AP: World History - Modern

Advanced Placement Exam Study Guide

PERIOD ONE (c. 1200 - c. 1450)

1. Unit One: The Global Tapestry (Ch. 2)

● Explain the systems of government employed by Chinese dynasties and how they developed over time.
a. Meritocracy was adopted during the Song Dynasty (Civil service exam)
● Explain the effects of innovation on the Chinese economy over time.
a. Used luxury goods like sild to boost their economy by trade
b. Champa rice caused an increase in population
c. Gunpowder, paper, printing press (literacy rates)
● Explain the effects of Chinese cultural traditions on East Asia over time.
a. Spread through the silk road (Neo-Confucianism, filial piety)
b. Spread through the separation of China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam (confucianism, architecture)
● Explain how systems of belief and their practices affected society in the period from c. 1200 to c. 1450.
a. It changed the way many states governed, for example, some of the newly Muslim converted North African states
b. Legalism affected the strictness of forces of justice and soldiers towards the general public in Chinese society overall
c. Confucianism affected society by causing a more strict role of gender and social hierarchies in China
● Explain the causes and effects of the rise of Islamic states over time
a. Abbasid Caliphate- Islamic faith was prospering, while the actual political state was fragmented as they had a weak sense
of centralized power over their regions
b. Ottoman empire- started from the seperation of the mongol empire, was one of the most successful islamic emoires,
archtecture, islam, etc.
c. Mongols- influential but very short lived, Islam, agriculture, was sort-of religiously tolerant, but was very violentt in the ways
they conquered
● Explain the effects of intellectual innovation in Dar al-Islam.
a. They expanded their understanding of mathematics
b. They developed much literature
c. They made astronomical developments, aided by their mathematical discoveries (star charts, maps, etc)
d. Their architecural advandments furthered their society and led to urbanization, influenced religiously
e. They spread Islam all throughout various trading routes, including having missionaries, most of the time sufis, settle in
merchant towns in order to spread the religion
● Explain the causes and consequences of political decentralization in Europe from c. 1200 to c. 1450.
a. Because of the failure of the widespread byzantine empire/ roman empire, the western half of Europe fell into a constant
state of land dispute, promoting feudalism (also seen in agriculturally based Japan)
b. Many petty germanic kingdoms emerged, such as France, England, etc
c. Christianity was still a major stronghold within these communities, just different forms, such as roman catholicism, and etc.
● Explain the effects of agriculture on social organization in Europe from c. 1200 to c. 1450.
a. Wealthy European Land owners usually relied on slaves, or surfs to work on their land for them, and heavily profited off of
this business
b. This lead to increased revenue all throughout Europe, enforcing a further social hierarchy between the poor and the rich
● Explain how the various belief systems and practices of South and Southeast Asia affected society over time.
a. In many easy, Hinduism and Islam highly effected the way that many of these countries had become
b. Example: ankor watt, a hindu temple, built by the Khmer empire, a hindu empire, in south east asia encouraging the spread
of hinduism and their practices
c. Example: The Dehli sultanate destroying local temples for mosques and enforcing taxes on non-muslims, effecting the
majority of India and their societal structures in general
● Explain how and why various states of South and Southeast Asia developed and maintained power over time.
a. Various states maintained their power because of the local stonghold many of these religions had held
b. For example, in the Dehli sultanate, Akbar had held atleast a little bit of religions tolerance to the many regions of India,
which had kept rebellions from rising and his power under control
c. Many dynasties used hinduism, but also had started to use trade
● Explain how and why states in the Americas developed and changed over time.
a. They had mainly evolved into three, the Aztecs, the Mayanas, and the Incas
b. They had readied on only themselves for cropsand other agricultural fealts altogether
c. Human Sacrifice
● Explain how and why states in Africa developed and changed over time.
a. Trade
b. Islam
c. Rulers Like Mansa Musa and their excessive spending habits; inflation
● Explain how the beliefs and practices of the predominant religions in Europe affected European society.
a. Althoigh west of Euope had been feudalist and east of EUrope had been under byzantine rule, CHristianity had still held
them under a stronghold with similar practices and values all around, so religion was never really an issue
b. It defined social classes in certain situations, especially if someone was a priest/priestess or participated in religious activity
● Explain the similarities and differences in the processes of state formation from c. 1200 to c. 1450.
a. In many city states, trade was a main way to develop their empires, especially in terms of their trading port cities/ trading
posts
b. Many conquered by basis of Religion, for example, using Islam to conquer all over the ottoman empire
c. Some were violent, but tolerant to religion, making them the slightest big more appealing, for example the mongols
d. Many had used the means of forced military/ convert exchanges, like in north africa, to forcefully use indentured soldier
labor and forcefully convert many of the local tribes

