OK. You’ve survived AP World History… only one thing left: THE AP WORLD HISTORY EXAM! No worries… ya boy has compiles EVERYTHING you need to review the content for the longest morning of your life this May. Below are UNIT-by-UNIT reviews of the ENTIRE course… Remember Ibn Battuta? Zamindars? Simon Bolivar? Yeah… I didn’t think so.
PLUS, at the bottom, an 18 minute review of the ENTIRE COURSE in ONE VIDEO!?! How is that even possible?!?
The GLOBAL TAPESTRY is the starting line for this course. Think of it as checking in with some of the major areas of the world circa 1200. It focuses on SIX different sections of the globe (East Asia, Dar-al Islam, South/Southeast Asia, Americas, Africa, and Europe). So, let’s get reacquainted with the major world regions from 1200-1450 CE in a little unit the College Board has dubbed: THE GLOBAL TAPESTRY.
The second unit in AP WORLD HISTORY: MODERN is all about the inter-connectivity of the 1200-1450. The world was about to become a true global network as different regions in the NEXT period (1450-1750) began to interact. However, in THIS period the AFRO-EURASIAN world was already pretty well connected by the Silk Roads, Trans-Saharan Trade Routes, and Indian Ocean Trade Routes. This unit focuses on the effects of these Networks of Exchange…
The Land Based Empires are the major players in this period. It’s easy to jump to Columbus et al and assume the Europeans are taking over. They’re not. They are moving into the outer reaches that are not already dominated by major Land Based Empires. Look at the map below. Now compare that to the Maritime Empires. There is virtually no overlap (outside of the Americas). Another knock against the Europeans in this period (1450-1750), is to look at when the Land Based Empires finally fell. Mughals, 1857. Tokugawa, 1868. Manchu Empire, 1911. Ottoman Empire, 1919. So, pump your brakes on the European Empires. They are still back seat to the Land Based empires.
The history of the world sees one of its most drastic changes as the Europeans take to the seas and spread out around the world. There is waaay more to this than ‘Columbus sailed the ocean blue in fourteen hundred ninety-two’. This half of the Early Modern period (1450-1750) focuses on the causes, implications, and outcomes of Europeans arriving in the Americas, Africas, and Asia. Good thing you just mastered the Land Empires in the last unit, because the Europeans are about to start knocking on their doors… These are the Transoceanic Interactions of the Early Modern Period.
Our first steps into the MODERN PERIOD (1750-1900) are revolutionary. The last period saw its fair share of change; but this period, is ALL ABOUT CHANGE. We begin with the Political Revolutions (USA!, France, Haiti, Latin America). But, the majority of this unit deals with a revolution of a different kind… THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION. There is no greater change in humanity than the Industrial Revolution. It’s on par with the Agricultural Revolution in changing the way humanity functions as a whole. Look around you right now… pretty much everything near you is a product of the Industrial Revolution (including the school you’re in!). These are the Revolutions of the Modern Period (1750-1900).
This period has two sections. The first one was all about the major changes in the Political World (Enlightenment/Revolutions) and the Economic World (Industrial Revolution). The second unit of the MODERN PERIOD (1750-1900) is all about the NEW IMPERIALISM. This is NOT your ‘Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue in 1492’. This time around the Europeans are looking for colonies to sell their products (MARKETS) and places to obtain more raw materials for their factories back home (MATERIALS). Using their new technological prowess, the West will dominate the world in search of M&Ms (MARKETS & MATERIALS).In the last unit, Industrialization pushed the West into a position of power; in this unit, they will flex that muscle around the globe. Below, are the many causes and effects of this NEW Imperialism.
This period has two sections. The first one was all about the major changes in the Political World (Enlightenment/Revolutions) and the Economic World (Industrial Revolution). The second unit of the MODERN PERIOD (1750-1900) is all about the NEW IMPERIALISM. This is NOT your ‘Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue in 1492’. This time around the Europeans are looking for colonies to sell their products (MARKETS) and places to obtain more raw materials for their factories back home (MATERIALS). Using their new technological prowess, the West will dominate the world in search of M&Ms (MARKETS & MATERIALS).In the last unit, Industrialization pushed the West into a position of power; in this unit, they will flex that muscle around the globe. Below, are the many causes and effects of this NEW Imperialism.
This unit is cray. This should be TWO units… easily. Think of this unit as surmising the major political stuff that happens AFTER 1945. And, that breaks down into the COLD WAR (USA vs USSR, Capitalism vs Communism, Proxy Wars, etc. etc. ) and DECOLONIZATION (removal of European controls of their colonies in Africa and Asia). So, the unit really splits evenly along those lines. Below are the 8 sections covering the penultimate unit in AP World Modern.
The World is Shrinking… Not literally. But, we are growing into a more global community. The final unit of AP World Modern breaks down the more recent world and the trends that permeate globally. Don’t overlook this unit. It basically breaks down to Global Tech, Global Econ, and Global Culture. And, don’t assume that since this is the last unit, it must be only about super recent stuff. This unit includes diseases, technology, and institutions from the first half of the Contemporary Period. So, let’s wrap up this thing by analyzing the roots of the Globalized world you live in right now.
Need a quicker review? I got you. Below is the whole deal: 18 minutes 30 seconds… Let’s gooooooo.
There’s a TON of resources out there for you to review. But, I’m partial to the review series I made below… It’s 80 Daily Review videos. They post daily starting in Late February and run you up to the exam itself in May. I cover JUST WHAT THE COLLEGE BOARD expects you to know. Each video is like 2-5 minutes long and covers the crucial info for the exam in May. CLICK THE IMAGE below to go to the playlist :)
