Ap World History Course Framework PDF

AP
®
Effective
Fall 2017
World History SKILL AND CONTENT
EXPECTATIONS
COURSE FRAMEWORK FOR LEARNING AND
ASSESSMENT
AP
®
AP® World History

Course Framework
Effective Fall 2017
AP COURSE FRAMEWORKS ARE UPDATED REGULARLY.
Please visit AP Central (apcentral.collegeboard.com) to determine whether a more

recent course framework PDF is available.
About the College Board
The College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to
college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College Board was created to expand
access to higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of over 6,000 of the
world’s leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity
in education. Each year, the College Board helps more than seven million students prepare
for a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness
and college success—including the SAT® and the Advanced Placement Program®. The
organization also serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of
students, educators, and schools. For further information, visit www.collegeboard.org.
AP Equity and Access Policy

®
The College Board strongly encourages educators to make equitable access a guiding
principle for their AP programs by giving all willing and academically prepared students the
opportunity to participate in AP. We encourage the elimination of barriers that restrict access
to AP for students from ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic groups that have been traditionally
underrepresented. Schools should make every effort to ensure their AP classes reflect the
diversity of their student population. The College Board also believes that all students should
have access to academically challenging course work before they enroll in AP classes, which
can prepare them for AP success. It is only through a commitment to equitable preparation
and access that true equity and excellence can be achieved.
Updated October 2017
© 2017 The College Board. College Board, Advanced Placement Program, AP, AP Central, and the acorn
logo are registered trademarks of the College Board. All other products and services may be trademarks of
their respective owners. Visit the College Board on the Web: www.collegeboard.org.
ii
Contents
About the Course Framework iv
Acknowledgments v
Participating in the AP Course Audit 1
About AP 2
Offering AP Courses and Enrolling Students 2
How AP Courses and Exams Are Developed 3
How AP Exams Are Scored 3
Using and Interpreting AP Scores 4
Additional Resources 4
About the AP World History Course 5
AP World History Course Framework 6
Overview 6
I. AP History Disciplinary Practices and Reasoning Skills 7
II. Thematic Learning Objectives 9
Theme 1: Interaction Between Humans and the Environment 9
Theme 2: Development and Interaction of Cultures 10
Theme 3: State Building, Expansion, and Conflict 10
Theme 4: Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of Economic Systems 11
Theme 5: Development and Transformation of Social Structures 11
III. Geographical Coverage 12
IV. Concept Outline 14
Historical Periods 14
Using the Concept Outline to Plan Instruction 14
Period 1: Technological and Environmental Transformations, to c. 600 B.C.E. 15
Period 2: Organization and Reorganization of

Human Societies, c. 600 B.C.E. to c. 600 C.E. 24
Period 3: Regional and Interregional Interactions, c. 600 C.E. to c. 1450 40
Period 4: Global Interactions, c. 1450 to c. 1750 55
Period 5: Industrialization and Global Integration, c. 1750 to c. 1900 73
Period 6: Accelerating Global Change and Realignments, c. 1900 to the Present 98
AP World History Exam 116
Exam Overview 116
Contact Us 117
iii
About the Course Framework
About the Course Framework

This document describes the content and skills required in the AP World History course and
on the exam. In order to provide flexibility in meeting the needs of students and teachers in
a variety of academic settings, this publication contains the essential practices and skills,
learning objectives, key concepts, and exam design for the AP World History course, with the
expectation that each individual district and teacher will create a complete AP World History
curriculum for their students. This course framework reflects changes made to the course and
exam in 2017, including a reduction in the number of disciplinary practices and reasoning
skills assessed as well as a modified exam design.
Teachers should refer to the AP World History Course and Exam Description for a detailed
course framework, additional ideas for how to implement the course, and more information on
how to help students prepare for the AP World History Exam.
AP World History Course Framework Return to Table of Contents iv

