AP World History Outline

Period I: Pre-History to 600 BCE

Period I is defined most by mankind’s switch from nomadic, hunter-gatherer lifestyle to sedentary and agricultural. From there, mankind developed civilizations and population grew.

  1. Pre-history-8000 BCE, life is defined by hunter-gatherer lifestyle
  2. Men hunted wild game
  3. Women gathered nuts, berries, etc.
  4. Small groups, high infant mortality rate,
  5. 8000 BCE- Humans start to settle in one area and farm à Neolithic Revolution
  6. Early Civilizations- defined by development of government, urban centers, and writing system. ALL early civilizations were polytheistic
  7. Mesopotamia- between Tigris and Euphrates rivers. In Middle East
  8. Code of Hammurabi- first written law
  9. Cuneiform- writing system
  10. Egypt-Nile River. In Middle East
  11. Known for large construction projects
  12. Hieroglyphics- writing system
  13. Indus River Valley- Indus River. In South Asia
  14. Harappan- writing system (has not been translated to modern language)
  15. Developed systems of moving water for agriculture
  16. Huang He (China) - Huang He or Yellow River. In East Asia. Later develops into Shang
  17. Early writing system
  18. Agricultural improvements
  19. Olmec and Chavin in Americas. In Mesoamerica and South America respectfully
  20. Did not settle on along river valleys!

Period II: 600 BCE-600 CE

Period II is defined by the development of more complex civilizations. Trade develops more between these civilizations (early Silk Road). Known as the Classical Period

  1. In Europe
  2. Greece- city-states such as Athens and Sparta; direct democracy
  3. Roman Republic (later Empire)- expands across Europe and Northern Africa; eventually splits into Eastern and Western half (west is taken over by Germanic invaders)
  4. In Middle East
  5. Persian Empire- created by Cyrus, and expanded under leaders like Darius and Xerxes
  6. In South Asia
  7. Mauryan Dynasty- Ashoka, Adoption of Buddhism,
  8. Gupta Dynasty- Chandra Gupta, re-adoption of Hinduism in India
  9. In East Asia
  10. Zhou-took over after Shang, falls into long period of disorder known as Era of Warring States
  11. Qin- used legalism to keep order following Era of Warring states; didn’t last longà too strict
  12. Han-used Confucianism as guide; permanently impacts China
  13. Sui- come to power following end of Han China, Golden Age starts toward the end of their rule
  14. Emergence of new religions and beliefs
  15. Hinduism and Judaism both established prior to this time period
  16. Buddhism in South Asiaàspreads to East Asia through trade and missionaries
  17. Christianity in Middle Eastàspreads to Europe via the Roman Empire
  18. Legalism, Confucianism, and Daoism in China

Period III: 600-1450 CE

Period III is defined by the emergence of Islam and the further expansion of trade. Since it has very little positive contributions to the world during this time, Europe refers to this period as the Dark Ages. However, there are many major developments throughout the rest of the world

  1. Islam is established- Mohammed
  2. Beliefs: Quran and 5 Pillars of Islam
  3. Statement of Faith
  4. 5 required daily prayers
  5. Fasting during daylight hours in Ramadan
  6. Alms-giving (charity)
  7. Hajj*—trip to Mecca at least once in lifetime (*must know this one)
  8. Split in religion following Mohammed’s death; Sunnis (want established leaders to lead community) and Shia (want decedents of Mohammed to lead)
  9. Umayyad Caliphate- takes all of Arabian peninsula, expands into Northern Africa and further into the east; moves capital to Damascus, Syria
  10. Abbasid Caliphate-further expands into Northern and Western Africa, takes territory in Southern Spain, expands into South Asia à leads to establishment of Delhi Sultanate
  11. Expansion of trade
  12. Silk Road- between China and Europe
  13. Indian Ocean- Maritime trade between East Africa and South, Southeastern, and East Asia
  14. Trans-Saharan- between Middle East and Western Africa (Mali)
  15. In Europe
  16. Feudalism- societal structure in which lords rule over land that serfs (peasants) work
  17. Crusades: “retake Holy Land;” diffusion of European and Middle Eastern ideas is good for both Europe and Middle East, though militarily, it is a disaster for Europeans
  18. Black Death (Black Plague)- coming from Central Asia and makes its way into Europe (Italy) via trade routes
  19. Great Schism- divide between Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity
  20. Byzantine Empire-created out of Eastern Roman Empire, Justinian; falls to Ottomans
  21. Holy Roman Empire- established in Central Europe (breaks apart due to differences in religion)
  22. In Asia-
  23. China
  24. Tang- Golden Age in China
  25. Song-Golden Age in China
  26. Yuan- created by Kublai Khan (Mongols), end to Golden Age in China

