AP World History
Unit 1: c. 1200-1450
The Global Tapestry
Main Ideas of the Unit:
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Throughout the world, religion played an important role in politically unifying certain regions and kingdoms
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As kingdoms grew larger & started bordering each other, they fostered cultural & trade relations with each other
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Developments in East Asia
Main Ideas:
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Song Dynasty used traditional Confucian methods to create an imperial bureaucracy to maintain its rule
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Chinese culture flourished & shaped neighboring regions' cultures (Korea, Japan, Vietnam, etc.)
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Buddhism spread to East Asia & influenced a variety of schools & practices
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Song Dynasty's economy flourished & became more commercialized → More trade with South & Southeast Asia
Song Dynasty
960-1279
Key Ideas:
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Confucian merit-based bureaucracy allowed the empire to maintain its rule
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Economy flourished
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Naval technology → Song merchants could reach Indian Ocean trade route
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Specialized in iron, gunpowder, mechanical clocks, & other exotic goods
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Population increase → More people could participate in commercial activities
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Spread its cultural influence to Korea, Japan, and Vietnam
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Adopted similar cultural practices & built palaces in a similar style to Song China
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Buddhism developed into different schools & practices
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Zen (Chan) Buddhism: Emphasized meditation & personal intuition
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Pure Land School: Emphasized devotion to the Buddha to reach salvation
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Mahayana Buddhism: Emphasized following Buddha's teachings to advance in the cycle of samsara but saying in the cycle to help others
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Yuan Dynasty
1279-1368
Key Ideas:
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Ruled by Mongols, established by Khubilai Khan
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Did not embrace Chinese cultural traditions & forbade Chinese people from learning Mongol culture
Ming Dynasty
1368-1644
Key Ideas:
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Revived Chinese cultural traditions (e.g. Confucian bureaucracy) after they were lost in the Yuan Dynasty
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Just like Song Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty promoted trade
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Emperor Yongle sent Zheng He on 7 overseas trading voyages to establish Chinese dominance in the Indian Ocean
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Developments in Dar al-Islam
Main Ideas:
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Muslim empires (such as Abbasid Caliphate) had many intellectual innovations (especially in science & math)
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Islam spread throughout Afro-Eurasia via to merchants & missionaries (especially Sufis)
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Trade flourished due to Middle East's prime location
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Many commercial innovations helped boost trade
Abbasid Caliphate
750-1258
Key Ideas:
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Had many innovations in science, math, and literature
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House of Wisdom: Ancient university with many STEM innovations (e.g. algebra)
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Spread Islam via merchants, missionaries, and military
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Islamic merchants traveled throughout Afro-Eurasia → Spread Islam everywhere
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Missionaries of Sufi Islam were most successful due to Sufism's emotional appeal
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As Islamic empires expanded militarily, they brought more people into their Islamic rule
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Trade flourished due to Middle East's prime location
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Islamic merchants engaged in trade with West Africa, East Africa, India, China, Southeast Asia, and Europe
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Increase in trade → Commercial innovations made trade easier
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Letters of credit: Merchants deposit money in one place & get a letter of credit to pick up the money in another place → Decreases risk of robbery
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Caravanserai: Roadside inns where merchants could rest for the night
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Developments in South & Southeast Asia
Main Ideas:
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States in South & Southeast Asia remained stable based on their state religion and the Indian Ocean Trade Route
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Indian cultural traditions & religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam) shaped Southeast Asian kingdoms
Northern India
Delhi Sultanate: 1206-1526
Key Ideas:
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Islam as state religion → Unstable while ruling over Hindu-majority population
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Struggled to maintain rule & convert local Hindus to Islam → Relied on alliances with local Hindu rulers → Very unstable
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Could not benefit from Indian Ocean Trade Route
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Largely economically isolated from South India
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Economy didn't flourish as much since it wasn't on Indian Ocean Trade Route
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Southern India
Chola Empire: 3rd century BCE - 1279 CE
Kingdom of Vijayanagara: 1336-1646 CE
Key Ideas:
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Hinduism as state religion → Very stable since most of population was Hindu
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Hindu caste system helped the region maintain social stability
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Hindu temples were centers of society
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Benefited significantly from Indian Ocean Trade Route
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Allowed the region to economically and politically prosper
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Southeast Asia
Kingdoms of Funan, Srivijaya, Malacca, and Angkor
Key Ideas:
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Indian cultural traditions shaped Southeast Asian Kingdoms
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Funan adopted Indian administrative structure & the term raja for king
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Angkor built Angkor Wat, a huge Hindu & Buddhist temple
