AP World History Unit 1: State Building 1200-1450

AP World History Unit 1: State Building (circa 1200-1450)

• State Building in Song Dynasty China (960-1279)
  • Song Dynasty maintained rule through Confucianism, specifically a revival of the philosophy known as Neo-Confucianism.
  • Neo-Confucianism sought to reduce Buddhist influence on Confucian thought.
  • Confucianism emphasized a hierarchical society with prescribed roles and orders, including filial piety, which emphasized children obeying and honoring their parents, grandparents, and ancestors.
  • Women under the Song Dynasty experienced a decline in legal rights and faced social restrictions, including limited access to education and the practice of foot binding.
  • Song Dynasty expanded the Imperial bureaucracy, a hierarchical government entity that carried out the Emperor's will.
  • The Song Dynasty implemented civil service exams based on Confucian teachings, theoretically open to men of all socioeconomic statuses, but in reality favoring the wealthy.
  • Song Dynasty's State Building efforts influenced neighboring regions, particularly Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, leading to them adopting similar practices like civil service exams and Buddhism.
  • Song Economy experienced commercialization, with manufacturers producing more goods than they consumed, leading to greater trade within China and Eurasia.
  • Song Dynasty experienced a population explosion due to innovations in agriculture, particularly the introduction of Champa rice.
  • Song Dynasty invested in transportation infrastructure, such as the Grand Canal, facilitating trade and communication throughout the empire.

Dar al-Islam (House of Islam) from 1200-1450

- Dar al-Islam encompassed regions where Islamic faith was the organizing principle of civilizations, including North Africa, the Middle East, and parts of South Asia.
- Three major religions coexisted in Dar al-Islam: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.
- Before 1200, the Abbasid Caliphate, centered in Baghdad, was the dominant force in the Islamic world. They were primarily ethnically Arab.
- By 1200, the Abbasid Caliphate declined, and new Islamic political entities emerged, led primarily by Turkic people, such as the Seljuk Empire. 
- The Seljuk Empire replaced the Abbasid Empire as the dominant force through military expansion and political maneuvering. 
- Despite the shift from Arab dominance, the new Turkic empires maintained some practices from the Abbasid era, including administration by the military and Sharia Law (legal system based on the Quran).
- Muslim scholars in Dar al-Islam made significant cultural and scientific contributions during this period, including advancements in mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy.
- Muslim scholars translated and commented on Greek philosophical works, preserving them for later generations, particularly in the House of Wisdom in Baghdad.
- Dar al-Islam, along with Song China, represented centers of global scholarship and wealth during this period.
- Muslim rule expanded through military conquest, trade networks, and missionary activities, particularly through Sufi orders, which emphasized mysticism and greater adaptation to local beliefs. 

South Asia (1200-1450)

- Three major religions vied for dominance in South and Southeast Asia: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam.
- Buddhism was in decline in South Asia by 1200, reduced mainly to monastic communities in the North in Nepal and Tibet.
- Hinduism remained the most prevalent religion in South Asia.
- The Delhi Sultanate established by Turkic Muslims made Islam the second most influential religion in the region, especially among the elite.
- The Bhakti movement arose within Hinduism, emphasizing devotion to one god. It challenged existing social and gender hierarchies and gained popularity amongst ordinary believers.

Southeast Asia

- Buddhism and Islam competed for dominance in Southeast Asia. 

South Asia: State Building (1200-1450)

- The Delhi Sultanate struggled to impose absolute Muslim rule over the Hindu majority.
- The Rajput Kingdoms, a collection of rival Hindu kingdoms, resisted Muslim rule.
- The Vijayanagara Empire emerged in the South as a counterpoint to Muslim rule in the North.

The Spread of Religions and Civilizations

• The Delhi Sultanate's attempt to extend Muslim rule into South India failed due to the conversion of Muslim emissaries back to Hinduism, resulting in the establishment of a rival empire.
• The Majapahit Kingdom, located in Java from 1293 to 1520, was a powerful Buddhist state that controlled trade routes. The Majapahit's decline was linked to China supporting its trading rival, the Sultanate of Malacca.
• The Khmer Empire, founded as a Hindu kingdom, later adopted Buddhism as its primary religion. Angkor Wat, a magnificent temple, demonstrates the influence of both Hinduism and Buddhism.
• The Aztec Empire, founded in 1345 by the Mexica people, dominated Mesoamerica. The capital city, Tenochtitlan, was the largest city in the Americas before European arrival.
• The Aztec Empire used a tribute system, requiring conquered states to provide labor and goods, and practiced human sacrifice.
• The Inca Empire, established in the early 1400s, stretched across the Andean Mountain Range. The Inca integrated the land and languages of earlier Andean societies, enforcing their rule through a rigid bureaucracy.
• The Inca implemented the "Mita" system, requiring conquered people to provide labor for state projects.
• The Mississippian culture, thriving around the Mississippi River Valley, was the first large-scale civilization in North America. Their society centered on agriculture and was organized around monumental mounds. The Cahokia people, part of the Mississippian culture, built the largest mounds.
• The Swahili civilization, located along the East African coast, consisted of independent city-states united by trade and a common social hierarchy. The Swahili language, a blend of Bantu and Arabic, reflects cultural intermingling.
• Powerful centralized states, including Ghana, Mali, Songhai, and others, arose in West Africa due to the influence of trade. The elites of these empires adopted Islam, while the majority remained tied to their indigenous religions.
• The Hausa Kingdoms, in contrast to centralized states, maintained a structure of independent city-states, linked through trade.
• The Great Zimbabwe, built between 1250 and 1450, witnessed a massive growth in its economy through trade, transitioning from agriculture and cattle herding to gold. The Great Zimbabwe retained its indigenous Shamanistic beliefs.
• The Kingdom of Ethiopia, flourishing through trade, stood unique as a Christian state in a region dominated by Islam and indigenous religions. Ethiopia's power structure resembled other hierarchical African states.
• The Byzantine Empire, representing the eastern half of the Roman Empire, adhered to Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The Kievan Rus' adopted Eastern Orthodox Christianity, integrating them into a network of trade.
• Western Europe, following the collapse of the Roman Empire, was decentralized and fragmented. The Roman Catholic Church played a significant role in unifying the region, exerting strong influence over society, culture, and politics.
• While Christianity dominated Europe, Muslims and Jews also exerted influence. Muslims conquered parts of the Iberian Peninsula, and Jewish communities, despite facing persecution, participated in commerce.

European State Building

• European states, unlike many others, lacked large empires in this period.
• Feudalism, a system of allegiance between lords and vassals, characterized the social, political, and economic structure. Vassals received land in exchange for military service.
• The manor system, with lords owning vast tracts of land rented to peasants, dominated the economic order. Peasants, bound to the land, were known as serfs, providing labor for the lord's protection.
• Over time, monarchs began to gain power, centralizing states and diminishing the influence of the nobility.