© 2017 The College Board
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
The College Board would like to acknowledge the following committee members, consultants,
and reviewers for their assistance with and commitment to the development of this curriculum
and assessment. All individuals and their affiliations were current at the time of contribution.
Greg Ahlquist, Webster Thomas High School, Webster, NY

Craig Benjamin, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
Jerry Bentley (deceased), University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI
Lauren Benton, New York University, New York, NY
David G. Christian, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
Sharon C. Cohen, Springbrook High School, Silver Spring, MD
Ken Curtis, California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
Ryba L. Epstein, Rich East High School, Park Forest, IL
Dean Ferguson, Texas A&M University–Kingsville, Kingsville, TX
Michele Forman, Middlebury Union High School, Salisbury, VT
Frank A. Guridy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Bram M. Hubbell, Friends Seminary, New York, NY
Rachel Jean-Baptiste, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
Alan Karras, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Tim Keirn, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
Angela Lee, Weston High School, Weston, MA
Jonathan Lee, San Antonio College, San Antonio, TX
Ane Lintvedt, McDonogh School, Owings Mills, MD
Laura J. Mitchell, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA
Annette Palmer, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD
Cheralyn Pinchem, Boston Latin School, Boston, MA
Sigrid Reynolds, Washington High School, Cedar Rapids, IA
William D. Strickland, East Grand Rapids High School, Grand Rapids, MI
Erik Vincent, Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, Atlanta, GA
Kurt Waters, Centreville High School, Clifton, VA
Merry Wiesner-Hanks, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI
Deborah Wing-Leonard, Clear Lake High School, Houston, TX
Kelly Stromberg, Director, AP Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

Allison Thurber, Senior Director, AP Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
AP World History Course Framework Return to Table of Contents v

Participating in the AP Course Audit
Participating in the AP Course Audit

Schools wishing to offer AP courses must participate in the AP Course Audit. Participation
in the AP Course Audit requires the online submission of two documents: the AP Course
Audit form and the teacher’s syllabus. The AP Course Audit form is submitted by the AP
teacher and the school principal (or designated administrator) to confirm awareness and
understanding of the curricular and resource requirements. The syllabus, detailing how
course requirements are met, is submitted by the AP teacher for review by college faculty.
Please visit www.collegeboard.com/html/apcourseaudit/courses/world_history.html for

the Curricular and Resource Requirements that identify the set of curricular and resource
expectations that college faculty nationwide have established for a college-level course, as
well as for more information to support syllabus development, including:
n Annotated Sample Syllabi — Provide examples of how the curricular requirements can be
demonstrated within the context of actual syllabi.
n Example Textbook List — Includes a sample of AP college-level textbooks that meet the
content requirements of the AP course.
n Syllabus Development Guide — Includes the guidelines reviewers use to evaluate syllabi
along with three samples of evidence for each requirement. This guide also specifies the
level of detail required in the syllabus to receive course authorization.
AP World History Course Framework Return to Table of Contents 1

About AP
About AP
The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program® (AP) enables students to pursue college-
level studies while still in high school. Through more than 30 courses, each culminating in a
rigorous exam, AP provides willing and academically prepared students with the opportunity
to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both. Taking AP courses also demonstrates
to college admission officers that students have sought out the most rigorous course work
available to them.
Each AP course is modeled upon a comparable college course, and college and university
faculty play a vital role in ensuring that AP courses align with college-level standards.
Talented and dedicated AP teachers help AP students in classrooms around the world develop
and apply the content knowledge and skills they will need later in college.
Each AP course concludes with a college-level assessment developed and scored by college
and university faculty as well as experienced AP teachers. AP Exams are an essential part
of the AP experience, enabling students to demonstrate their mastery of college-level course
work. Most four-year colleges and universities in the United States and universities in
more than 60 countries recognize AP in the admissions process and grant students credit,
placement, or both on the basis of successful AP Exam scores. Visit www.collegeboard.org/
ap/creditpolicy to view AP credit and placement policies at more than 1,000 colleges and
universities.
Performing well on an AP Exam means more than just the successful completion of a
course; it is a gateway to success in college. Research consistently shows that students who
receive a score of 3 or higher on AP Exams typically experience greater academic success in
college and have higher graduation rates than their non-AP peers.1 Additional AP studies are
available at www.collegeboard.org/research.
Offering AP Courses and Enrolling Students

