Mali Empire, wealth through gold trade and taxation.
• Notable Figures: Mansa Musa, expanded Mali's influence and wealth.

Effects of Increased Connectivity

Cultural Consequences

• Spread of Religion: Buddhism entered China via Silk Roads.
• Literary and Artistic Transfers: Translations and commentaries in Baghdad's House of Wisdom.
• Scientific and Technological Transfers: Spread of gunpowder from China.
• Rise and Fall of Cities: Hangzhou rose due to trade; Baghdad fell to Mongols.
• Notable Travelers: Ibn Battuta's travels documented life across Dar al-Islam.

Environmental Consequences

• Transfer of Crops: Champa rice increased food production in China.
• Spread of Diseases: Bubonic plague spread along trade routes.

The Mongol Empire

• Empire Expansion: Replaced powerful empires with khanates.
• Facilitation of Exchange: Silk Roads flourished under Mongol peace (Pax Mongolica).
• Technological and Cultural Transfer: Exchange of medical knowledge, adoption of Uyghur script.

These notes provide a comprehensive guide to Unit 2 of AP World History, focusing on the period 1200-1450 and the significant networks of exchange that connected various states and empires across the world.