State‑Building
What political structure dominated Europe from 1200–1450?
Feudalism, a decentralized system based on land-for-loyalty.
What belief system shaped Chinese society during the Song Dynasty?
Confucianism.
What type of goods were most commonly traded on the Silk Roads?
Luxury goods like silk, porcelain, and spices.
What was one similarity between the Aztecs and Incas?
Both built large empires supported by tribute or labor systems.
What farming innovation helped increase food production in Song China?
The use of champa rice, a fast‑ripening, drought‑resistant rice variety.
What system did the Song Dynasty use to select government officials?
The civil service exam, based on Confucian teachings.
What language and legal system helped unify Dar al‑Islam?
Arabic and Sharia law.
What natural phenomenon made Indian Ocean trade predictable?
Monsoon winds.
How did Islam spread into West Africa?
Mainly through trade, not conquest.
What maritime technology did Arab and Indian Ocean sailors commonly use?
The lateen sail, which allowed ships to tack against the wind.
How did the Aztecs maintain control over conquered territories?
Through a tribute system requiring goods, labor, and people.
How did Hinduism reinforce the caste system in India?
It tied social hierarchy to religious duty (dharma), making caste divisions seem divinely ordered.
Why was the Indian Ocean trade more important for bulk goods than the Silk Roads?
Ships could carry heavier, larger cargo cheaply over long distances.
What was one major difference between European and Chinese economies during 1200–1450?
China was highly commercialized with paper money, while Europe remained mostly agrarian.
How did the spread of gunpowder change military power in Eurasia?
It enabled states to develop more effective weapons (bombs, early guns), increasing their military advantage.
Why was the Mali Empire able to grow politically powerful?
It controlled Trans‑Saharan trade routes, gaining wealth from gold and salt.
What was one major intellectual contribution of the Islamic Golden Age?
Advances in algebra, medicine, astronomy, and preservation of classical texts.
What made the Trans‑Saharan trade network economically significant?
The exchange of gold, salt, and enslaved people, linking West Africa to the Islamic world.
Compare the role of religion in Song China and medieval Europe.
Song China: Confucianism shaped bureaucracy and social order.
Europe: Christianity unified society and legitimized rulers.
How did environmental knowledge shape Indian Ocean trade?
Merchants timed voyages around monsoon wind patterns, allowing predictable long‑distance travel and seasonal trade cycles.
Compare the political centralization of the Song Dynasty with the decentralization of medieval Europe.
The Song Dynasty had a strong, centralized bureaucracy chosen by exams, while Europe was fragmented into feudal states ruled by local lords with limited central authority.
Explain how Buddhism spread differently in East Asia compared to Southeast Asia.
East Asia: Spread through state support (e.g., Tang China, Japan) and cultural adaptation.
Southeast Asia: Spread mainly through trade networks and merchant influence, blending with local traditions.
How did the Mongol Empire transform Eurasian trade?
It created the Pax Mongolica, stabilizing trade routes, reducing banditry, standardizing laws, and enabling massive cultural and technological exchange.
Compare how trade networks (Silk Roads, Indian Ocean, Trans‑Saharan) each contributed to cultural diffusion.
Silk Roads: Spread religions like Buddhism and technologies like paper.
Indian Ocean: Spread Islam widely and blended cultures in port cities.
Trans‑Saharan: Spread Islam into West Africa and connected African kingdoms to global trade.
Explain how technological diffusion across trade networks transformed societies between 1200–1450.
Silk Roads: Spread paper and printing from China, boosting literacy and bureaucracy.
Indian Ocean: Spread navigational tools (compass, astrolabe) and ship designs (lateen sail), enabling larger trade networks.
Trans‑Saharan: Spread camel‑saddle innovations that increased trade efficiency and strengthened African empires like Mali. Together, these technologies increased economic growth, state power, and cultural exchange across Afro‑Eurasia.