AP World History: Modern

We review everything from the paleolithic period to the neolithic revolution to the fall of Rome to classical civilizations to world religions. With these resources, you'll have a solid understanding of history before 1200 CE so you'll be prepared for the rest of the AP World curriculum!

Unit 0 – Before 1200 CE

Unit 1 – The Global Tapestry, 1200-1450

Conquer unit 2 of AP World History with our guides and other resources! We cover the Mongols, Silk Roads, Indian Ocean & Trans-Subsaharan trade routes, and the cultural & environmental effects of trade. With these resources, you'll have a solid understanding of the major trends and networks of exchange between 1200-1450.

Unit 2 – Networks of Exchange, 1200-1450

Dig deeper into unit 3 of AP World History. We cover the expansion of land-based empires (guns, trade & tax diplomacy, conquering of other empires), their governments (bureaucratic and military elites, works of art, military strength, divine right), and comparison of different land-based empires between 1450-1750.

Unit 3 – Land-Based Empires, 1450-1750

Understand unit 4 of AP World History with our resources. We review everything between 1450-1750: teachnological innovations, Age of Expoloration, Columbian Exchange, labor systems, maritime empires, Atlantic Slave Trade, joint-stock companies, Triangular Trade, resistance of European expansion, changing social hierachies, and more!

Unit 4 – Transoceanic Interactions, 1450-1750

Learn all about revolutions in unit 5 of AP World History. We cover the Enlightenment (individualism, nationalism, feminism, abolitionism), revolutions from 1750 to 1900, German & Italian Unifications, decline of Ottoman empire, and much more! 

Unit 5 – Revolutions, 1750-1900

Understand the consequences of industrialization in unit 6 of AP World History. We review expansion of imperialism, resistance to imperialism, global economic development, global capitalism, causes & effects of migration from 1750 to 1900, urbanization, indentured laborers, the Opium Wars, and put them all together to help you ace the AP exam!

Unit 6 – Consequences of Industrialization, 1750-1900

Understand global conflicts in unit 7 of AP World History. We cover the Mexican Revolution, World War 1 and 2, Russian Revolution, League of Nations, Chinese Civil War, Stalin's Five Year Plan, Great Depression, Holocaust, Chinese Communist Revolution, United Nations, end of Japanese empire, genocides (Armenian, Rwandan, Cambodian), and much more.

Unit 7 – Global Conflict, 1900-Present

Master unit 8 of AP World History. We review the causes and effects of the Cold War, spread of communism, decolonization and newly independent states after 1900, global resistance, collapse of the Soviet Union, and everything up to the present to help you put current events in a broader context with our amazing guides and other resources.

Unit 8 – Cold War & Decolonization, 1900-Present

Be well-prepared for unit 9 of AP World History with our resources. We cover technological advancements after 1900, climate change, social movements (feminism, Greenpeace, Civil Rights Act), new international organizations, globalized culture, resistance to globalization, and much more to ace AP World!

Unit 9 – Globalization, 1900-Present

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An overview of the AP World History Exam. In this video, we cover the four major parts of the AP World Exam: multiple-choice questions, short-answers, the document-based question, and the long essay.

We cover what is tested on the exam, how it is tested, how it is graded, and some helpful strategies. Also, it's not too early for a pep talk!

Periodizing Time Period 1

What’s Unit 1 All About?

Trends in Afro-Eurasia

Mansa Musa

Epic of Sundiata

Trends in the Americas 

Unit 1 Overview: The Global Tapestry

Developments in East Asia

Sui, Tang, and Song Dynasty Overview

Government Developments in the Song Dynasty

Economic Development

Economic Developments in China, 1200-1450

Social Structures in China

Periphery of China

Developments in East Asia from 1200-1450

Developments in Dar al-Islam

Overview of Islam

What is Dar al-Islam?

