AP World History:: Unit 1

The period from roughly 1200 to 1450, the starting point of this AP World History: Modern curriculum, is generally characterized by historians as a period in which:

- **A)** A wide range of distinct, regionally-varied political, religious, and social structures had developed across different world regions, each shaped significantly by that specific region's own particular historical, geographic, and cultural circumstances - this unit surveys several of these significant regional civilizations and societies (including societies in East Asia, the Islamic world, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Americas, and medieval Europe) as they existed during this specific period, prior to the more extensive global interconnection that would develop in subsequent periods covered later in this curriculum
- **B)** A single, entirely uniform political and social structure had already developed and spread identically across every world region, with no meaningful regional variation of any kind existing anywhere during this specific period
- **C)** This period had no meaningful, describable relationship to regional political, religious, or social diversity, or to the broader comparative civilizational survey this unit undertakes
- **D)** Every world region during this period had already achieved full, extensive direct political and economic interconnection with every other world region, a characterization that inaccurately overstates the degree of global interconnection that had actually developed by this comparatively early period, prior to the more extensive interregional networks discussed in the subsequent unit of this curriculum

The Song Dynasty (960-1279) in China, a significant East Asian dynasty largely predating but still relevant as context for this unit's own covered period, is historically notable for:

- **A)** The Song Dynasty having no meaningful, describable relationship to significant economic, technological, or bureaucratic development in East Asia already discussed elsewhere in this unit
- **B)** Significant economic growth (including a highly commercialized economy and the early use of paper currency), significant technological innovation (including advances in printing and gunpowder-based technology), and a well-developed civil service examination system for selecting government officials based significantly on merit and scholarly achievement, rather than exclusively on hereditary aristocratic status - the Song Dynasty's own significant economic and technological achievements provide important context for understanding China's own considerable global economic and technological significance during the broader period covered by this unit, even as Chinese political control shifted to the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty (discussed further below in this unit) later in this specific period
- **C)** A period of significant economic and technological decline throughout the entirety of this specific dynasty's own rule, a characterization that directly contradicts the Song Dynasty's own actual, well-documented significant economic and technological achievement
- **D)** A dynasty that ruled over a significant portion of Europe, rather than China, a characterization that inaccurately misidentifies the Song Dynasty's own actual, well-documented East Asian, Chinese geographic and political context

The Mongol Empire, which expanded very significantly across much of Asia and parts of Europe during the 13th century under leaders including Genghis Khan, is historically significant to this unit's own covered period primarily because:

- **A)** The Mongol Empire having no meaningful, describable relationship to Eurasian political and economic integration, the Yuan Dynasty in China, or the broader significant interregional connections already discussed at multiple points throughout this unit
- **B)** The Mongol Empire achieved essentially no significant territorial expansion of any kind beyond a very small, geographically limited region, a characterization that significantly understates the Mongol Empire's own actual, well-documented very extensive territorial expansion across much of Eurasia during this period
- **C)** The Mongol Empire had no meaningful, describable effect on trade, cultural exchange, or political administration across the very extensive territory it controlled, a characterization that inaccurately minimizes the Mongol Empire's own actual, well-documented significant effect on these specific areas across its own controlled territory
- **D)** Mongol political control over a very extensive stretch of Eurasian territory (including, significantly, China itself, where Mongol rulers established the Yuan Dynasty) facilitated increased trade and cultural exchange across this very large controlled territory, sometimes described using the term "Pax Mongolica" (Mongol Peace), since the relative political stability the Mongol Empire's own extensive control provided across this vast territory reduced certain barriers to long-distance overland trade and travel - the Mongol Empire's own very significant historical impact provides important context for understanding the increasingly interconnected Eurasian trade networks discussed in greater depth in the subsequent unit of this curriculum

The Islamic world during the period covered by this unit (1200-1450) was characterized by significant political diversity, including several significant competing and successor states following the earlier, more unified Abbasid Caliphate's own decline, illustrating:

- **A)** The Islamic world's own significant political diversity during this period having no meaningful, describable relationship to the earlier Abbasid Caliphate, competing successor states, or the broader significant political and cultural diversity within the Islamic world already discussed at multiple points throughout this unit
- **B)** A single, entirely unified Islamic political structure with no meaningful internal political diversity, competition, or distinct successor state of any kind existing anywhere within the broader Islamic world during this specific period, a characterization that inaccurately minimizes the significant political diversity that actually characterized the Islamic world during this period
- **C)** That significant political fragmentation and regional diversity, rather than a single unified political structure, characterized much of the broader Islamic world during this specific period - despite this political fragmentation, considerable shared religious, cultural, and intellectual connections continued to link different Islamic regions together, illustrating a broader pattern (already implicit in this unit's own broader comparative civilizational survey) in which political fragmentation does not necessarily preclude significant shared cultural, religious, or intellectual continuity across a broader region
- **D)** The Islamic world's own complete abandonment of any political organization of any kind during this specific period, a characterization that inaccurately mischaracterizes the significant, if politically diverse and decentralized, political organization that actually characterized the Islamic world during this period