b.  Mongols

  1. Genghis Khan united nomadic tribes in Central Asia
  2. Mongols create the largest Empire in the world (up to this point) stretching from Eastern Europe to Pacific Ocean
  3. Africa-Kingdom of Mali (Mansa Musa) in Western Africa
  4. Ibn Battuta- made Hajj and wrote information about his journeys

Period IV: 1450-1750 CE

Period IV is defined by the inclusion of the Americas into the global trade network for the first time. This is because Europe came out of its “Dark Ages” as the dominant continent on the planet. As they grew, Europe began to search for new trade routes to Asia (spice trade meant $). Long story short, Europe discovered the Americas and began to settle there. Demand for silver and cash crops allowed the Europeans to create a slave labor force from the Native American and African people.

  1. European Discovery of the Americas
  2. Columbian Exchange- exchange of crops, animals, and disease between Old and New World
  3. Effects on Native Americans- disease is highly impactful
  4. European Settlement
  5. Slave Trade- growth of cash crops in New World requires laborers; Native Americans dying off and not a large enough populous to serve need à use of African slaves
  6. European Power
  7. Emerges as dominant continent
  8. Individual countries battle for power (a lot due to religion. See Reformation)

c.  Navies are the best indicator of power

  1. New Ways of Thinking in Europe
  2. Renaissance- rebirth of western civilization; due in part to cultural diffusion w/ Middle East
  3. Reformation- break between Protestantism and Catholicism (Luther, Calvin, King Henry VIII are Protestant leaders), Catholics have counter reformation (Ignatius Loyola- Jesuits)
  4. Scientific Revolution-Heliocentric Model of Solar System (Proposed by Copernicus and Improved on by Galileo), Scientific Method also developed
  5. Enlightenment- humans have natural rights, governments should be more democratic

4.  In the Middle East and South Asia àIslamic Gunpowder Empires

  1. Ottoman (modern-day Turkey)- takes Constantinople, renames it Istanbul (marks end to
  2. Safavid- Religiously intolerant
  3. Mughal-Akbar the Great, jizya, Taj Mahal
  4. In East Asia
  5. China- Ming Dynasty (becomes isolationist toward end of time period). Manchus invade and establish Qing Dynasty in 1640s
  6. Japan-Emergence of Tokugawa Shogunate (Japan becomes isolationist)
  7. In Russia
  8. Ivan IV or Ivan the Terrible - rules as an absolute monarch, changes position of title to Czar; he kills off everyone who was a political threat to him, including his own sons, following his death, there is no one to follow in his footsteps (as all heirs had been killed off)
  9. Time of Troubles- no clear ruler in Russia
  10. Romanovs take control of Russia in 1613
  11. Peter the Great and Catherine the Great- goals are to modernize/westernize Russia. This causes major suffering within the serfdom, as they cannot afford to modernize

Period V: 1750-1914 CE

Period V is defined by revolution, both political and industrial. With this comes the Age of Imperialism, along with the further growth of military forces. Asia and Africa are overwhelmingly conquered by Western powers.

  1. Age of Revolution
  2. American 1775-1783
  3. French 1789-1799
  4. Haitian 1791-1804
  5. Other Latin American Independence Movements in Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, and other places

2.  Industrial Revolution

  1. Started with improvements in Farm technology
  2. Factory system, first water-driven then steam
  3. Abundant source of coal and workers helped Britain thrive during this time
  4. Industry expanded from Britain through cultural diffusion

3.  Imperialism

  1. Scramble for Africa- decided at Berlin Conference 1884-1885.

b.  China-spheres of influence

  1. Imperial nations used their colonies as a source for raw materials
  2. In East Asia
  3. China under the Qing Dynasty slowly falls apart
  4. Internal factors
  5. White Lotus Rebellion
  6. Taiping Rebellion
  7. External factors
  8. Establishment of Spheres of Influence by Western countries