Periphery of the Abbasids

Umayyad Caliphates

Abbasid Caliphates

New Islamic Powers 

Key Developments of Dar al-Islam

Developments in Dar al-Islam from 1200-1450

South Asia

Post-Classical South Asia  

Southeast Asia

Key Questions

Developments in South and Southeast Asia from 1200-1450

Developments in the Americas

Big Picture

Major Empires of the Americas

State Building in the Americas from 1200-1450

Developments in Africa

Tribe vs. Clan-Based

Key Definitions

State Building in Africa from 1200-1450

Feudal Society

Regionalism to Kingdoms

Religious Conflict

The Renaissance

Developments in Europe from 1200-1450

Direct Comparisons (Based on the Years)

Direct Comparisons (Based on Dynasties)

New States Emerged

Mamluk Empire (Former Abbasid)

Selijuk Empire (Former Abbasid)

Delhi Sultanate (Former Gupta)

Former Empires Were Revived

Song Dynasty (Based on Han Dynasty)

Mali Empire (Ghana Kingdom)

Holy Roman Empire (Based on Kuman Empire)

Expansion in Scope

Aztecs (Mesoamerica)

Incas (South America)

City-States (East Africa)

City-States (Southeast Asia)

Comparisons in the Period from 1200-1450

Trade Routes

Silk Roads

Indian Ocean Trade Routes

Contextualizing The Unit

Effects of Growth in Trade

Conclusion

Main Events

Major Trends Between 1200-1450

Review Time

Unit 2 Overview: Networks of Exchange

What are the Silk Roads?

Causes of Silk Road Trade

Caravanserai

Bills of Exchange

Banking Houses

Effects of the Silk Roads

Summary of Causes of Silk Roads

Summary of Effects of Silk Roads

Events That Occurred Along the Silk Roads

The Silk Roads

The Historical Influence of the Mongol Empire

Military Strategy: How the Mongols Conquered 🏹 

Post-Genghis Khan

Historical Developments of the Mongol Empire 💸

The Mongol Empire and the Making of the Modern World

What Was the Indian Ocean Trade?

Why Was it Important?

Causes of Indian Ocean Trade

Lateen Sails

Dhow Ships

Astrolabe

Summary of Causes of Indian Ocean Trade

Effects of the Indian Ocean on Trade

Summary of Effects of Indian Ocean Trade

Exchange in the Indian Ocean

What Were The Trans-Saharan Trade Routes?

Formation of Diasporic Communities

New Technologies

Spread of Islam

Causes of Trans-Saharan Trade

Camel Saddles

Caravans

Expansion of Trans-Saharan Empires

Mali Empire

Ghana Empire

Songhai Empire

Trans-Saharan Trade Routes

Cultural Consequences of Connectivity

Cultural Effects of Trade Networks

Diffusion of Scientific/Technological Innovations

Famous Travelers

Cultural Effects of Trade 

Environmental Consequences of Connectivity

The Bubonic Plague (Black Death)

Crops: Bananas, Champa Rice, & Citrus

Negative Impacts on The Environment

Environmental Effects of Trade

Comparison of Economic Exchange

Similarities and Differences Amongst All Trade Networks

Here are some similarities and differences between these trade networks:

Similarities and Differences Among the Silk Road and Indian Ocean Trade

Similarities and Differences Among the Trans-Saharan Trade and Indian Ocean Trade

Similarities and Differences Among the Silk Road and Trans-Saharan Trade

Comparison in Trade from 1200-1450

Unit 3 Overview: Land-Based Empires

Contextualizing the Unit 

Major Trends Between 1450-1750

What is a Land-Based Empire?

Let’s meet the  

The Ming and Qing Dynasty in modern China 

The Tokugawa Shogunate in modern Japan

The Mughal Empire in modern India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh 

The Safavid Empire in modern Iran and Iraq 

The Ottoman Empire (some parts of the Ottoman Empire were in Europe) in modern Turkey, Egypt, Syria and Jordan 

The Songhai Empire 

French Empire 

Russian Empire 

Inca (Inka) 

Aztec Empire (also known as the Mexica, for the dominant cultural group within the empire)  

Overview of the AP World Exam - Slides

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Overview of the AP World Exam - Slides

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