World History Quiz: Empires and Cultures

Empires and Warfare

• Gunpowder empires expanded using gunpowder weapons.

Religions

• Sikhism is a monotheistic religion based on Guru Nanak's teachings.
• Key tenets include the equality of all people, a moral life, and helping others.
• It emphasizes the 5 Ks.

European Cultural and Religious Shifts

• The Renaissance was a period of cultural and intellectual rebirth in Western Europe.
• The Protestant Reformation caused a split in Christianity, separating the Roman Catholic Church from emerging Protestant faiths.

Exploration and Trade

• European exploration sought alternate routes to Asia to bypass Ottoman control of trade routes.
• The Columbian Exchange involved the exchange of crops, animals, diseases, and cultural ideas between the Old and New Worlds.

Colonial Labor Systems

• The encomienda system used forced labor of Native Americans.
• The silver trade involved mining silver in the Americas for trade with Ming China, acting as a global currency. The mita system was a form of forced labor used in the silver trade.
• Indentured servants provided forced labor for English citizens.

Slavery and Trade

• The Atlantic slave trade involved the forced transport of Africans to the Americas.
• The Middle Passage was a brutal journey of enslaved Africans, characterized by terrible conditions.
• The triangular trade system involved the exchange of raw materials, manufactured goods, and enslaved people among Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
• The Atlantic slave trade led to the spread of African culture in the Americas.

Economic Systems

• Joint-stock companies were private businesses involved in trade, establishing forts, negotiating trade agreements, and making treaties.
• Mercantilism involved European nations competing for raw materials and colonies, emphasizing exports over imports to strengthen their home economies.