Each AP course and exam description details the essential information required to understand
the objectives and expectations of an AP course. The AP Program unequivocally supports the
principle that each school implements its own curriculum that will enable students to develop
the content knowledge and skills described here.
Schools wishing to offer AP courses must participate in the AP Course Audit, a process
through which AP teachers’ syllabi are reviewed by college faculty. The AP Course Audit
was created at the request of College Board members who sought a means for the College
Board to provide teachers and administrators with clear guidelines on curricular and resource
requirements for AP courses and to help colleges and universities validate courses marked
“AP” on students’ transcripts. This process ensures that AP teachers’ syllabi meet or exceed
the curricular and resource expectations that college and secondary school faculty have
established for college-level courses. For more information on the AP Course Audit, visit
www.collegeboard.org/apcourseaudit.
1
See the following research studies for more details:
Linda Hargrove, Donn Godin, and Barbara Dodd, College Outcomes Comparisons by AP and Non-AP
High School Experiences (New York: The College Board, 2008).
Chrys Dougherty, Lynn Mellor, and Shuling Jian, The Relationship Between Advanced Placement and
College Graduation (Austin, Texas: National Center for Educational Accountability, 2006).

About AP
The College Board strongly encourages educators to make equitable access a guiding
principle for their AP programs by giving all willing and academically prepared students the
opportunity to participate in AP. We encourage the elimination of barriers that restrict access
to AP for students from ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic groups that have been traditionally
underrepresented. Schools should make every effort to ensure their AP classes reflect the
diversity of their student population. The College Board also believes that all students should
have access to academically challenging course work before they enroll in AP classes, which
can prepare them for AP success. It is only through a commitment to equitable preparation
and access that true equity and excellence can be achieved.
How AP Courses and Exams Are Developed

AP courses and exams are designed by committees of college faculty and expert AP
teachers who ensure that each AP subject reflects and assesses college-level expectations.
To find a list of each subject’s current AP Development Committee members, please visit
collegeboard.org/apcommittees. AP Development Committees define the scope and
expectations of the course, articulating through a course framework what students should
know and be able to do upon completion of the AP course. Their work is informed by data
collected from a range of colleges and universities to ensure that AP coursework reflects
current scholarship and advances in the discipline.
The AP Development Committees are also responsible for drawing clear and well-articulated
connections between the AP course and AP Exam—work that includes designing and
approving exam specifications and exam questions. The AP Exam development process is a
multiyear endeavor; all AP Exams undergo extensive review, revision, piloting, and analysis
to ensure that questions are high quality and fair and that there is an appropriate spread of
difficulty across the questions.
Throughout AP course and exam development, the College Board gathers feedback from
various stakeholders in both secondary schools and higher education institutions. This
feedback is carefully considered to ensure that AP courses and exams are able to provide
students with a college-level learning experience and the opportunity to demonstrate their
qualifications for advanced placement upon college entrance.
How AP Exams Are Scored

The exam scoring process, like the course and exam development process, relies on the
expertise of both AP teachers and college faculty. While multiple-choice questions are scored
by machine, the free-response questions and, as applicable, through-course performance
assessments, are scored by thousands of college faculty and expert AP teachers. Most are
scored at the annual AP Reading while a small portion are scored online. AP Exam Readers
are thoroughly trained, and their work is monitored throughout the Reading for fairness and
consistency. In each subject, a highly respected college faculty member fills the role of Chief
Reader, who, with the help of AP Readers in leadership positions, maintains the accuracy of
the scoring standards. Scores on the free-response questions and performance assessments
are weighted and combined with the weighted results of the computer-scored multiple-choice
questions, and this composite score is converted into an AP Exam score of 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1.

