AP World History (WHAP) Unit 1: The Global Tapestry 1200-1450

Summary

In this episode of Antisocial Studies, the focus shifts to Unit One: The Global Tapestry, which explores the world around the year 1200. The unit deviates from traditional history by examining various civilizations simultaneously rather than chronologically. Key civilizations like the Song Dynasty, Dar al-Islam, and the Aztecs are highlighted, emphasizing their unique strategies for power and innovation. The video also discusses the significance of trade routes and how states like those along the Indian Ocean and in Africa leveraged them for power. The host suggests using the SPICE themes (Society, Politics, Interaction with the Environment, Culture, Economy, and Technology) to organize notes for better understanding and comparison of these diverse civilizations.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The video introduces Unit One of the AP World History curriculum, focusing on the 'Global Tapestry' around the year 1200.
• 🕰 This unit is described as 'awkward' due to its lack of a traditional narrative or chronological order, instead examining civilizations existing around the same time period.
• 🌍 The concept of the 'global tapestry' involves exploring different civilizations and their activities during the 1200s, akin to a 'roll call' of the world's major players at that time.
• 📅 Dates are less critical in this unit, except when considering the impact of one civilization conquering another, such as the Mongols' conquests.
• 🏛 The video highlights the importance of understanding the Song Dynasty in East Asia and Dar al-Islam, representing the Islamic world, including the Abbasid Caliphate and Muslim Spain.
• 🏰 It discusses the decline of the Abbasid and Song dynasties and the rise of new powers like the Mamluks in Egypt and the Turks in the Middle East.
• 🛶 The script introduces the idea of city-states and kingdoms that gained power through control of trade routes, particularly in the Indian Ocean, such as those along the Swahili Coast and Southeast Asia.
• 🇪🇺 The video contrasts Europe's situation during the Middle Ages, with the continent still struggling to emerge from this period and beginning to establish rights through the Magna Carta.
• 💡 The main theme of Unit One is the dominance of African, Asian, and American states, with cities like Baghdad and Hangzhou being the cultural and economic centers of the world.
• 📚 The video emphasizes the importance of answering how states gained and maintained power, including through belief systems, innovation, and trade.
• 📈 It suggests using the SPICE themes (Society, Politics, Interaction with the Environment, Culture, Economy, and Technology) to organize notes and compare different civilizations.

Q & A

What is the main theme of Unit One in the AP World History course?

The main theme of Unit One is the global tapestry, focusing on the different civilizations around the year 1200 and how they gained and maintained power.

Why is Unit One described as 'awkward' in the video?

Unit One is described as 'awkward' because it does not follow a traditional historical narrative or broad chronology; instead, it involves examining various civilizations around the same time period without a clear order.

What is the significance of the year 1200 in Unit One?

The year 1200 is significant as it serves as the reference point for examining the various civilizations and their conditions during that time, without a strict chronological order.

What does 'Dar al-Islam' refer to in the context of the video?

'Dar al-Islam' refers to the collective Islamic world, encompassing various civilizations connected by the religion of Islam and located in what is now considered the cultural Middle East.

How does the video describe the rise of city-states along the Indian Ocean trade routes?

The video describes the rise of city-states along the Indian Ocean trade routes as new types of kingdoms and states that gained and maintained power by controlling trade rather than traditional land-based empires.

What is the role of the 'House of Wisdom' in Baghdad according to the video?

The 'House of Wisdom' in Baghdad is depicted as a center of scholarship and learning, where Islamic leaders funded research and encouraged the exchange of ideas, leading to advancements in various fields.

What is the significance of the Song Dynasty in the context of the video?

The Song Dynasty is significant as it represents a traditional land-based empire in East Asia with a focus on urbanization, innovation, and the use of Confucianism to create unity and progress.

How does the video explain the concept of state religion and its role in state power?

The video explains that state religion was used by various civilizations to gain legitimacy and unity. It could be used for political control, as seen in the Aztecs and Inca, or to create a sense of unity and innovation, as in the Song Dynasty.

