AP World History: Modern AP 世界历史：现代
📌 Course at a glance
· 9 units · key topics drilled across the official outline
· Next exam: 2026-05-14 · 2026-05-14
📝 Full chapter-by-chapter lecture walkthroughs are being written. This page is the course outline — every unit and topic that will be covered, with key concepts you can already start to recognise. Use it as a study map; the chapter notes drop in over the coming weeks.
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Course outline
Unit 1 · The Global Tapestry c.1200-c.1450 全球图景 约1200-约1450
Exam weight: 8-10%
1.1 — Developments in East Asia 东亚的发展
· Prosperity of the Song dynasty · Civil service examination system · Neo-Confucianism · Technological innovations (gunpowder, printing, compass)
1.2 — Developments in Dar al-Islam 伊斯兰世界的发展
· Abbasid caliphate · Islamic Golden Age of scholarship · Spread of Sufism · Islamic law and governance
1.3 — Developments in South and Southeast Asia 南亚和东南亚的发展
· Delhi Sultanate · Khmer Empire · Indian Ocean trade · Spread of Hinduism and Buddhism
1.4 — State Building in the Americas 美洲的国家建设
· Aztec Empire · Inca Empire · Maya city-states · Agricultural development in the Americas
1.5 — State Building in Africa 非洲的国家建设
· Mali Empire · Great Zimbabwe · Swahili city-states · Trans-Saharan trade
1.6 — Developments in Europe 欧洲的发展
· Feudal system · Power of the Catholic Church · Crusades · Scholasticism
1.7 — Comparison of State-Building Across Regions 各地区国家建设的比较
· Centralization and decentralization · Sources of legitimacy · Bureaucratic systems · Relationship between religion and politics
Unit 2 · Networks of Exchange c.1200-c.1450 交流网络 约1200-约1450
Exam weight: 8-10%
2.1 — The Silk Roads 丝绸之路
· Overland trade routes · Exchange of goods · Cultural diffusion · Spread of technology
2.2 — The Mongol Empire and Pax Mongolica 蒙古帝国与蒙古和平
· Genghis Khan · Mongol conquests · Facilitation of trade · Cultural exchange
2.3 — Indian Ocean Trade 印度洋贸易
· Monsoon trade · Merchant networks · Dhow traders · Development of port cities
2.4 — Trans-Saharan Trade 跨撒哈拉贸易
· Gold and salt trade · Camel caravans · Spread of Islam · Prosperity of West African kingdoms
2.5 — Cultural and Technological Transfers 文化与技术传播
· Spread of paper and printing · Spread of gunpowder · Spread of religions · Spread of languages and writing
2.6 — Environmental and Demographic Effects of Trade 贸易的环境与人口影响
· Spread of the Black Death · Crop diffusion · Urbanization · Ecological exchange
Unit 3 · Land-Based Empires c.1450-c.1750 陆上帝国 约1450-约1750
Exam weight: 12-15%
3.1 — Empires Expand 帝国扩张
· Gunpowder empires · Advances in military technology · Strategies of territorial expansion · Imperial administration
3.2 — The Ottoman Empire 奥斯曼帝国
· Sultan system · Devshirme system · Millet system · Istanbul
3.3 — The Safavid Empire 萨法维帝国
· Shia Islam as state religion · Abbas the Great · Persian cultural revival · Conflict with the Ottomans
3.4 — The Mughal Empire 莫卧儿帝国
· Akbar's religious tolerance · Hindu-Muslim interaction · Taj Mahal · Imperial decline
3.5 — The Qing Dynasty 清朝
· Manchu rule · Kangxi and Qianlong prosperity · Banner system · Tributary system
3.6 — The Russian Empire 俄罗斯帝国
· Peter the Great's Westernization reforms · Serfdom · Territorial expansion · Russian Orthodox Church
3.7 — Rulers' Strategies for Consolidating Power 统治者巩固权力的策略
· Building bureaucratic systems · Tax systems · Religious legitimacy · Military control
3.8 — Resistance and Challenges to Empire 对帝国的抵抗与挑战
· Local rebellions · Religious dissent · Frontier conflicts · Factors of imperial decline
Unit 4 · Transoceanic Interconnections c.1450-c.1750 跨洋联系 约1450-约1750
Exam weight: 12-15%
4.1 — Technological Innovations and Maritime Exploration 技术创新与海上探险
· Advances in navigation technology · Caravel ships · Astrolabe and compass · Motives for exploration
4.2 — Exploration: Causes and Events 探险：原因与事件
· Portuguese maritime exploration · Voyages of Columbus · Magellan's circumnavigation · Commercial and religious motives
4.3 — The Columbian Exchange 哥伦布大交换
· Exchange of plants and animals · Spread of disease · Dramatic decline of Native American populations · Agricultural transformation
4.4 — Maritime Empires and Trade Networks 海上帝国与贸易网络
· Spanish colonial empire · Portuguese trading empire · Dutch East India Company · Mercantilism
4.5 — The Atlantic Slave Trade 大西洋奴隶贸易
· Triangular trade · Middle Passage · Plantation economy · Impact on African societies
4.6 — Internal and External Challenges to State Power 对国家权力的内外挑战
· Protestant Reformation · Counter-Reformation · Wars of Religion · Seeds of Enlightenment thought
4.7 — Changing Social Hierarchies 变化中的社会等级
· Caste systems · Mixed-race societies · Rise of the merchant class · Changes in gender roles
Unit 5 · Revolutions c.1750-c.1900 革命 约1750-约1900
Exam weight: 12-15%
5.1 — The Enlightenment 启蒙运动
