Final Exam Review

World History

Early Chinese Civilization• The Shang Dynasty

– Replaced Xia dynasty in about 16th century BCE; capital was Anyang; dynasty marked by remains of oracle bones, chariots that used wheels, and burial practice of death of all court members upon emperor’s death—veneration of ancestors

• The Zhou Dynasty– This dynasty followed Shang and lasted about 800 years (longest dynasty

in Chinese history); marked by two capitals, regional governors, mandate of heaven for the emperor;

• The Qin Dynasty• Daily life in Ancient China• Patterns of social organization in ancient China• Farm villages were organized by clans

Chinese Society• Confucius

– A wise would-be advisor to emperors who advocated for harmony among humans; taught humans to be mindful of their duty to family and society.

• Legalism– Contrary to Confucian philosophy, Legalists believed that humans are

not good and must be forced by harsh laws to do the right thing.• Mandate of Heaven

– This is a concept that the emperor ruled by divine right; Heaven wanted the emperor to be in charge.

• The “well-field” system– Peasants worked on land owned by their lord but also had land of their

own for their own use.

Beginnings of Western Society• Mesopotamia

– Sumeria; writing; laws; cities that became small kingdoms• Persia

– Methods of decentralized control; use of roads and communication to rule effectively

• Greece– Athens and Delian League, Sparta (lifestyle of each); democracy, philosophy and

learning; literature; ships in the Mediterranean; colonies• Alexander the Great

– What were his methods? How did he embrace elements from the East? How far did his empire extend? What ended the spread of his conquests?

• Roman Empire– Republic to empire; Julius Caesar rise to power; role of law in Rome; engineering

and technology; expansion of massive empire; use of roads and political practices to rule over disparate people

Byzantine Empire

• Constantine and Constantinople– Who was Constantine and why was he great? How did

capital of Rome come to be moved to Constantinople? How did this affect the rest of the empire and the future of Rome?

• 1453– What was critical about this year?

JustinianWhat did Justinian do for law and architecture in the

Byzantine empire? How did the Byzantine world differ from the Western half of the empire or the Roman world?

Ottoman Empire

• Political Basis of Ottoman Empire• Social organization of Ottoman Empire

Islam

• Mohammed and the Koran• Earliest beginnings: Medina to Mecca• Caliphates • Umayyads• Abbasids• Seljuk Turks

Europe and Middle Ages

• Feudal system: fief-holding• Role of Christianity, Pope, Church• Printing Press• 30 Years’ War • Renaissance artists• Weapons of war in Middle Ages

Russia• Viking named Oleg settled in Kiev and created Rus state sometime around 890-913. Rus state expanded to

control eastern Slavs. • Byzantine Christianity became the religion of the Russians• In 13th century the Mongols conquered Russia; Russian princes balanced invading Germans against ruling

Mongols; in the process Alexander Nevsky emerged as most powerful among Russians, and his family became princes of Moscow and rulers of Russia

• In 15th century leadership of rulers of Moscow created a new state• In 16th century Ivan IV took title of tsar (Russian for caesar); he expanded Russia eastward and crushed

power of Russian nobility; he was known as Ivan the Terrible. • After a period of anarchy Michael Romanov was chosen to be the tsar, and his family was the ruling family

in Russia until 1917. • Peter the Great (1689-1725) visited the West from 1697-1698 and decided to Westernize Russia. He used

Russian technology for army and navy. He ruthlessly compelled slaves to drain marshlands to build St. Petersburg. He divided Russia into provinces and tried to create a police state. (His goal was to make Russia a great power.)

• Catherine the Great (1762-1796) invited Western enlightenment philosophers to come to Russia. She explored Englightenment reforms for the country, but in the end instead of promoting freedom and equality she strengthened the nobility. Lack of reform for peasants caused rebellion among them, which she suppressed. She is notable for expanding Russian possessions into Poland and the Black Sea. Under her rule Russia defeated the Turks.