What is the importance of the 'Spice TEA' themes in organizing notes for Unit One?

The 'Spice TEA' themes (Society, Politics, Interaction with the Environment, Culture, Economy, and Technology) are important for organizing notes as they provide a structured way to compare different civilizations and understand their methods of gaining and maintaining power.

How does the video suggest students should take notes for Unit One?

The video suggests that students should take notes using the 'Spice TEA' themes, creating a chart for each civilization to easily compare and contrast their political systems, cultural practices, and methods of innovation and trade.

What is the role of trade in the rise of African kingdoms like Mali according to the video?

According to the video, African kingdoms like Mali rose to prominence by capitalizing on their position on major Saharan trade routes, serving as a gateway to sub-Saharan Africa for other civilizations and controlling the trade of valuable goods like gold and salt.

Outlines

00:00

🌏 Unit One: The Global Tapestry Introduction

This paragraph introduces Unit One of the AP World History course, focusing on the 'global tapestry' concept. The instructor explains that this unit is unconventional, as it doesn't follow a traditional narrative or chronological order. Instead, it involves examining various civilizations around the year 1200, akin to a 'roll call' of the world at that time. The instructor uses the metaphor of 'Bill and Ted' time traveling to illustrate the idea of exploring different regions like East Asia, the Middle East, Africa, etc., without a linear historical progression. The paragraph emphasizes that while dates are less critical in this unit, understanding the interactions and conquests, particularly of the Mongols, is important. A visual map is suggested for identifying key civilizations like the Song Dynasty in East Asia and Dar al-Islam in the Middle East, among others.

05:01

🏰 Traditional Empires and the Rise of Trade-Based Kingdoms

The second paragraph delves into the distinction between traditional land-based empires and the emerging trade-based kingdoms and city-states. It highlights the Song Dynasty and Dar al-Islam as examples of land-based empires, the latter being in decline during this period, with the rise of powers like the Mamluks and Turks. The paragraph also discusses the significance of the Indian Ocean trade routes and the emergence of city-states along the Swahili coast and Southeast Asia, which gained power by controlling trade rather than producing goods. Examples include Malacca and Srivijaya, which, despite being small, held significant influence due to their strategic positions. The paragraph concludes with a comparison of Europe during the Middle Ages, which was less developed compared to the flourishing civilizations in Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

10:03

📚 Guiding Questions for Understanding State Power Dynamics

In this paragraph, the instructor provides a guiding question for students to consider throughout their study of Unit One: 'How did states gain and maintain power?' The focus is on understanding the different strategies employed by various states, such as using belief systems for legitimacy, promoting innovation and exchange through urban development, and benefiting from trade by controlling strategic locations. The paragraph provides examples of how different civilizations, like the Aztecs, Inca, and Islamic states, used religion for political control and unity. It also mentions the importance of cities like Baghdad's House of Wisdom and the Song Dynasty's urban policies in fostering innovation. Lastly, the paragraph suggests using the 'SPICE' themes (Society, Politics, Interaction with the Environment, Culture, Economy, and Technology) to organize notes effectively, with a reference to a template available on the instructor's website.

Keywords

💡Global Tapestry

The term 'Global Tapestry' refers to the intricate and interconnected web of civilizations and cultures around the world during a specific historical period. In the context of the video, it is used to describe the diverse and complex state of the world in the year 1200, highlighting the various civilizations that coexisted without a unified narrative or chronological order.

💡AP Exam

The 'AP Exam' stands for Advanced Placement Exam, a series of standardized tests in the United States that high school students can take to earn college credit or advanced placement in college courses. The video script mentions the AP Exam to emphasize that the content discussed is relevant to students preparing for this exam, specifically in the subject of World History.

💡Chronology

Chronology is the arrangement of events in the order of their occurrence in time. The video script points out that in Unit One, 'chronology' is less important than understanding the coexistence of different civilizations around the same period. It is only when one civilization conquers another, like the Mongols, that the sequence of events becomes significant.