2. Unit Two: Networks of Exchange (Ch. 3 and Ch. 4)

● Explain the causes and effects of growth of networks of exchange after 1200.
○ Some of the most direct forms of trade thathad increased were through method slike the silk road, sand road, and the indian
ocean trade route
○ Especially on routes like the indian ocean trade route, many goods were made accessible and more importantly, more
affordable to the common man, meaning the common man would increase demand, making the influx of these products
increase because of higher demand
○ It left new cities, new assimilated cultures, new diasporic groups, new spread of religion, and a circulation of high
value/luxury goods
● Explain the causes of the growth of networks of exchange after 1200.
○ More luxury good in circulation
○ Want for the luxury goods in circulation
○ The overall trade situation
○ The spread of religions
○ The missionary’s “job”
● Explain the effects of the growth of networks of exchange after 1200
○ It spread many different religions to many different places
■ Due to religions, many times governing powers and systems changed, for example the Khmer empire of SE asia
○ It left many areas, like europe, under the shroud of disease as they had no immunity to the black plague, when it was
spread by china (they had immunity)
○ The circulation of trade of many different goods had increased.
● Explain the role of environmental factors in the development of networks of exchange in the period from c. 1200 to c. 1450.
○ For example, it dictated many ways that indian ocean trade coils commence, like the monsoon season/heavy winds that
they had to aviod
○ For many trans saharan routes, it made them mostly treacherous and very difficult to scale, making them harder to
obtainand classifying them as luxury.
○ Had introduced new stock such as horses and camels to many areas needed of trade
● Explain the causes and effects of the growth of trans-Saharan trade.
○ African slave trade
○ raw / manufactured goods exportation
○ Spread of islam and pressure on native spirituality and religion
○ Lead to increased revenue and exports for empires such as the Malian and the Songhai
○ Lead to a population instability because of the number of people being exported along these routes for the purpose of
slavery
● Explain how the expansion of empires influenced trade and communication over time.
○ It helped with the influx of goods, for example the effect the mongol empire had throughout their years of ruling such a large
chunk of land
○ It helped with different diasporic communities mixing and creating new communities in terms of trading ports, cities, and
many more
○ It helped with religious unity and the building of a community
● Explain the intellectual and cultural effects of the various networks of exchange in Afro-Eurasia from c. 1200 to c. 1450.
○ Technologies were spread, such as the sails and the maritime compass, helped with the spread of other surrounding
technologies and increased the efficiency of trade
○ Pread of technologies such as caravans and carav vesarai lead to developments such as increased flow of trade and
helped the productivity overall
● Explain the environmental effects of the various networks of exchange in Afro-Eurasia from c. 1200 to c. 1450.
○ It lead to increased agriculture and silk production in areas of East asia
○ It increased the production of cash crops and spices
○ Many agricultural inventions had increased in general
● Explain the process of state building and decline in Eurasia over time.
○ Large empires such as byzantine, ottoman, abbasid, and mongol took over large quantities of land quickly by force, leading
native and indigenous populations to stop their respective state building to these empires
● Explain how the expansion of empires influenced trade and communication over time.
○ Earlier, it was mostly by religion or by influence though religion, and later it turned to violence, which greatky effected the
 populations they governed
○ Many in society had toconvert or submit to a specific religion in order for them to be viewed human in certain dynasties,
changing overall social classes and society’s structure
● Explain the significance of the Mongol Empire in larger patterns of continuity and change.
○ Most influential nomadic peoples
○ Influencesd the way religious tolerance was structured
○ Spread islam, architecture, and the power and influence of Genghis Khan
● Explain the similarities and differences among the various networks of exchange in the period from c. 1200 to c. 1450.
 PERIOD TWO (c. 1450 - c. 1750)

3. Unit Three and Unit Four: Land-Based Empires and Transoceanic

Interconnections (Ch. 5, Ch. 6, and Ch. 7)

