This summary of the entire ap world course helped me score a 5 on the exam in 2023. I believe that it will help you as well. Combined from Heimler videos, the AMSCO book, and other resources...I developed a document that summarizes each topic in depth. I organized it by time periods allowing easy n...
Unit 1
Topic 1.1- East Asia: CHINA, KOREA, JAPAN
What Was going in China from 1200-1450?
The tang dynasty was in power at the time, but as the tang dynasty began to decline
the Song dynasty came into power. The Song dynasty built the states differently.
They organized the power of the government into six departments. This is called a
bureaucracy. A Censorate overseed these departments. Song was prosperous and
arts
flourished.
❖ Song expanded education to lower class so thet could pass civil service exam
❖ Because officials obtained their positions based on the exam, China had a
meritocracy
- Meritocracy- holding of power by people selected on the basis of their
ability
- Imperial Bureaucracy- Empire+bureacracy
❖ Songs increased the costs of government eventually led to its downfall
❖ Grand canal allowed china to become the most populous trading center in
the world
❖ Song Dynasty made the first guns and the technology of making guns spread
to eurasia via the silk roads
- Champa rice is fast ripening and drought resistant strain from
Champa kingdom in vietnam that greatly expanded agricultural
production
- Farmers put manure on the field to enrich the soil
- Built irrigation systems
- Heavy plows pulled by buffalos allowed new land to be cultivated
- Steel was used to build agricultural machinery
❖ Because of these agricultural innovations china’s population grew from 25
percent to 40 percent in the Song era.
, ❖ China discovered “black earth” or coal and later produced steel. DID not use
coal to power machines yet
❖ Became the worlds most commercialized society; became the market
production
❖ Had large military to protect from bandits
❖ Song paid people to work increasing the money Supply leading to economic
growth
❖ One Source of income for the government was the tributary system; other
states had to pay money and provide goods to honor the chinese emperor
❖ Kowtow- ritual in which anyone who greets the chinese emperor must bow
their head until it reached the floor to show respect
❖ Sent out tremendous fleets(groups of ships) to show his power and receive
tribute
❖ Scholar gentry; a new social class;outnumbered aristocracy(rich people);
were educated in confucianism because they passed civil service exams; became
the most influential social class in china
❖ Confucian=respect for hard work so merchants were not well-respected
❖ Song provided free healthcare
❖ Patriarchy: a system of society or government in which the father or eldest
male is head of the family and descent is traced through the male line.
❖ Foot-binding restricted movement of women which contributed to the
patriarchal society
❖ China had money, well-educated population, and contact with foreign
nations. Intellectual purusits thrived.
❖ Song was the first to use woodblock printing and books were handed out on
how to farm efficiently
Confucianism was a big help when organizing the government. Confucianists look
at society as hierarchical. Everyone has their different place in society and it only
works if the people in those places behave how they should. Confucianism shaped
social classes and family hierarchy.
EX: The people were subject to their rulers. Women were subject to their husbands.
Children had to be subject to their fathers. Government was just like this.
, ❖ In order to work in the imperial bureaucracy, Song government installed
civil service exams which were difficult tests based on the texts of
confucianism.
❖ Imperial(empire) Bureaucracy(levels of government)
❖ The significance of this exam was that it shifted power from a hereditary
form of aristocracy to a new class of scholarly confucianist leaders. It
shifted power to a lower class although it was costly to study confucian
texts for hours because the lower class had to work to sustain their family.
❖ Meritocracy-holding of power based on ability(merit based bureaucracy)
❖ Bureaucracy became too big and too costly.
Chinese merchants delivered goods to be bought throughout afro-eurasia . Because
of this china became more commercialized meaning that they not only produced
local goods but also goods for sale at distant markets.
❖ Chinese manufacturing flourished.
❖ Chinese manufactured iron in bulk and also accidentally discovered
gunpowder while trying to make an elixir for immortality. China introduced
champa rice which was drought resistant and easier for farming.(increased
rice production).
❖ Increased food=Increased Population
❖ Urbanization spread throughout China.
❖ Foot binding indicated social status
❖ Paper and printing
Because China was a big deal during this time period, Chinese culture influenced
surrounding areas namely:
❖ Vietnam- had a strong resistance to china due to differences; women=more
freedom
- women = greater independence than china
- More controversial relationship with china
- Preferred nuclear families(no extended family like china)
- Merit-based bureaucracy
- Rejected foot binding and polygyny
❖ Korea- influence by chinese culture; closer contact
❖ Japan- Japan tried to resist chinese influence on their culture, politics, and
religion, but were not that successful; During the Heian period japan copies
chinese arts
-Daimyo=land-owning aristocrats-privileges
- samurai=protectors
- Feudal society
- bushido=code of chivalry difference is honor unto death in japan
, Additionally, Chinese religion was influenced by buddhism which came from india
via silk roads. The trade routes influenced buddhism to be intertwined with other
philosophies and religions to create different philosophies and religions.(mahayana
buddhism). Buddhism was atheistic(lacking belief of god), but Mahayana Buddhism
was polytheistic. Buddhism drew people away from Confucianism so the empire had a
hard time trying to control people.(tang)
❖ Filial piety- the duty of the family member is to lower in rank their desires to
the male head of the family.
❖ Neo-confucianism: syncretic system combining different ideas of taoism and
buddhism
Location of orgin Key Ideas
Buddhism(6th Century) India Sufferinng is caused by
attachment and desire
but it can be ended
through meditation and
moral living
Daoism(6th Century) China Focused on simple living
and nature
Confucianism(6th China Social harmony through
Century) moral, education, and
family as a model of state
In east asia the peasants and artisans produces, the merchants traded, and either
china or eurasia was consuming.
China-
Huge population+Agricultural base+ innovation in Manufacturing======WEALTH
Same language+Confucianism+deep culture======UNIFIED=======more controllable
Topic 1.2- Dar Al-islam
How did cultures respond to muslim influence?
Islam aided in creating an environment where different empires grew.
Caliphate- islamic government
A new caliphate called abbasid caliphate came to power in the mid 8th century. It was unified
by language and tradition but the political aspect of the state was not doing well. Islam on
its own was spreading fast.
❖ Seljuk turks-muslim
❖ Abassid empire
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