💡Song Dynasty

The 'Song Dynasty' refers to a Chinese dynasty that ruled from 960 to 1279 and is known for its cultural and economic development. In the script, the Song Dynasty is mentioned as a traditional land-based empire in East Asia that students will learn about, emphasizing its role in the global tapestry of the year 1200.

💡Dar al-Islam

Dar al-Islam, meaning 'the House of Islam,' is a term used to describe the territories where Islamic law was the law of the land. In the video, it represents the Islamic world that includes various civilizations connected by the religion of Islam, illustrating the cultural and political influence of Islam during the 1200s.

💡Mamluks

The 'Mamluks' were a group of slave soldiers who eventually became rulers of Egypt and the surrounding areas. The script mentions the Mamluks as an example of the political shifts within the Islamic world, showing how the decline of the Abbasid Caliphate led to the rise of new powers like the Mamluks.

💡Indian Ocean Trade

The 'Indian Ocean Trade' refers to the historical network of trade routes that connected the Middle East, Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. The video script discusses the rise of city-states and kingdoms along these trade routes, emphasizing their importance in the global economy and the power they gained through controlling trade.

💡Swahili Coast

The 'Swahili Coast' is the eastern coast of Africa, known for its historic trading city-states. The script highlights the Swahili Coast as an example of regions where city-states emerged and gained power by controlling trade, particularly in gold and salt, along the Indian Ocean Trade routes.

💡Magna Carta

The 'Magna Carta' is a charter of rights agreed upon by King John of England and rebel barons in 1215, which is considered an important milestone in the development of constitutional law. The video script uses the Magna Carta to illustrate the political developments in Europe during the Middle Ages, contrasting it with the more advanced civilizations in Asia and Africa.

💡Neo-Confucianism

Neo-Confucianism is a moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucian doctrine. The script mentions Neo-Confucianism as a part of the Song Dynasty's efforts to create unity and innovation, by incorporating elements of Buddhism and re-emphasizing Confucian principles.

💡House of Wisdom

The 'House of Wisdom' was a major intellectual center in Baghdad, known for its contributions to the Islamic Golden Age. The video script refers to the House of Wisdom to illustrate how cities like Baghdad fostered innovation and exchange by supporting scholarship and engaging in intellectual discourse.

💡Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is a temple complex in Cambodia, built by the Khmer Empire. The script uses Angkor Wat as an example of a trading city and agricultural empire that benefited from its position on major trade routes, showcasing the architectural blend of Buddhist and Hindu influences.

💡Mansa Musa

Mansa Musa was the emperor of the Mali Empire in West Africa and is known for his pilgrimage to Mecca, which demonstrated his wealth and power. The video script mentions Mansa Musa to illustrate the wealth and influence of African trading kingdoms that capitalized on the Saharan trade routes.

💡SPICE

SPICE is an acronym used in the AP World History course to organize notes and study material, standing for Society, Politics, Interaction with the Environment, Culture, Economy, and Technology. The script suggests using the SPICE themes to structure notes for Unit One, allowing students to compare different civilizations side by side.

Highlights

Introduction to the AP exam content focusing on Unit One: The Global Tapestry.

Explanation of the unique structure of Unit One, emphasizing its non-traditional history approach.

The concept of 'time travel' to the year 1200 to examine civilizations existing at that time.

Emphasis on the lack of importance for dates in Unit One, except in cases of civilizations conquering each other.

Identification of the main civilizations of the year 1200, including the Song Dynasty and Dar al-Islam.

Discussion of the decline of the Abbasid and Song dynasties and the rise of new powers like the Mamluks and Turks.

Introduction to land-based empires like the Aztecs and Inca, and their comparison to the Roman Empire.

Emergence of trade-centered kingdoms and city-states along the Indian Ocean trade routes.

Description of the Swahili coast city-states and Southeast Asian kingdoms that controlled trade.

