Essay about World History Study Guide

Submitted By willallen13
Words: 2006
Pages: 9

Staple Crops of the Aztecs and Incas
Aztecs- Corn
Incas- Potatoes
Define the Americas’ level of contact with Afro-Eurasia
Extremely limited (basically none except for the Vikings)
No influence prior to 1492
Isolation
Where were the Aztec and Inca empires based? Capitals?
Aztec- Mexico, capital= Tenochtitlan (on lake Texcoco)
Inca- centered in Peru (South America Andes Mountains), capital= Cuzco
Political, Social, Economic characteristics of the Aztec compared to Incas
Compare:
Polytheistic
Human sacrifice (Aztecs much more)
Monumental Architecture
Highly developed agricultural technologies
Contrast:
Inca state-run economy
Aztecs have merchant class, Incas don’t
Aztecs divided into city-states (not much integration), Incas a fully integrated empire (common language, common law, large bureaucracy)
Sui Dynasty Accomplishments
Built the Grand Canal
Built granaries to prevent famine
Reunified after Six Dynasties Period
Status of Confucian scholar-gentry under the Tang
Restored scholar-gentry (bureaucrats)
A stronger scholar-gentry weakened the aristocracy
Buddhism under the Tang
Early Tang Emperors supported Buddhism (Empress Wu)
Confucian scholar-gentry convinced later emperors that Buddhism was an economic threat to the empire
Buddhist became persecuted
Compare Tang and Song (size)
Song smaller
Tang territory extended beyond modern China
Tang-Song Urbanization
Grew rapidly
More people living in Chines cities than anywhere else in the world at the time (contemporaneous)
Footbinding
Popular among upper class during Song
Physical manifestation (symbol) of statues of women in China
Confined to the home
What were samurai, what was their impact on Japan?
Samurai= military nobility (Japanese equivalent of a knight)
Rise of samurai reduced Japanese peasants to serf status (bound to their bushi’s land enforced by samurai)
How did rise of Daimyos affect Japan
Warfare changed
Armies of peasants replaced heroic one-on-one combat (samurais)
Spying (ninja), timely assaults of infantry, wise command more important
Status of women under Bushi and Diamyo
Bushi upper-class women could hunt, train in martial arts
Daimyo women reduced to status of property
No inheritance
Korean Society
Korean elite (upper-class) monopolized (kept for themselves) all Chinese imports
Huge gulf between upper-class and poor (no middle class, no merchants, no artisans)
Effect of Chinese of Vietnamese
Only thing Vietnamese adopted was the civil-service exam
Other Chinese cultural values/customs failed to be adopted by Vietnamese peasant
Mongols (time period, leader, positive effects, what caused their fall)
13th-14th century
Nomads on central Asian steppe
United and led by Genghis (Chinggis) Khan
Positive= brought peace during their rule across Asia, facilitated safe trade from Europe to China, religious tolerance spread faiths
Fall- Black Death
West 13th-14th Century Innovative Imports
Most innovations came from Asia
Gunpowder
Moveable type
Paper Money
Renaissance- regional origins
Started in Italy
Renaissance vs Medieval
Renaissance thought and art was concerned with worldly things, medieval concerned with religion and the supernatural
Realistic art (figures, scenes of everyday life)
Realistic political theory
Literature focused on human relationship, humor
Motives for alternative routes to Asia
Bypass Muslim Middle East
End of Mongol control made land travel dangerous
Increased trade with Asia during Mongol rule made Europe desire Asian luxury products
By Sea

Major developments of Western civilization (in order- use timeline)
Renaissance
Protestant reformation
Absolute Monarchy
Scientific Revolution
Enlightenment
Martin Luther’s religious views
Bible printed in common languages
Faith is all that is needed for salvation (not deeds)
Sale of indulgences is wrong
Priests should be able to marry
Monasticism is wrong
Result of Protestant Reformation
Limited acceptance of religious pluralism
More than one version of Christianity on the continent
Commercial Revolution 16th