The West African Mali Empire, a significant Sub-Saharan African state that flourished significantly during the period covered by this unit (particularly under the notable ruler Mansa Musa), is historically notable for:

- **A)** Very significant wealth derived substantially from control over important regional trade routes (particularly trans-Saharan trade routes carrying gold and salt, among other goods, discussed in greater depth in the subsequent unit of this curriculum) and, significantly, Mansa Musa's own well-documented, famously lavish pilgrimage to Mecca, during which his own considerable displayed wealth reportedly had a very significant, if temporary, effect on regional gold markets along his own pilgrimage route - the Mali Empire's own significant wealth and political power illustrate that Sub-Saharan Africa hosted significant, wealthy, and well-organized political states during this period, directly complementing this unit's broader comparative civilizational survey of significant regional political and economic development occurring across multiple different world regions during this same general period
- **B)** The Mali Empire having no meaningful, describable relationship to trans-Saharan trade, Mansa Musa's own significant historical prominence, or the broader significant Sub-Saharan African political and economic development already discussed at multiple points throughout this unit
- **C)** A very significant condition of poverty and minimal political organization throughout this entire period, a characterization that directly contradicts the Mali Empire's own actual, well-documented very significant wealth and political organization during this period
- **D)** A state located in East Asia rather than West Africa, a characterization that inaccurately misidentifies the Mali Empire's own actual, well-documented West African, Sub-Saharan geographic location

The significant city of Timbuktu, located within the broader West African region already discussed above, is historically notable during this period primarily as:

- **A)** Timbuktu having no meaningful, describable relationship to trans-Saharan trade, Islamic scholarship, or the broader significant intellectual and commercial development of West Africa already discussed at multiple points throughout this unit
- **B)** A significant center of trans-Saharan trade and Islamic scholarship, hosting significant libraries, mosques, and educational institutions that attracted scholars from across the broader Islamic world already discussed elsewhere in this unit - Timbuktu's own considerable historical significance as an intellectual and commercial center further illustrates this unit's broader theme regarding significant, sophisticated civilizational development occurring across multiple different world regions during this period, complementing the Mali Empire's own broader significant wealth and political power already discussed above
- **C)** A location with no meaningful trade, scholarly, or broader civilizational significance of any kind during this specific period, a characterization that significantly understates Timbuktu's own actual, well-documented very significant historical significance during this period
- **D)** A city located in medieval Europe rather than West Africa, a characterization that inaccurately misidentifies Timbuktu's own actual, well-documented West African geographic location

The Great Zimbabwe civilization, a significant Sub-Saharan African state and archaeological site located in present-day southeastern Africa, is historically notable primarily for:

- **A)** Great Zimbabwe having no meaningful, describable relationship to significant monumental stone architecture, regional trade networks, or the broader significant Sub-Saharan African political and economic development already discussed at multiple points throughout this unit
- **B)** A complete absence of any significant monumental architecture, political organization, or regional trade connection of any kind, a characterization that directly contradicts Great Zimbabwe's own actual, well-documented very significant monumental architecture and regional economic significance
- **C)** A civilization located in West Africa, a characterization that inaccurately misidentifies Great Zimbabwe's own actual, well-documented southeastern African, rather than West African, geographic location
- **D)** Significant monumental stone architecture (including the large stone structures that gave the site its own name) and significant participation in broader regional and, likely, longer-distance trade networks, connecting this southeastern African state to broader Indian Ocean trade already discussed further in the subsequent unit of this curriculum - Great Zimbabwe's own significant architectural and economic achievement provides a further significant example, complementing the Mali Empire and Timbuktu already discussed above, of significant, sophisticated Sub-Saharan African civilizational development occurring during the period covered by this unit

The Aztec (Mexica) civilization, a significant Mesoamerican state that developed considerably during the later part of the period covered by this unit, is historically notable for:

- **A)** The Aztec civilization having no meaningful, describable relationship to significant urban development, agricultural innovation, or the broader significant Mesoamerican civilizational development already discussed at multiple points throughout this unit
- **B)** A complete absence of any significant urban development, agricultural innovation, or political organization of any kind, a characterization that directly contradicts the Aztec civilization's own actual, well-documented very significant urban and agricultural development during this period
- **C)** A significant, sophisticated capital city (Tenochtitlan, built on a lake and featuring significant agricultural innovation, including chinampas, a form of raised-bed agriculture that allowed for considerable agricultural productivity within a challenging lake-based environment) and a significant, expansive tributary empire extending considerable political and economic influence over neighboring Mesoamerican peoples - the Aztec civilization's own significant urban, agricultural, and political achievement provides a further significant example, complementing this unit's broader coverage of significant civilizational development in Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia, and the Islamic world, of sophisticated political and economic organization occurring in the Americas during the period covered by this unit
- **D)** A civilization located in Sub-Saharan Africa, a characterization that inaccurately misidentifies the Aztec civilization's own actual, well-documented Mesoamerican, rather than Sub-Saharan African, geographic location