Contrast between European Middle Ages and the thriving civilizations of Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

The significance of Baghdad and Hangzhou as the 'New York and London' of the late post-classical era.

Guiding question for students: How did states gain and maintain power?

Analysis of how belief systems were used for legitimacy and political control in civilizations like the Aztecs and Inca.

The role of cities as hubs for innovation and exchange, exemplified by the Song Dynasty and Baghdad.

How states benefited from trade and their strategic positions on major trade routes.

The rise of powerful African trading kingdoms like Mali and their control over the Saharan trade routes.

Advice on using the SPICE themes (Society, Politics, Interaction, Culture, Economy, Technology) to organize notes.

Availability of a SPICE chart template on the instructor's website for note-taking guidance.

Transcripts

hey welcome back to antisocial studies

uh today we're starting content we're

starting the stuff that's gonna show up

on the ap exam so

hopefully you've already watched my

welcome to what video and you've already

watched my unit zero overview that one's

a lot longer than these videos are to be

because like trying to cover 10 000

years in 20 minutes

but today we're gonna start talking

about unit one the global tapestry

what does the global tapestry mean uh

i don't know this unit's super awkward

just prepare yourselves emotionally and

mentally for the fact that this unit's

really awkward

it's not a traditional history unit

because there's not really a narrative

there's not really this broad chronology

essentially what we're doing in unit one

is we're just like hopping into the year

1200 and looking around and seeing who's

there

it's sort of like i call it my roll call

unit so imagine that we're bill and ted

in our time traveling phone booth we get

dropped into the year 1200

we're basically just hopping around

going hey what's happening in east asia

cool what's going on in the middle east

great what's happening in africa

so on and so forth um so the good news

here is that dates aren't super

important for this unit because

really it's like you're just looking at

things that are all happening at around

the same time

ish give or take a few hundred years the

only time chronology or dates are going

to matter is if like

one civilization gets conquered by

another well then obviously you need to

know that that they're not existing at

the same time

spoiler alert i'm really just talking

about the mongols right the mongols sort

of come

towards the end of this time period and

just conquer a lot of these places

so let's look at a map and just kind of

visualize like what are the main

civilizations that you're probably going

to read about or learn about

some of these you've heard of a lot of

them you probably haven't i'm not going

to go in depth on all of these but i do

just want to like point out a few things

that you might want to notice

so um let me pull out my pen and i'm

going to make you're going to notice

uh two different things happening i'll

make green for kind of traditional

land-based empires

so like in 1.1 right you're going to

look into

east asia and you're going to learn

about the song dynasty which is a big

kind of traditional chinese dynasty

then you're going to hop over and you're

going to look at a thing called dar al

islam

which basically means the house of islam

it's kind of the entire islamic world it

sort of includes the delhi sultanate the

abbasid are kind of the main power

within there

all the way up to muslim spain

um and so you're going to see this

dharal islam which basically means all

these different civilizations that kind

of

are connected by the religion of islam

and are all kind of located in what we

now think of as the cultural middle east

again the abbasid is the main one they

kind of do a lot of the spreading of

islamic culture

um but you're also going to read about

others within the abbasid empire

because basically by the 1200s the

abbasid and the song dinosaur are both

kind of falling apart

and so you might get a little confused

because you'll read about the abbasids

but then you'll also read about these

people called like the mamluks

in egypt or the turks that are coming

into

the middle east and you're like wait

what's happening it's all happening at

the same time

basically we're hopping into the middle

east when this massive

golden age empire is in its decline and

so we're seeing it sort of breaking

apart

um you're also going to hop over and

you're gonna notice other kind of

land-based kingdoms like the aztecs

in modern day mexico the inca that have

this massive empire that's like bigger

than the roman empire was

um all throughout the andes but

another thing you're also gonna notice

is the rise of these

new types of kingdoms in states

that are centered on trade specifically

the indian ocean the indian ocean trade

is like

the most important trade route for the

vast majority of history and so what

you're going to notice

is these kind of city-states popping up