2.  Opium Wars

3.  Boxer Rebellion

  1. Wars against Russia, France, and Japan lead to lost territory
  2. Qing Dynasty collapses in 1910; also ending the Dynastic System in China
  3. The Republic of China is created in 1911
  4. Japan- Meiji Restoration starting in 1853; characterized by major shifts to modernize and westernize Japan. The name of the movement comes from the Emperor’s name
  5. In South Asia
  6. Sepoy Rebellion- Indian troops under employ by the East India Company Mutiny, Britain steps in to intervene and end up taking India as its own colony
  7. Sometimes, British rule in India may be referred to as the Raj, or the Jewel of the Crown, because it was a highly valuable colony

Period VI: 1914-Present CE

Period VI is defined by two great World Wars, followed by increased international cooperation in the form of the United Nations. However, the Cold War between the Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States threatened, at times, to put the world on the brink of war. In certain respects, the world got smaller during this time, as Globalization led to the increased and faster spread of culture and products.

  1. World War I
  2. Reasons for war: MANIA (Militarism, Alliances, Nationalism, Imperialism, Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary)
  3. Two sides:
  4. Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire
  5. Triple Entente/Allies- UK, France, Russia, later USA
  6. Characterized by: Trench warfare, first use of poison gas, planes, tanks, submarines, and the machine gun in combat between two or more major nations
  7. Treaty of Versailles ends the war, blames Germany for it and requires them to pay back all war costs
  8. Russian Revolution
  9. Romanov family abdicates (or leaves) throne in March 1917
  10. Bolsheviks (Communist group), led by V.I. Lenin, takes charge in Russia. Their beliefs appeal to the extreme poor in Russia (a majority of the population).
  11. Russia pulls out of the war in late 1917
  12. Civil War breaks out in Russia between Red Army (Communists) and White Army (Anti-Communists). This lasts until 1923. Lenin dies in 1924, leaving Joseph Stalin as the leader of the newly established Soviet Union
  13. Depression
  14. Worldwide impacts felt due to stock market crash
  15. Leads to extremism in places like Italy and Germany
  16. World War II
  17. Reasons: increased German aggression in Europe, Japanese aggression in Asia
  18. Two sides:
  19. Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan
  20. Allied Powers/Allies: UK, France, Soviet Union (USSR), later USA
  21. Characterized by: Increased use of advanced weaponry, Holocaust, Island-hopping in the Pacific, use of Nuclear Weapons by the USA on Japanese targets
  22. Germany surrenders in May 1945 (V-E Day); Japan follows in August/September 1945 (V-J Day)
  23. Establishment of UN
  24. Goal: To increase international cooperation and keep peace around the world
  25. Permanent Members of UN Security Council- USA, UK, France, China, Soviet Union (USSR) now Russia
  26. Creation of Israel
  27. Zionist movement to reestablish a Jewish homeland gains steam following WWII
  28. Palestine controlled by UK following WWII, land is set aside for the creation of Israel in 1948
  29. Led to increased tensions and fighting between Israelis and their neighboring countries
  30. Cold War- geopolitical struggle between powerhouse nations of USA (democratic, capitalist) and Soviet Union (USSR) (communism)
  31. Arms Race-following use of nuclear weapons in WWII, both USA and USSR race to develop more and better weapons
  32. Space Race- directly from Arms Race, both countries try to become the first to make certain achievements in regards to Space (eg. First Man on the Moon)
  33. Decolonization of Africa
  34. African nations gain independence from European nations following WWII
  35. Tensions between ethnic groups led to civil war in many African nations since the 1960s
  36. South Africa-Apartheid ends in free elections in 1994 with Nelson Mandela as President
  37. Decolonization of Asia
  38. India- Gandhi is major independence figure within India. India gained independence from Britain in 1947, but religious tensions in the region led to the creation of predominately Hindu India and predominately Muslim Pakistan.
  39. 20th Century Genocides
  40. Armenian in Ottoman Empire
  41. Holocaust in Germany
  42. Khmer Rouge in Cambodia
  43. Rwandan Genocide
  44. Ethnic Cleansing in Bosnia and Serbia
  45. Genocide in Darfur
  46. Globalization- increased movement in ideas, culture, and products
  47. The Internet
  48. Brands such as Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Nike, etc.