· Rationalism · Natural rights · Social contract theory · Voltaire, Rousseau, Locke
5.2 — Nationalism and Revolutions in Europe 欧洲的民族主义与革命
· French Revolution · Napoleonic era · Revolutions of 1848 · Italian and German unification
5.3 — The American Revolution 美国革命
· Declaration of Independence · Influence of Enlightenment · Republican government · Inspiration for global revolutions
5.4 — The Haitian Revolution 海地革命
· Slave uprising · Toussaint Louverture · First Black republic · Impact on slavery
5.5 — Latin American Independence Movements 拉丁美洲独立运动
· Bolivar · San Martin · Creole leadership · Colonial legacy
5.6 — The Industrial Revolution 工业革命
· British industrialization · Steam engine · Factory system · Transportation revolution
5.7 — Reactions to the Industrial Economy 对工业经济的反应
· Labor movement · Socialism and Marxism · Trade unions · Reform legislation
5.8 — Reform and Abolition Movements 改革与废奴运动
· Abolition movement · Women's rights movement · Education reform · Global reform waves
Unit 6 · Consequences of Industrialization c.1750-c.1900 工业化的后果 约1750-约1900
Exam weight: 12-15%
6.1 — Rationales for Imperialism 帝国主义的理由
· Economic motives · Social Darwinism · White Man's Burden · Missionary mission
6.2 — Imperialism in Africa 非洲的帝国主义
· Scramble for Africa · Berlin Conference · Methods of colonial rule · African resistance
6.3 — Imperialism in Asia 亚洲的帝国主义
· Opium Wars · Unequal treaties · British India · Colonization of Southeast Asia
6.4 — Economic Imperialism 经济帝国主义
· Open Door Policy · Economic dependence · Extraction of raw materials · Market control
6.5 — Resistance to Imperialism 对帝国主义的抵抗
· Boxer Rebellion · Indian Rebellion · Zulu resistance · Rise of nationalism
6.6 — Migration Patterns in the Industrial Age 工业时代的迁移模式
· Urbanization · Transoceanic migration · Indentured labor · Diaspora communities
6.7 — Effects of Industrialization on Society 工业化对社会的影响
· Changes in class structure · Urban problems · Environmental degradation · Global inequality
Unit 7 · Global Conflict c.1900-present 全球冲突 约1900至今
Exam weight: 8-10%
7.1 — Causes of World War I 第一次世界大战的原因
· Militarism · Alliance system · Imperial competition · Nationalism · Assassination at Sarajevo
7.2 — World War I: Conduct and Effects 第一次世界大战：过程与影响
· Trench warfare · Total war · Treaty of Versailles · Dissolution of empires · League of Nations
7.3 — The Interwar Period 两次大战间期
· Great Depression · Rise of fascism · Totalitarian rule · Appeasement policy
7.4 — World War II: Causes and Conduct 第二次世界大战：原因与过程
· Axis and Allied powers · Blitzkrieg · The Holocaust · Pacific theater · Atomic bombs
7.5 — Mass Atrocities and Genocides 大规模暴行与种族灭绝
· Armenian Genocide · Nazi Holocaust · Nanjing Massacre · Postwar trials
7.6 — Postwar Settlements and the United Nations 战后安排与联合国
· Founding of the United Nations · Nuremberg Trials · Universal Declaration of Human Rights · Postwar order reconstruction
Unit 8 · Cold War and Decolonization c.1900-present 冷战与去殖民化 约1900至今
Exam weight: 8-10%
8.1 — The Cold War 冷战
· U.S.-Soviet confrontation · Iron Curtain · Proxy wars · Nuclear deterrence
8.2 — Decolonization in Africa and Asia 非洲和亚洲的去殖民化
· Indian independence · Wave of African independence · Vietnamese independence · National liberation movements
8.3 — Newly Independent States 新独立国家
· Non-Aligned Movement · Nation-building challenges · Neocolonialism · Development issues
8.4 — The Chinese Revolution and Communist States 中国革命与共产主义国家
· Mao Zedong and the Chinese Revolution · Great Leap Forward · Cultural Revolution · Communism in East Asia
8.5 — The End of the Cold War 冷战结束
· Soviet reforms · Fall of communism in Eastern Europe · Dissolution of the Soviet Union · Fall of the Berlin Wall
8.6 — Resistance and Reform Movements 抵抗与改革运动
· South African anti-apartheid movement · Latin American revolutions · Waves of democratization · Human rights movements
Unit 9 · Globalization c.1900-present 全球化 约1900至今
Exam weight: 8-10%
9.1 — Advances in Technology and Global Communication 技术进步与全球通信
· Internet revolution · Mobile communications · Social media · Information age
9.2 — Economic Globalization 经济全球化
· Free trade agreements · Multinational corporations · World Trade Organization · Global supply chains
9.3 — Global Migration and Urbanization 全球迁移与城市化
· Labor migration · Refugee crises · Megacities · Urban challenges
9.4 — Disease and the Environment in the Global Age 全球时代的疾病与环境
· Global pandemics · Climate change · Environmental degradation · Sustainable development
9.5 — Resistance to Globalization 对全球化的抵抗
· Anti-globalization movements · Cultural protectionism · Resurgence of nationalism · Trade protectionism
9.6 — Global Institutions and Governance 全球机构与治理
· Role of the United Nations · International Monetary Fund · Non-governmental organizations · International cooperation and challenges