along what we call the swahili coast in

east africa

you're going to notice a lot of smaller

southeast asian kingdoms that dominate

one or a few islands malacca is like

just a tiny little city-state that like

uh dominates this strait of melaka

srivijaya is another one the majba heat

at their height

um control like 98 other tributary

cities

but basically what's unique about a lot

of these kingdoms

is that they don't quite produce they're

not traditional kingdoms or empires they

don't really produce

as much stuff yeah they like produce

spices and that sort of thing

but for the most part these states gain

and maintain their power by controlling

trade

right so if you're these swahili coast

um city-states

you're controlling the trade of like

gold and salt kind of out to the indian

ocean

if you're one of these southeast asian

kingdoms you're kind of controlling

access to china

really and so this is something where a

lot of these states might be ones you've

never

heard of before um you do kind of need

to understand some of these are like

buddhist kingdoms some of them are hindu

there's a lot of cultural differences

but if we're really going to

oversimplify you basically have the

green

which are kind of more traditional

land-based empires or kingdoms but then

you have these new

smaller kingdoms or city-states again

they're not united they're just kind of

dotting the coasts

that are rising up and taking advantage

of the growing trade routes across the

indian

ocean meanwhile let me get my like

what's oh i don't even have like a brown

i guess i'll do like a red

uh meanwhile europe is in his middle

middle ages right

europe is still kind of struggling to

come out of their middle ages

we're hopping into this time period kind

of in the middle of the crusades we're

hopping in right when england is kind of

starting to decide that some noble

people have rights in the magna carta

but the point is the main theme of unit

one

and this time period in general is that

african

asian and american states are crushing

it they

are dominating the world right everyone

is looking to the islamic world

and the chinese world to figure out like

what's the height of civilization

baghdad and hangzhou one of the main

cities in the song dynasty are like the

new york and

london of the late post-classical era

and so really the only thing we really

need to think about with england is how

they are juxtaposed or different from

the rest of these the rest of these

empires and kingdoms they're still

really struggling to be united they're

struggling to kind of

gain any sort of foothold in this

powerful

asian african world um foreshadowing

right for when they're gonna start like

salem places to figure out how they can

compete

okay so really there's one guiding

question

as you're going through your class as

you're reading your textbook

you really just want to make sure that

if nothing else you can answer this

question

in a lot of detail how did states gain

and maintain power

um or how did they attempt to that

doesn't mean they were always successful

right and so um these are questions

you're going to have to answer

i can't go into all this detail for you

right now but in general you're going to

want to think about how did states use

belief systems to gain

legitimacy so when you're reading and

you see you see

um the textbook or your teacher talking

about a state religion you'd want to

take note of that

for example in the aztecs and the inca

to a lesser extent we see human

sacrifice

being used as a tool for political

control and that's also linked to their

religious beliefs

um we're gonna vote we're gonna see um

some states that put

their religion it's an outside religion

on top of the native religion

this middle picture is uh the kutub

minhar and i'm sorry if i'm saying that

wrong

in the delhi sultanate right because the

delhi sultanate is going to be

muslims invading india and taking over

and so this building is literally like

it's a minaret and a mosque that's

built using the ruins of like a hindu

temple and so it's this kind of mixture

of these different religions

and symbolic of the islamic conquest

of at least northern what we think of as

india today

and then you're going to see other

states like the song dynasty and china

kind of forever that are using their

state religion

to create unity and to create progress

and innovation

so the song dynasty really re-emphasizes

confucianism

they're going to add in some elements of

outside religions like buddhism

and create neo-confucianism these are a

bunch of scholars taking the confucian

exams right because they have this

really intricate bureaucracy

where you basically have to be a member

of this scholar gentry you have to have

tested into

this confucian elite to be any part of

the government

and so you know you should be noticing

different strategies and different ways

that states

use belief systems sometimes it's

through kind of conquest and

intimidation some

again sometimes it's for unity dara

islam is another great example using