About AP
The score-setting process is both precise and labor intensive, involving numerous
psychometric analyses of the results of a specific AP Exam in a specific year and of the
particular group of students who took that exam. Additionally, to ensure alignment with
college-level standards, part of the score-setting process involves comparing the performance
of AP students with the performance of students enrolled in comparable courses in colleges
throughout the United States. In general, the AP composite score points are set so that the
lowest weighted score needed to earn an AP Exam score of 5 is equivalent to the average
score among college students earning grades of A in the college course. Similarly, AP
Exam scores of 4 are equivalent to college grades of A−, B+, and B. AP Exam scores of 3 are
equivalent to college grades of B−, C+, and C.
Using and Interpreting AP Scores

The extensive work done by college faculty and AP teachers in the development of the course
and the exam and throughout the scoring process ensures that AP Exam scores accurately
represent students’ achievement in the equivalent college course. While colleges and
universities are responsible for setting their own credit and placement policies, AP scores
signify how qualified students are to receive college credit or placement:
AP Score Recommendation
5 Extremely well qualified
4 Well qualified
3 Qualified
2 Possibly qualified
1 No recommendation
Additional Resources
Visit apcentral.collegeboard.org for more information about the AP Program.

About the AP World History Course
About the AP World History Course

AP World History is designed to be the equivalent of a two-semester introductory college
or university world history course. In AP World History students investigate significant
events, individuals, developments, and processes in six historical periods from approximately
8000 B.C.E. to the present. Students develop and use the same skills, practices, and methods
employed by historians: analyzing primary and secondary sources; developing historical
arguments; making historical comparisons; and utilizing reasoning about contextualization,
causation, and continuity and change over time. The course provides five themes that
students explore throughout the course in order to make connections among historical
developments in different times and places: interaction between humans and the environment;
development and interaction of cultures; state building, expansion, and conflict; creation,
expansion, and interaction of economic systems; and development and transformation of
social structures.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for the AP World History course. Students should be able to read a
college-level textbook and write grammatically correct, complete sentences.

AP World History
Course Framework
The AP World History course outlined in this framework reflects a commitment to what
history teachers, professors, and researchers have agreed is the main goal of a college-level
world history survey course: learning to analyze and interpret historical facts and evidence to
achieve understanding of major developments in world history.
To accomplish this goal, the course framework defines concepts, skills, and understandings
required by representative colleges and universities for granting college credit and placement.
Students practice the reasoning skills used by historians by studying primary and secondary
source evidence, analyzing a wide array of historical facts and perspectives, and expressing
historical arguments in writing.
This document is not a complete curriculum. Teachers create their own local curriculum
by selecting, for each concept, content that enables students to explore the course learning
objectives and that meets state or local requirements. The result is a course that prepares
students for college credit and placement while relieving the pressure on AP teachers to
superficially cover all possible details of world history.
Overview
I. AP History Disciplinary Practices and Reasoning Skills
The AP history disciplinary practices and reasoning skills are central to the study and
practice of history. Teachers should help students develop and apply the described practices
and skills on a regular basis over the span of the course.
II. Thematic Learning Objectives

The thematic objectives, organized around five major themes, describe what students must
be able to do by the end of the AP World History course. These learning objectives are the
targets of AP Exam questions.
III. Geographical Coverage

Two maps give students a starting point for identifying regions and their locations relative to
other regions and landforms.
IV. Concept Outline

The concept outline details key concepts that colleges and universities typically expect
students to understand in order to qualify for college credit and/or placement.

AP History Disciplinary Practices and Reasoning Skills
I. AP History Disciplinary Practices

and Reasoning Skills
The AP history courses seek to apprentice students to the practice of history by emphasizing
the development of disciplinary practices and skills while learning historical content.
Students best develop these practices and skills by investigating the past through the
exploration and interpretation of a rich array of primary sources and secondary texts and
through the regular development of historical argumentation in writing. This section presents
the disciplinary practices and reasoning skills that students should develop in all AP history
courses. The tables describe what students should be able to do with each practice or skill.
Every AP Exam question will assess one or more of these practices and skills.

