AP World History AMSCO Guided Notes
1.3: Developments in South and Southeast Asia
AP World History Guided Notes
AMSCO 1.3 - Developments in South and Southeast Asia
Essential Questions
- How did various beliefs and practices in South and Southeast Asia affect society and the development of states?
I. Political Structures in South Asia
1. Why did South Asia remain politically decentralized for most of its history after the Gupta Dynasty collapsed?
A. Political Structures in Southern India
1. What were the major characteristics of the Chola Dynasty and how long did it rule?
2. How did the Vijayanagara Empire's founders use religion strategically to establish their kingdom?
B. Political Structures in Northern India
1. How did the geography of northern India make it vulnerable to Muslim invasions?
2. What was the jizya and how did it affect Hindu-Muslim relations in the Delhi Sultanate?
3. Why was the Delhi Sultanate unable to impose centralized control over all of India despite its power?
II. Religion in South Asia
1. What were the major theological differences between Hinduism and Islam that shaped their interaction in South Asia?
A. The Arrival of Islam
1. Why did Muslim rulers shift from forced conversion to allowing voluntary conversion in India?
2. What groups of people were most attracted to converting to Islam and why?
3. How did Islam's arrival affect Buddhism's status in South Asia?
III. Social Structures in South Asia
1. How did the caste system accommodate Muslim merchants and migrants despite being a Hindu institution?
2. Why did low-caste Hindus who converted to Islam often fail to improve their social status?
3. How did Islam's arrival affect gender relations and women's roles in South Asia?
IV. Cultural Interactions in South Asia
1. How did Indian mathematical and astronomical knowledge spread throughout the Islamic world?
2. What architectural and artistic features characterized the buildings constructed during the Delhi Sultanate?
3. How did the Urdu language reflect the cultural blending of Hindu and Islamic traditions?
A. The Bhakti Movement
1. What were the core beliefs of the Bhakti Movement and why did it appeal to women and low-caste Hindus?
2. How were the Bhakti Movement and Sufi mysticism similar, and what role did each play in spreading their respective religions?
V. Southeast Asia
1. How did Indian merchants introduce Hinduism and Buddhism to Southeast Asia?
2. Why was Southeast Asia strategically significant to regional powers?
A. Sea-Based Kingdoms
1. How did the Srivijaya Empire and Majapahit Kingdom use maritime control to maintain their power?
2. What were the key differences between the Srivijaya and Majapahit kingdoms in terms of religion and longevity?
B. Land-Based Kingdoms
1. How did the Sinhala dynasties in Sri Lanka become a center of Buddhist learning and practice?
2. What irrigation and drainage systems did the Khmer Empire develop and how did they contribute to prosperity?
3. How did the temples at Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat reflect the blending of Hindu and Buddhist influences?
C. Islam
1. Why did Southeast Asian merchants initially convert to Islam and in what regions did Islam spread most rapidly?
2. How did Sufi missionaries facilitate the spread of Islam in Southeast Asia?
Key Terms
Vijayanagara Empire
Rajput kingdoms
Delhi Sultanate
Srivijaya Empire
Majapahit Kingdom
Sinhala dynasties
Khmer Empire
Sukhothai Kingdom
proselytize
Bhakti Movement
Qutub Minar
Urdu