AP World History: Modern - Unit 4 Study Guide: Transoceanic Interconnections (1450-1750) 🌍

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Unit 4 Overview: Key Themes & Concepts

Thematic Foci:

• Governance: How states form, expand, and decline, and how they maintain power. Jump to Governance
• Economic Systems: The ways societies produce, exchange, and consume goods and services. Jump to Economic Systems
• Social Interactions and Organization: How societies group members and the norms governing interactions. Jump to Social Interactions
• Cultural Developments and Interactions: How ideas, beliefs, and religions develop and interact. Jump to Cultural Developments

College Board Learning Objectives:

• Economic Strategies: How rulers used economic strategies to consolidate power. Jump to Economic Strategies
• Continuities and Changes in Exchange: What stayed the same and what changed in trade networks. Jump to Networks of Exchange
• Political, Economic, and Cultural Factors: How these factors affected society. Jump to Factors Affecting Society
• Belief Systems: How different belief systems impacted societies. Jump to Belief Systems

4.5: Economic and Social Effects of the New Global Connections

Governance: State Power and Economic Control

• Mercantilism: 💰 The name of the game! Maximize exports, minimize imports. Colonies exist to benefit the mother country. Jump to Mercantilism
  • Colonies could only import goods from their colonizer. This kept money flowing back to the home country.
• Joint-Stock Companies: Early form of crowdfunding. Investors pool money to finance ventures, reducing individual risk. Jump to Joint-Stock Companies
  • Examples: British East India Company, Dutch East India Company (VOC). Spain and Portugal relied more on government funding.
• Economic Disputes: Led to rivalries and conflicts between states. Jump to Economic Disputes

Economic Systems: The Commercial Revolution

• Commercial Revolution: 🤯 Global shift to a trade-based economy using gold and silver. Jump to Commercial Revolution
  1. Causes:
     • European colonies overseas
     • New trade routes across the Atlantic and Pacific
     • Population growth = increased demand
     • Inflation from increased mining (Price Revolution)
• Price Revolution: Prices increased due to inflation, leading to debt and social unrest. Jump to Price Revolution

Social Interactions: Labor and Society

• Intensified Labor: Increased demand for food and consumer goods led to more peasant and artisan labor. Jump to Intensified Labor
• Atlantic Slave Trade: 💔 Devastating impact on Africa, with significant demographic changes (gender imbalance). Jump to Atlantic Slave Trade
  • Some African rulers participated, leading to more violent local rivalries.
  • Led to the exchange of new food staples between Africa and the Americas.
• Native American Depopulation: Diseases brought by Europeans (smallpox, typhoid) decimated populations. Jump to Native American Depopulation
  • Colonial governments (viceroys, audiencias) established by Spanish and Portuguese.
  • Loss of native culture, language, and primary sources.
• Social Hierarchy in the Americas: Jump to Social Hierarchy
  • Peninsulares: Born in Europe, most power.
  • Creoles: European descent, born in Americas, less power than Peninsulares.
  • Mixed peoples, Native Americans, and African slaves had the least power.

Cultural Developments: Belief Systems

• Syncretic Religions: Blending of native and colonial traditions. Jump to Syncretic Religions
  • Examples:
    • Santeria (West African + Roman Catholic)
    • Vodun (West African spiritualism in the Caribbean)
    • Candomble (Bantu + Brazil)
    • Virgin of Guadalupe (Indigenous + Catholic)

Mercantilism: The Economic Game Plan

• Goal: Maximize exports, minimize imports to hoard gold and silver.
• Colonies: Existed solely for the benefit of the colonizing power. Forced to trade exclusively with the mother country.

The Commercial Revolution: A World Transformed

• Definition: Transformation to a trade-based economy using gold and silver.
• Causes:
  1. Colonial Expansion: European colonies created new markets and sources of raw materials.
  2. New Trade Routes: Atlantic and Pacific routes connected the world like never before.
  3. Population Growth: More people = more demand for goods.
  4. Inflation: Increased mining (especially silver) led to the Price Revolution.

The Price Revolution: Inflation Nation

• Cause: Increased mining (especially silver) led to inflation.
• Effects: Prices increased, many people went into debt, and this created social unrest. Think of it as a pressure cooker for future revolutions.