AP History Disciplinary Practices and Reasoning Skills
AP History Disciplinary Practices

Practice 1: Analyzing Historical Evidence Practice 2: Argument Development
Students will be assessed on their ability to ...
Primary Sources ww Make a historically defensible

claim in the form of an evaluative
w Describe historically relevant information and/or arguments within a source.
thesis.
ww Explain how a source provides information about the broader historical
ww Support an argument using
setting within which it was created.
specific and relevant evidence.
ww Explain how a source’s point of view, purpose, historical situation, and/or
ww Use historical reasoning to
audience might affect a source’s meaning.
explain relationships among
ww Explain the relative historical significance of a source’s point of view, pieces of historical evidence.
purpose, historical situation, and/or audience.
w Consider ways that diverse or
w Evaluate a source’s credibility and/or limitations. alternative evidence could be used
Secondary Sources to qualify or modify an argument.
ww Describe the claim or argument of a secondary source, as well as the

evidence used.
w Describe a pattern or trend in quantitative data in non-text-based sources.
ww Explain how a historian’s claim or argument is supported with evidence.
ww Explain how a historian’s context influences the claim or argument.
w Analyze patterns and trends in quantitative data in non-text-based sources.
w Evaluate the effectiveness of a historical claim or argument.
AP History Reasoning Skills

Skill 4:
Skill 1: Skill 2: Skill 3: Continuity and Change
Contextualization Comparison Causation over Time
Describe an accurate Describe similarities and/or Describe causes or effects Describe patterns
historical context for differences between different of a specific historical of continuity and/or
a specific historical historical developments or development or process. change over time.
development or processes.
process.
Explain how a relevant Explain relevant similarities Explain the relationship Explain patterns of
context influenced and/or differences between causes and effects continuity and/or
a specific historical between specific historical of a specific historical change over time.
development or developments and processes. development or process.
process.
Explain the difference
between primary and
secondary causes, and
between short- and long-
term effects.
Use context to explain Explain the relative historical Explain the relative historical Explain the relative
the relative historical significance of similarities significance of different historical significance
significance of a and/or differences between causes and/or effects. of specific historical
specific historical different historical developments in
development or developments or processes. relation to a larger
process. pattern of continuity
and/or change.

Thematic Learning Objectives
II. Thematic Learning Objectives

The thematic learning objectives describe, at a high level, the knowledge colleges expect
students to develop in the AP World History course in order to be qualified for credit and
placement. In order to help students develop this knowledge, teachers will need to anchor
their locally developed AP syllabi in historical content and skills. The learning objectives are
grouped into five themes typically included in college-level world history courses:
n Interaction Between Humans and the Environment (ENV)
n Development and Interaction of Cultures (CUL)
nn State Building, Expansion, and Conflict (SB)
nn Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of Economic Systems (ECON)
n Development and Transformation of Social Structures (SOC)
These themes focus on major historical issues and developments, helping students connect the
historical content they study to broad trends and processes that have emerged over centuries.
Each theme is presented with its description and a table that outlines the learning objectives
for that theme.
Learning Objective by Theme

Theme 1: Interaction Between Humans
and the Environment (ENV)
The interaction between humans and the environment is a fundamental theme in world history,
as the environment shaped human societies, but, increasingly, human societies also affected
the environment.
Learning Objectives
Students are able to …
ENV-1 Explain how different types of societies have adapted to and affected their environments.
ENV-2 Explain how environmental factors, disease, and technology affected patterns of human
migration and settlement over time.
ENV-3 Evaluate the extent to which migration, population, and urbanization affected the
environment over time.
ENV-4 Explain how environmental factors have shaped the development of diverse technologies,
industrialization, transportation methods, and exchange and communication networks.
ENV-5 Evaluate the extent to which the development of diverse technologies, industrialization,
transportation methods, and exchange and communication networks have affected the

Theme 2: Development and Interaction of Cultures (CUL)