● Explain the causes of the Columbian Exchange and its effects on the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
○
● Explain the process of state building and expansion among various empires and states in the period from 1450 to 1750.
● Explain how rulers employed economic strategies to consolidate and maintain power throughout the period from 1450 to 1750.
● Explain how and why various land-based empires developed and expanded from 1450 to 1750
● Describe the role of states in the expansion of maritime exploration from 1450 to 1750.
● Explain the economic causes and effects of maritime exploration by the various European states.
● Explain the continuities and changes in networks of exchange from 1450 to 1750.
● Explain the continuities and changes in economic systems and labor systems from 1450 to 1750.
● Explain changes and continuities in systems of slavery in the period from 1450 to 1750.
● Explain continuity and change within the various belief systems during the period from 1450 to 1750.
● Explain how cross-cultural interactions resulted in the diffusion of technology and facilitated changes in patterns of trade and travel from
1450 to 1750.
● Explain how rulers used a variety of methods to legitimize and consolidate their power in land-based empires from 1450 to 1750.
● Explain how political, economic, and cultural factors affected society from 1450 to 1750.
● Explain the similarities and differences in how various belief systems affected societies from 1450 to 1750.
● Explain the effects of the development of state power from 1450 to 1750.
● Explain how social categories, roles, and practices have been maintained or have changed over time.
● Explain how economic developments from 1450 to 1750 affected social structures over time.
● Compare the methods by which various empires increased their influence from 1450 to 1750.
● Explain how economic developments from 1450 to 1750 affected social structures over time.
 PERIOD THREE (c. 1750 - c. 1900)

4. Unit Five: Revolutions (Ch. 8 and Ch. 9)

● Explain the intellectual and ideological context in which revolutions swept the Atlantic world from 1750 to 1900.
● Explain causes and effects of the various revolutions in the period from 1750 to 1900.
● Explain how the Enlightenment affected societies over time.
● Explain how environmental factors contributed to industrialization from 1750 to 1900.
● Explain how technology shaped economic production over time.
● Explain the development of economic systems, ideologies, and institutions and how they contributed to change in the period from 1750
to 1900.
● Explain how different modes and locations of production have developed and changed over time.
● Explain the causes and effects of economic strategies of different states and empires.
● Explain the causes and effects of calls for changes in industrial societies from 1750 to 1900.
● Explain how industrialization caused change in existing social hierarchies and standards of living.
● Explain the extent to which industrialization brought change from 1750 to 1900.

5. Unit Six: Consequences of Industrialization (Ch. 10 and Ch. 11)

● Explain how ideologies contributed to the development of imperialism from 1750 to 1900.
● Explain how various environmental factors contributed to the development of the global economy from 1750 to 1900.
● Compare processes by which state power shifted in various parts of the world from 1750 to 1900.
● Explain how various environmental factors contributed to the development of varied patterns of migration from 1750 to 1900.
● Explain how various economic factors contributed to the development of varied patterns of migration from 1750 to 1900.
● Explain how and why new patterns of migration affected society from 1750 to 1900.
● Explain how and why internal and external factors have influenced the process of state building from 1750 to 1900.
● Explain how various economic factors contributed to the development of the global economy from 1750 to 1900.
● Explain the relative significance of the effects of imperialism from 1750 to 1900.
 PERIOD FOUR (c. 1900 - c. present)

6. Unit Seven: Global Conflict (Ch. 12)

● Explain how internal and external factors contributed to change in various states after 1900.
● Explain the causes and consequences of World War I.
● Explain how governments used a variety of methods to conduct war.
● Explain how different governments responded to economic crisis after 1900.
● Explain the continuities and changes in territorial holdings from 1900 to the present.
● Explain the causes and consequences of World War II.
● Explain similarities and differences in how governments used a variety of methods to conduct war.
● Explain the various causes and consequences of mass atrocities in the period from 1900 to the present.
● Explain the relative significance of the causes of global conflict in the period 1900 to the present.

7. Unit Eight: Cold War (Ch. 13)

● Explain the historical context of the Cold War after 1945.

● Explain the causes and effects of the ideological struggle of the Cold War.
● Compare the ways in which the United States and the Soviet Union sought to maintain influence over the course of the Cold War.
● Explain the causes and consequences of China’s adoption of communism.
● Explain the causes and effects of movements to redistribute economic resources.
● Compare the processes by which various peoples pursued independence after 1900.
● Explain how political changes in the period from c. 1900 to the present led to territorial, demographic, and nationalist developments.
● Explain the economic changes and continuities resulting from the process of decolonization.
● Explain various reactions to existing power structures in the period after 1900.
● Explain the causes of the end of the Cold War.
● Explain the extent to which the effects of the Cold War were similar in the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

8. Unit Nine: Globalization (Ch. 14 and Ch. 15)

● Explain how the development of new technologies changed the world from 1900 to present.
● Explain how environmental factors affected human populations over time.
● Explain the causes and effects of environmental changes in the period from 1900 to present.
● Explain the continuities and changes in the global economy from 1900 to present.
● Explain how social categories, roles, and practices have been maintained and challenged over time.
● Explain how and why globalization changed culture over time.
● Explain the various responses to increasing globalization from 1900 to present.
● Explain how and why globalization changed international interactions among states.
● Explain the extent to which science and technology brought change in the period from 1900 to the present.