Joint-Stock Companies: Risk and Reward

• Definition: Investors pool money to finance ventures, reducing individual risk.
• Examples:
  • British East India Company
  • Dutch East India Company (VOC)
• Contrast: Spain and Portugal relied more on government investment than private companies.

Economic Disputes: Seeds of Conflict

• Rivalries: Economic competition led to disputes and conflicts between states.

Intensified Labor: Working Harder

• Increased Demand: The growing demand for food and consumer goods led to more peasant and artisan labor.

The Atlantic Slave Trade: A Tragedy

• Triangular Trade: Europe ➡️ Africa ➡️ Americas ➡️ Europe.
  • Europe traded manufactured goods for enslaved Africans.
  • Enslaved Africans were traded for raw materials in the Americas.
• Impact on Africa:
  • Weakened kingdoms and slowed population growth.
  • Economic development stalled for centuries.
  • Some rulers participated, leading to increased violence.
  • Gender imbalance (more women than men in some areas).
• Impact on Americas:
  • Forced labor on plantations.
  • Cultural mixing and synthesis.

Native American Depopulation: Devastation

• Disease: European diseases like smallpox and typhoid killed up to 90% of the Native population.
• Colonial Governments: Spanish and Portuguese established viceroys and audiencias.
• Cultural Loss: Destruction of native literature, art, and languages.

Social Hierarchy in the Americas: Power Dynamics

• Peninsulares: Born in Europe, held the highest positions of power.
• Creoles: European descent, born in the Americas, less power than Peninsulares.
• Mixed Peoples, Native Americans, and African Slaves: Lowest in the social hierarchy with the least power.

Syncretic Religions: Blending of Beliefs

• Definition: Blending of native and colonial traditions.
• Examples:
  • Santeria: West African faith + Roman Catholicism.
  • Vodun: West African spiritualism in the Caribbean.
  • Candomble: Bantu + Brazil.
  • Virgin of Guadalupe: Indigenous + Catholic.

Final Exam Focus

High-Priority Topics:

• Mercantilism: Understand its principles and how it shaped colonial economies.
• Commercial Revolution: Know its causes and effects on global trade.
• Atlantic Slave Trade: Be prepared to discuss its impact on Africa and the Americas.
• Syncretism: Recognize examples of religious blending and its significance.

Common Question Types:

• Multiple Choice: Focus on cause-and-effect relationships, key terms, and geographical context.
• Short Answer: Be concise and direct. Use specific historical evidence.
• Free Response: Develop a strong thesis, support it with evidence, and analyze the complexity of the issues.

Last-Minute Tips:

• Time Management: Don't spend too long on any one question. If you're stuck, move on and come back later.
• Avoid Common Pitfalls: Don't oversimplify complex issues. Provide specific evidence to support your claims.
• Strategies for Challenging Questions: Break down the question into smaller parts. Identify key terms and themes.

Practice Question

Practice Questions

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the following best describes the economic policy of mercantilism? (A) Encouraging free trade between colonies and other nations (B) Promoting the import of raw materials and export of finished goods (C) Accumulating gold and silver through a favorable balance of trade (D) Allowing colonies to develop their own industries

2. The Atlantic slave trade had the MOST significant impact on which of the following regions? (A) Western Europe (B) North America (C) West Africa (D) East Asia

3. A major effect of the Columbian Exchange was the: (A) introduction of new diseases to Europe (B) decline of agriculture in the Americas (C) growth of the population in Europe and Asia (D) transfer of new crops and livestock to the Americas

Short Answer Question

1. Explain ONE way in which the Commercial Revolution impacted European society. Then, explain ONE way in which the Commercial Revolution impacted global trade.

Free Response Question

Prompt: Analyze the social and economic effects of the Atlantic slave trade on both Africa and the Americas between 1450 and 1750. Scoring Breakdown:

• Thesis (1 point): Presents a historically defensible thesis that addresses the prompt.
• Evidence (2 points): Provides specific examples of social and economic effects of the slave trade in Africa and the Americas.
• Analysis (2 points): Analyzes how the Atlantic slave trade impacted social structures and economic systems in both regions.
• Complexity (1 point): Demonstrates a nuanced understanding of the topic by considering multiple perspectives or acknowledging the complexity of the issue.