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;
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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?
Justinian
What 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
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Mohammed and the Koran
Earliest beginnings: Medina to Mecca
Caliphates
Umayyads
Abbasids
Seljuk Turks
Europe and Middle Ages
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Feudal system: fief-holding
Role of Christianity, Pope, Church
Printing Press
30 Years’ War
Renaissance artists
Weapons of war in Middle Ages
Russia
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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 economy
Berbers
East African Trade
Reasons for European Exploration
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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
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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