AP World History: Modern
Complete AP World History: Modern guide. Covers all nine units from c. 1200 to present, the six themes (GOV, ECN, SCD, CDI, TEC, ENV), and exam skills (DBQ, LEQ, SAQ, MC). Built around comparative and CCOT reasoning.
Topics Covered
What you get
Unit 1 — The Global Tapestry (c. 1200–1450)
THE BIG PICTURE. By 1200, the world was a tapestry of interconnected, dynamic civilizations — none yet dominant, each adapted to its environment and history. Unit 1 weighs roughly 8–10% of the AP exam and establishes the regional baseline that the rest of the course tracks change against.
Sample Flashcards
List four major Song-era Chinese innovations and their world-historical impact.
1) GUNPOWDER: initially for fireworks; military weaponry by 13th century. Spread westward via Mongols; transformed warfare globally. 2) PRINTING (movable type — Bi Sheng, 11th c.): radical reduction in cost of texts; Bibles, classics, popular literature mass-produced.
How did the Mongol Empire affect Eurasian connections?
CONQUEST devastated populations through warfare, slaughter, and forced relocations. PAX MONGOLICA (Mongol Peace, ~1250–1350) had paradoxical positive effects: • Safer trade and travel along the Silk Road — Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, Rabban Bar Sauma all traversed Mongol-controlled territory. • Cultural exchange — gunpowd…
Sample Key Terms
Civil Service Examination System
Chinese system selecting government officials through written exams on Confucian texts. Theoretically meritocratic; in practice, restricted to elite who could afford education.
Foot Binding
Practice of binding young Chinese girls' feet to stunt growth, producing tiny "lotus feet." Signaled wealth and class status; restricted women's mobility. Persisted from Song dynasty until early 20th century.
Dar al-Islam
The "House of Islam" — territories under Muslim rule and connected by Islamic law, language, and trade. Stretched from Iberia to South Asia by 1200.
What's Covered
- Unit 1 — The Global Tapestry (c. 1200–1450)
- Unit 2 — Networks of Exchange (c. 1200–1450)
- Unit 3 — Land-Based Empires (1450–1750)
- Unit 4 — Transoceanic Interconnections (1450–1750)
- Unit 5 — Revolutions (1750–1900)
- Unit 6 — Consequences of Industrialization (1750–1900)
- Unit 7 — Global Conflict (1900–1945)
- Unit 8 — Cold War & Decolonization (1945–1990)
- Unit 9 — Globalization (1990–Present)
- AP World History — Skills, Themes, Exam Strategy
10 topics · 71+ flashcards · quizzes & matching games included
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