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Malacca adopted Islam
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Southeast Asian Kingdoms profited from Indian Ocean Trade
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Merchants passed through Southeast Asia en route from Indian Ocean to China
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Malacca taxed trade through the Strait of Malacca
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Developments in the Americas
Main Ideas:
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Kingdoms used religion to unify their population
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Had social hierarchies with religious and political rulers at the top, and agricultural laborers at the bottom
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Developed unique ways to maintain control of their empires
Aztec Empire
c. 1345 - 1521 CE
Key Ideas:
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Major emphasis on religion → Helped unify their population
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Aztecs practiced extreme religious practices such as bloodletting & human sacrifices
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Rulers used such religious beliefs to unify their populations
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Social hierarchy with the king & priest at the top
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The priest had very high social status, often acting as advisors to the king
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Developed a unique tribute system to maintain control of distant lands
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Had a customized tribute list for each neighboring kingdom, based on each kingdom's local goods → Allowed Aztecs to maintain control of a large empire
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Inca Empire
1438 - 1533 CE
Key Ideas:
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Religion was very important & helped unify the Kingdom
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Incas worshiped the sun god, Inti
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Rulers & priests had very high social status
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Believed rulers become intermediaries with gods when they die → People mummified rulers & worshipped them
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Priests conducted religious ceremonies and had high social status
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Huge road network → Helped maintain rule over the huge empire
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25,000 miles of roads: Runners traverse the roads quickly, relaying information throughout the empire → Allowed Incas to maintain control of their empire
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Native Americans
Cultures of Chaco, Pueblo, and Cahokia
Key Ideas:
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Native American cultures had unique religious beliefs → Unified the population
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Cahokia built a huge mound for ceremonial purposes
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Pueblo and Chaco cultures built Kivas (underground circular rooms) for religious purposes
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Developments in Africa
Main Ideas:
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Kingdoms & merchants adopted Islam (but still retained their indigenous beliefs) to have better relations with Islamic merchants
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Religion was defined on a local scale and supported the kinship model of African society
Mali Empire
1235 - c. 1600 CE
Key Ideas:
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Merchants converted to Islam to forge better relations with Islamic merchants (from North Africa) but retained their indigenous beliefs → Religious syncretism
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Islamic merchants from North Africa traded with Mali via trans-Saharan Trade Route
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Mansa Musa (King of Mali) was inspired by Islam during a hajj → Spread Islam to the Kingdom of Mali and built Islamic schools & mosques
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Those who converted to Islam retained some indigenous African religious beliefs → Didn't strictly follow Islamic sharia law
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Swahili City-States
City-States on East African Coast
Key Ideas:
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Merchants converted to Islam to forge better relations with Islamic merchants but still retained some indigenous religious beliefs → Religious syncretism
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Many East Africans converted to Islam but didn't follow strict Islamic ideals of women subordination → Muslim traveler Ibn Battuta got surprised by this
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African society was based on a kinship model, and African religion supported this societal model
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African society was divided into clans made up of different family units → Social structure was based on familial relationships
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African religion was localized and involved a creator god, and ancestors would become intermediaries with the gods
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Developments in Europe
Main Ideas:
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Western Europe was politically fragmented with feudalism and decentralized monarchies
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The Catholic Church (centered in Rome) was the main source of unity throughout Western Europe
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As monarchies started centralizing, more people moved to the cities, sparking a commercial revolution
Western Europe
All of Europe West of the Byzantine Empire
Key Ideas:
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Very politically fragmented and decentralized
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Feudalism: Peasants lived on large rural land plots and worked on the land under the supervision of their lords
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Monarchies were very decentralized and relied on local feudal lords for stability
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The Catholic Church was the main source of centralized power
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Nearly all Western Europeans were Catholic and were under the discretion of the Roman Catholic Church
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Even though Western Europe was politically decentralized, the Catholic Church helped maintain unity
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Monarchies started centralizing power → People moved to the cities → Commercial Revolution
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In mid 1400s, monarchies (Spain, France, England, etc.) started consolidating their power, causing peasants to move from the countryside to the cities
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With more people in the cities, they engaged in commercial activities & traded with other European cities
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One group of commercial cities is the Hanseatic League in Northern Europe
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