This theme explores the origins, uses, dissemination, and adaptation of ideas, beliefs, and
knowledge within and between societies and how the processes of adopting or adapting
new belief and knowledge systems are complex and often lead to syncretic cultural forms
and practices.
Learning Objectives
CUL-1 Explain how religions, belief systems, philosophies, and ideologies originated,
developed, and spread as a result of expanding communication and exchange networks.
CUL-2 Explain how religions, belief systems, philosophies, and ideologies affected political,
economic, and social developments over time.
CUL-3 Explain how cross-cultural interactions resulted in the diffusion of culture, technologies,
and scientific knowledge.
CUL-4 Explain how technological and scientific innovations affected religions, belief systems,
philosophies, and ideologies over time.
CUL-5 Explain how the arts are shaped by and reflect innovation, adaptation, and creativity of
specific societies over time.
CUL-6 Explain how expanding exchange networks shaped the emergence of various forms of
transregional culture, including music, literature, and visual art.
Theme 3: State Building, Expansion, and Conflict (SB)

This theme explores how hierarchical systems of rule have been constructed and maintained
over time and the impact of these processes.
Learning Objectives
SB-1 Explain how different forms of governance have been constructed and maintained over time.
SB-2 Explain how and why different functions and institutions of governance have changed
over time.
SB-3 Explain how and why economic, social, cultural, and geographical factors have
influenced the processes of state building, expansion, and dissolution.
SB-4 Explain how and why internal and external political factors have influenced the process
of state building, expansion, and dissolution.
SB-5 Explain how societies with states and state-less societies interacted over time.
SB-6 Explain the political and economic interactions between states and non-state actors over time.

Theme 4: Creation, Expansion, and Interaction

of Economic Systems (ECON)
This theme surveys the diverse patterns and systems that human societies have developed
to produce, distribute, and consume desired goods and services across time and place.
It explores how these interactions influence cultural and technological diffusion, migration,
state formation, social classes, and human interaction with the environment.
Learning Objectives
ECON-1 Explain how technology shaped economic production and globalization over time.
ECON-2 Explain the causes and effects of economic strategies of different types of
communities, states, and empires.
ECON-3 Explain how different modes and locations of production and commerce have
developed and changed over time.
ECON-4 Explain the causes and effects of labor reform movements.
ECON-5 Explain how and why labor systems have developed and changed over time.
ECON-6 Explain how economic systems and the development of ideologies, values, and
institutions have influenced each other.
ECON-7 Explain how local, regional, and global economic systems and exchange networks
have influenced and impacted each other over time.
Theme 5: Development and Transformation

of Social Structures (SOC)
This theme is about relations among human beings, how human societies develop ways of
grouping their members, and norms that govern interactions between individuals and social
groups. Additionally, this theme explores the processes through which social categories,
roles, and practices are created, maintained, and transformed.
Learning Objectives
SOC-1 Explain how distinctions based on kinship, ethnicity, class, gender, and race influenced
the development and transformations of social hierarchies.
SOC-2 Evaluate the extent to which different ideologies, philosophies, and religions affected
social hierarchies.
SOC-3 Evaluate the extent to which legal systems, colonialism, nationalism, and independence
movements have sustained or challenged class, gender, and racial hierarchies over time.
SOC-4 Explain how the development of specialized labor systems interacted with the
development of social hierarchies.
SOC-5 Explain how social categories, roles, and practices have been maintained or challenged
over time.
SOC-6 Explain how political, economic, cultural, and demographic factors have affected social
structures over time.

Geographical Coverage
III. Geographical Coverage

Students need basic geographical knowledge in order to understand world history. The two maps
that follow give students a starting point for identifying regions and their locations relative to
other regions and landforms.
nn Map 1. AP World History: World Regions—A Big Picture View identifies five major
geographical regions: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. The AP World
History course provides balanced geographical coverage with all five of these regions
represented. Coverage of European history does not exceed 20 percent of the total course.
n Map 2. AP World History: World Regions—A Closer Look identifies various subregions
within the five major geographical regions.
Geospatial awareness is fundamental knowledge necessary for students to build an understanding

of cross-cultural contacts, trade routes, migrations, etc., which constitute key concepts in the
AP World History course.
These maps are a reference point for teachers and students alike. Because geographic naming
conventions are not universal, these maps define regions and show the locations and commonly
used names of regions that students are likely to encounter on the AP World History Exam.

