FINALS STUDY GUIDE

World History Finals Study Guide

1. “China will be the next big superpower.” Why should this not be a surprise to anyone?

Easy Bullet Points:

• B/c China has always been a big superpower, dating all the way back in history.
• China ruled Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean trade network
• They were the earliest ancient civilization
• Technology…China was the first to invent things, maybe not improve them, but invent them (remember from the debate). 

Dating all the way back to China’s Golden Age, China was already establishing themselves as a nation to become a long-lasting superpower. China’s economy was set when they started to rule the Indian Ocean trading network. The Chinese people would export huge boats full of goods to other country’s. These goods were created by the Chinese people because they were able to produce new goods due to the technology they developed — this helped their economy to be one of the best in the world today. Along with that, outside people were always trying to find a way to come to China. China and the people would never seek to leave or to go anywhere else, it was the outside people who were always trying to come in and be apart of their country. 

2) China experienced a period of rebirth that was as significant to world history as the European Renaissance. Discuss.

China’s rebirth was known as the Golden Age. Students don’t learn and study the topic regarding the Golden Age and its significance to the world as heavily as the European Renaissance because World History is more commonly teaching students about western civilization. 

The collapse of the Han dynasty was later regained by the unity of the Sui dynasty. The Sui dynasty solidified unity by a vast extension of the country’s canal system stretching it about 1,200 miles in length, which linked northern and southern China together. Later the Sui dynasty was overthrown and the Tang and Song dynasties built on the Sui foundations of renewed unity — this was what started the Golden Age. 

During the Song Dynasty, an explosion of scholarship gave rise to Neo-Confucianism, also incorporating some insights from Buddhism and Daoism. During the Golden Age period China also experienced; rapid population growth, agricultural achievements - particularly with the adoption of a fast-ripening and drought-resistant strain of rice from Vietnam, became the most urbanized country in the world, their industrial production soared, the inventions of printing generated the world’s first printed books, the Chinese invented gunpowder which revolutionized military affairs, and the Chinese navigational and shipbuilding technologies led the world. These reasons alone explain why China’s rebirth and Golden Age era was so significant to the world and the history it holds today. 

3) What was the impact of the Indian Ocean Trade Network on China’s engagement with the broader world?

Notes from class:

• They didn’t need to communicate with others, they were able to trade amongst all in Asia, have a large impact and then later on this attracted Europeans and Americans. The Chinese were able to ship large boats full of goods and this helped them become strong economically. 

• Indian Ocean trade network made China the most highly commercialize society. 

• It was regional, China’s dominance was regional & because of this China did not spread out. They didn’t need to conquer, they didn’t spread their culture to none regional areas.

China was the ‘ruler’ of the Indian Ocean trading network. China’s engagement on the broader world through this trading network was their ability to ship off large boats full of goods throughout Southeast Asia. The goods they were able to ship off included the new technologies China was able to produce; salt, paper making/printing, sugar, and gunpowder. This all greatly stimulated commercial life and market-based behavior across the Afro Eurasian trading world. 

4) What were the Sand and Sea Roads? Were they as significant as the Silk Road? If you lived during the Classical period, which road would you want to live along and why?

Sand Road:

• Located/Started = West African Sahara, starting: Fez 
• Trading = gold, salt, slaves, page 335 
• Was it a real road?  = No, it was a path they followed for trade 
• What was did it create change? = provides resources and incentives for constructions for new political structures for Southeast Asia and East Africa, growing integration for social hierarchy, started to have men slaves, more commercial and urban centers 
• Would you want to live along this road, Male v. Female = No. A lot worse if you’re a female though, because of slavery and other purposes.

Sea Road:

• Mediterranean Basin, Arabia, Africa, the Indian Ocean, China 
• The only way they could get these items or trade was through boats

• Items are for all kinds of people, not just rich or poor, elite or normal. 
• Items: porcelain, spices, ideas (Hinduism)
• Transport bigger items for less
• More destinations with ports, they traded in cosmopolitan urban port centers
• Long voyages, loading ship, selling goods, it’s a lifestyle. 
• Live along these roads = yes. Port towns aren’t bad. There’s a lot of opportunities to buy, sell, and meet people. 
• Female - don not want to be on the boat. Around a bunch of sailors on the boat is not pleasant.  