Japan• Japanese people

– Culturally unique because of isolation on islands; believe in divinity of the emperor; based on clans

• Response to Tang invasion attempt– Early 11th century Tang got involved in Korean peninsula, then wanted to expand to

Japan; Yamato rulers tried to build alliances with South Koreans not under influence of China and tried to consolidate power in Japan to fend of Chinese encroachment; they sent envoys to China to learn more about Chinese culture and rule, which led to adoption of reforms: deification of the emperor; creation of grand council and ministries (like China); division of Japan into districts (village as basic unit of government); new tax system; all farmland became property of the state

• Japanese and Chinese cultural links: Japanese interest in Buddhism; Japanese writing at first was based on Chinese writing, but Japanese distinctive literature emerged, especially haiku; in 9th to 12th centuries women were prolific writers

Japanese Shogunate

• Attempts to centralize government on a Chinese model broke down and powerful families became regional rulers

• Rival families fought each other; certain families consolidated power and established leadership under a shogun or general

• In the shogunate system a shogun exercised actual power, but the emperor ruled in name only

• During shogunate period (1281) Mongols tried to invade Japan to force payment of tribute; a typhoon destroyed the invading Mongol ships

Northern Europe

• Scandinavian incursions to England left traces of Viking culture in England

• Powerful Scandinavia ruled the North, and Peter the Great of Russia had to take lands from it to have a naval presence on the Baltic

Africa Before European Contact

• Kingdom of Mali– Role of Islam in West Africa; brought by trading

Berbers• Timbuktu– Mansa Musa; fabulous wealth in gold; trip to

Mecca and affect on Middle Eastern economyBerbersEast African Trade

Reasons for European Exploration

• Economic Gain• Spread Christianity• New sailing technologies led to confidence• Knowledge of wind patterns in Atlantic Ocean

Portuguese Role in African Slave Trade

• Portuguese exploration down west coast of Africa

• Trade with Africans along coast led to trade in slaves

• Delivery of guns to Africans spurred more slave trade, wars by African tribes on each other to capture slaves to buy guns

• Portuguese used African slaves to grow sugar on plantations off west coast of Africa

Explorers in the New World

• Columbus• Da Gama• Cabot• Cabral• Vespucci

Treaty of Tordesillas

• Pope’s solution to competing claims to new lands in Atlantic and Americas

• Created a divided line between Portuguese and Spanish lands

• Only valid for countries that recognized authority of the Pope

Encomienda System

• Rule over Indians in the New World by Spanish• Abuses of Indians• Reform of the system

Columbian Exchange

• Items brought from New World to Europe• Items brought from Europe or Africa to the

New World• Included animals, agricultural products,

people

European Colonies in the New World

• Where were Spanish colonies?• Where were Portuguese colonies? • Where were English, French, Dutch, and

Swedish colonies? • Why did European colonies expend resources

to establish colonies in the New World? How did these colonies affect the balance of power in Europe?

African slave purposes

• Initially slaves used as servants• Slaves use to grow sugar• Use of slaves expanded to any agricultural or

servant purpose, but predominantly they were the labor force used to grow crops on plantations

African slave labor

• Slaves lived separately from Europeans, which allowed them to preserve something of their African culture (including language, religion, food stuffs)

• Africans were often worked to death on sugar plantations

Impact of slavery on Africa

• Demand for guns, for protection of one’s tribe, increased warfare among tribes

• A tribe would conduct raids on another tribe and take captives to sell to Europeans

• The sale of slaves would enable purchase of guns for self-defense

Spain in SE Asia and Philippines

• Spanish exploration in Pacific led to a foothold in Southeast Asia

• They came to rule islands in the Philipppines (named for their King Philip)

Dutch in SE Asia

• Dutch engaged in trade in Java

Zheng He and Shipping Technology

• A vast fleet traveled possibly as far as Americas

• Fleet made up of junks • Junks were bigger and more technologically

advanced than European ships

Henry VII: Consolidation of English monarchy

• Henry VII ended civil war in England• His consolidation of power stabilized the

country and enabled it to become a rising power in Europe

• His son Henry VIII consolidated power even more by defying the Pope

• His granddaughter Elizabeth I promoted colonization in North America

Sugar

• Addictive food that led to creation of expansive plantations in Caribbean

• African slave force used to grow the stuff• European demand for sugar was endless