islam to kind of unite that world

together

another question you're going to want to

be able to answer is how did states

promote innovation

and exchange and what you're really

going to look at here is like cities

where are there these really powerful

cities where there's a lot of different

diverse groups coming together and

sharing ideas

the two best examples are in this

picture over on the left the song

dynasty

um was incredibly urban they had these

massive cities some of over a million

people

that brought together people from all

over really the asian world

uh the song dynasty is going to

eliminate curfews they're going to say

you can stay out as late as you want

which is going to lead to people

exploring the city meeting new types of

people

and they're going to really encourage

innovation through education on the far

right this is a picture from the house

of wisdom in baghdad i'm gonna do a deep

dive on the house of wisdom

uh and i think my next video but that's

it baghdad is another great example of a

really diverse cosmopolitan city

where the islamic leaders the abbasid

caliphs are like

directly funding scholarship they're

direct and they're going and visiting

the scholars and sitting and having

these like socratic seminars

about ancient indian greek roman

writings

and really encouraging a lot of new

discovery in math and science as well

um another state that's really good at

this are the inca so you're going to

want to notice

when we talk about the american states

their innovation is going to look a

little bit different

it's mostly going to be focused on like

agriculture and interacting with the

environment right because their

environment is a lot more difficult

you're in the middle of the andes

mountains

the last question you're going to want

to answer within this is how are states

benefiting from trade how are they using

their

position on major trade routes to gain

more gain or maintain more power so

you're going to see states like the

khmer kingdom this is encore wat

in the ancient capital encore of the

khmer kingdom they were a massive

trading city an agricultural empire

that was really where a ton of different

cultures come together angkor wat is a

great example

of like a mix of buddhist and hindu

architecture um and they really

capitalize on the fact the camaro right

here over where cambodia is

they really capitalize on being able to

provide they're kind of like the bread

basket for

east asia right they're in southeast

asia

um you're also gonna see if you go over

to the far right

these other southeast asian kingdoms

really capitalizing on

being in the middle of this trade

between

basically the islamic middle east this

the south asian indian continent

and china right if you're in between any

of those you're golden

if you can just get on some sort of port

city and like charge people a lot of

money to pass through it

um lastly we're going to see the rise of

some really powerful african trading

kingdoms

uh the most famous is mali this is mansa

musa who is still

in theory the wealthiest man in all of

world history as far as we can tell

they really capitalize on being on top

of these saharan trade routes

and so they're really kind of like the

door or the gateway to sub-saharan

africa

for europeans who are coming out of the

dark middle ages

for the islamic world who want that gold

salt and they want enslaved people

to kind of trade across the indian ocean

world okay so those are the big main

things

again remember your guiding question is

just how did these states gain and

maintain power

now one tip before i go is that if i

were you and i were

taking notes on my textbook i would use

the spice tea

themes of the class to organize your

notes so if you're not familiar the ap

world history class has six major themes

that can be really helpful

for like organizing your thoughts when

you have a unit like this that's just

like oh my god it's like a grab bag of a

bunch of different civilizations

essentially this stands for society

politics

interaction with the environment culture

economy and technology

um i have a more in-depth explanation

and a blank template of a spicy chart

up on my website for free at

antisocialstudies.org

so what i would suggest is that as

you're taking notes um take them in this

sort of format have a spicy chart

for the song dynasty in east asia and

then as you learn about things as you

learn about how their political system

works

just put it in the table under politics

because again chronology in this unit

doesn't matter as much as being able to

put civilizations next to each other

and compare them and so if you take

notes this way really

just in this unit for the most part this

isn't necessarily always the best way to

take notes but for unit one it can be

really helpful

to just be able to like get everything

on one page and go okay

i can make some sort of direct

comparisons and i have like each of

these civilizations in a little snapshot

again if you're not sure what that might

look like go check out my website

antisocialcities.org

okay till next time bye