Silk Road:  

• In Eurasia 
• Silk 

• Products for the elite: porcelain, gold, paper, good
• Diseases traveled along roads
• Rats, Fleas = Black Death (population decreased because of this)
• Wasn’t a real road — more of a trading network 

This increased trade as well which brought more people

• No Mongols
• Plague happened
• This made long-distance travel easier
• Services = Food, Lodging, Entertainment, Fixing Carts, Shoeing Horses, lots of activity that didn’t require travel
• Merchants died a lot, plague, Mongols = not wanting to live on the road

Each road served a different type of significance, each road brought religion, language, ideas, and philosophies throughout their traveling routes. 

Which road would I want to live in and why? They were all unpleasant to live in, especially if you were a female at the time. The only road that would be somewhat desirable to live on would be the Sea Roads. Although I would want to be living in the ports, I wouldn’t want to be a female on a boat full of sailors. 

5) Is it still useful to study the Classical Greeks, even now in the 21^st century? Why or why not?

Talked about in class:

Greeks were humanists. It’s important because at the very beginning of the Modern Era the Renaissance (rebirth of Greek humanism) started. It still helps now because here in 2018 we still talk and try to understand the classical Greeks. We can call them humanists because of their mythology, philosophy (using the human mind) the human mind uses ideas and asks why we are here. Science is a human created process — a process of reason and a way to understand the world. Think about climate change. Understanding the way our world is developing today goes all the way back to what we have known for so long. The best ways to understand what we want to keep is by looking at the Renaissance, which is directly correlated to the classical Greeks. 

There are so many Greek influences around the world today. Such influences include; fine arts, literature, performing arts, democracy, philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, and more. It’s in the way that the legacies of ancient Greeks have been taken up, admired, re-formulated and manipulated by every culture between theirs and ours. 

Greek philosophical culture is exemplified in the dialogues of Plato, who turned the questioning style of Socrates into written form. Aristotle, Plato's student, wrote about topics as varied as biology and drama.

All-in-all the Classical Greeks set a precedence in western civilization and culture that we still use, see, and talk about today

6) Who were the seminal thinkers and what can you say about them in 6 minutes? Elaborate on all 8 things.

The seminal thinkers were; China - Confucius, India - Buddha, Mediterranean - Socrates. 

All seminal thinkers in China, India, and the Mediterranean all had the common need to articulate central values in respective societies. 

Seminal thinkers create, contain, and contribute the base to build upon for development.  

Hard to see on my blog post, but your other classmate Malaika Ramachandran made this great chart on the seminal thinkers, she is posting it to her blog as well and can look at it on hers. 

Chart by: Malaika Ramachandran 

7) Trace the development of Christendom during the Classical period

The development of Christendom began in the year Jesus was born (year 0). At the time the Roman Empire didn’t practice Christianity. Jesus was the one who gained followers and taught them the religion of Christianity. The Roman Empire felt that Jesus was a threat and decided to kill him, yet killing him didn’t stop the practicing of Christianity. People that followed Jesus still practiced the religion in hiding. Eventually, the Roman Empire made the change in converting Christianity as the official religion. 

When Constantine moved the capital to a new city, Constantinople, which later became Byzantine which developed into the Eastern Orthodox. During this time is when Rome developed into Roman Catholicism. 

8) In what ways are Islam, China, and the Byzantine Empire examples of why the period from 500-1400 AD cannot be considered a “Medieval period of decline”? In other words, why are they properly considered part of the Classical Era? Why does this matter?

Western historians like to give the perception that the Islam, China, and Byzantine Empire are considered a “Medieval period of decline” when in reality it was the beginning of these cultures Classical Era as the West was exiting their Classical Era. 

When looking strictly at Islamic Era compared to the Classical Era the 4 major points; existentially, technologically, socially, and migration wise, that make up the Classical Era are similar to the Islamic. 

Classical Era:

1. The competition for dominance between civilizations

2. Thinkers developed seminal ideas that continue to be used today

3. The formation of empires and cosmopolitan urban centers

4. Political units arose and expanded thru more than one continent

Islamic Era:

1. Islamic Empire was in competition with China and other growing empires

2. The main seminal thinker of Islam was born 

3. The formation of the Islamic Empire was established

4. Islam spreads across multiple continents

China, just like the Byzantine and Islamic Empire, should be properly considered apart of the Classical Era. China’s civilizations grew tremendously, we call this China’s “Golden Age” period. During China’s Golden Age, they experienced economic growth, ruled the trading network, developed their technology and engineering and had the rebirth of Confucianism. China also established the examination system and the tribute system. 

9) The Mongols got a bad rap. In fact, they should be respected as a significant civilization that made long-term contributions to the development of the Eurasian world. Discuss. 

To touch on the Mongol Empire...it was huge. Unlike the Turks, the Mongols conquered, defeated, subordinate and exploited people. The Turks language and culture was more so a flourishment. These Mongols were pastoral nomads who disdained farming while entering their economic lives around the herds of animals. Mongols did not construct elaborate cities or architecture. But left an indelible mark on the historical development of the Afro Eurasian Empire.

The Mongols were able to establish a strong and powerful civilization, full of innovation and power. The Pastoral Societies the Mongols had were generally small and scattered encampments of related kinfolk rather than in actual villages. The Pastoral people organized themselves in kingship like clans. The most powerful society was Chinggis Khan, they were able to weld together tribal alliances to become a powerfully united empire. Due to this, the Mongols were able to organize an untouchable army.

The Mongols religion was more of an acquiring type of thing. They were interested in learning others religions. The Mongol people were innovators, they innovated items such as; horse harnesses, saddles, iron stirrups, forms of armor, and swords.

Other contributing facts as to why the Mongols should be a respected civilization in the Eurasian world: 

Key person: Marco Polo...he claimed that the Mongols maintained 10,000 stations in all regions and 200,000 horses.

The invasion in China...The Mongols invasion of Northern China began in 1209 and went until 1279. The invasion was to extract as much wealth as possible from the country's advanced civilization. The Mongols made use of the Chinese administrative techniques of taxation and their postal system. New Chinese dynastic title, the YUAN. Transferred their capital from the Karakorum in Mongolia to what is now known as Beijing.

Mongols were also in Persia were they made extensive use of Persian bureaucracy, during the region of Ghazan they made efforts to repair the damage. The Mongols entered Russia between 1237 and 1240, they encountered a relatively new third wave civilization (fringe of Christendom).

10) If you were a Classical era woman, why might you want to live in the Mongol civilization?

The Mongol Empire is known for its superior treatment of women compared to its contemporaries. Women were able to fight in Mongol armies, receive an advanced military education, tend to the herds, and receive positions allowing them to influence the leaders and elites of society.

The intricacies of marriage were a major focus for Mongol society: married women wore headdresses as a distinguishing item of clothing, men were required to pay high bride prices before marrying, and Kubilai Khan implemented strict laws preventing the Chinese from interfering with the Mongol system of marriage.

Even women with children played a major role in the Mongol army; this was one of the key Mongol psychological tactics. Mothers and their children were placed at the back of the army, making the Mongols appear far larger than they actually were.

Although Mongol women had far more rights than those of nearby Asian societies, Mongolian society remained strictly patriarchal. Women were able to influence men in their decisions; however, public titles of the rule were only ever given to men. Additionally, polygamy was not a banned practice: men could have numerous wives at once, each of whom lived individually with their respective children.

Living in the Classical Era as a woman being apart of the Mongol civilization wouldn’t be terrible compared to being apart of the Chinese and Persian society, except for the fact that your husband could have multiple wives and children. 

11a) Imagine a person from the Paleolithic era were to time travel and shadow you for a 24-hour day. How might that person react to the details of your world? What would he or she comment on? What might make him or her afraid?

If someone from the Paleolithic era were to spend 24 hours in our Modern day Era now that person would be in shock. 

That person would comment on;

• Technology
• Clothing
• Shoes
• Food…the process of getting and making food
• Shelter (homes) 
• The dependence we have on technology and being less able to do things ourselves
• Phones 
• Language
• Cars
• Stores, Malls, Buildings, School
• Weapons

The list could go on and on.

In essence, all of these things could make this person afraid. Coming from an Era where there are no cars, stores, set languages, technology and more…this person would find our world now probably fascinating but also scary. Weapons, for example, weren’t around during the Paleolithic time these could be quite frightening. 

11b) Repeat the scenario in 11a with a person from the Neolithic period

The Neolithic people would most likely enjoy, be amazed, and fear quite a bit of the same elements that the Paleolithic people do. Although the Paleolithic people had more development of food and they lived in small agricultural communities. In the Modern Era now you don’t see small agricultural communities here in Silicon Valley especially. 

12) There will be a matching-style question requiring you to put the bullets for the first four eras of human history into proper order.

1. Paleolithic Era
2. Neolithic Era
3. Ancient Era 
4. Classical Era

Think of 4 things for each time period….think about how each one;

• Evolved 
• Technology 
• Foods
• Migration