Geographical Coverage

Concept Outline
IV. Concept Outline

The concept outline is structured around six chronological periods, each composed of key
concepts typically encountered in college-level world history courses. In order for students to
develop an understanding of these concepts, teachers will need to select specific historical
figures, groups, events, developments, and processes—and the primary and secondary source
documents through which they can be examined—that enable students to investigate them. In
this way, AP teachers create their own local curriculum for AP World History.
Historical Periods
The historical periods, from approximately 8000 B.C.E. to the present, provide a temporal
framework for the course.
The instructional importance and assessment weighting for each period varies.
Period Period Title Date Range Weight
1 Technological and Environmental to c. 600 B.C.E. 5%

Transformations
2 Organization and Reorganization of Human c. 600 B.C.E. to c. 600 C.E. 15%

Societies
3 Regional and Interregional Interactions c. 600 C.E. to c. 1450 20%
4 Global Interactions c. 1450 to c. 1750 20%
5 Industrialization and Global Integration c. 1750 to c. 1900 20%
6 Accelerating Global Change and Realignments c. 1900 to the Present 20%
Using the Concept Outline to Plan Instruction

In the pages that follow, thematic learning objectives are provided to show teachers how the
learning objectives can be applied to the various statements in the concept outline, and to
also help teachers make thematic connections across the outline’s chronology.
Space is provided within the concept outline for teachers to insert the relevant and specific
content (individuals, groups, events, and primary and secondary sources and documents)
they choose to focus on in their AP World History course.

to c. 600 B.C.E c. 600 B.C.E.–c. 600 C.E. c. 600 C.E.–c. 1450 c. 1450–c. 1750 c. 1750–c. 1900 c. 1900–PRESENT
PERIOD 1:
Technological and
Environmental
Transformations
to c. 600 B.C.E.
Concept Outline
Key Concept 1.1 — Throughout the Paleolithic era, humans

Related Thematic developed sophisticated technologies and adapted to different
Learning Objectives geographical environments as they migrated from Africa to Eurasia,
(Focus of Exam Questions) Australasia, and the Americas.
ENV-1 Explain how different I. Archeological evidence indicates that during the Paleolithic era, hunter-
types of societies have adapted to forager bands of humans gradually migrated from their origin in East
and affected their environments. Africa to Eurasia, Australia, and the Americas, adapting their technology
and cultures to new climate regions.
ENV-2 Explain how
environmental factors, disease, A. Humans developed
and technology affected increasingly diverse and
patterns of human migration sophisticated tools—including
and settlement over time. multiple uses of fire—as they
adapted to new environments.
CUL-3 Explain how cross-cultural
interactions resulted in the B. People lived in small groups
diffusion of culture, technologies, that structured social,
and scientific knowledge. economic, and political
activity. These bands
ECON-2 Explain the causes and exchanged people, ideas, and
effects of economic strategies of goods.
different types of communities,
states, and empires.
ECON-7 Explain how local,

regional, and global economic
systems and exchange
networks have influenced and
impacted each other over time.
▲
Period 1 TEACHER-SELECTED EXAMPLES OF
Key Concept 1.1 HISTORICAL INDIVIDUALS, EVENTS, TOPICS, OR
SOURCES FOR STUDENTS TO EXAMINE IN DEPTH

Concept Outline
Key Concept 1.2 — Beginning about 10,000 years ago, some human
Related Thematic communities adopted sedentism and agriculture, while others
Learning Objectives pursued hunter-forager or pastoralist lifestyles—different pathways
(Focus of Exam Questions) that had significant social and demographic ramifications.
ENV-1 Explain how different I. The Neolithic Revolution led to the development of more complex
types of societies have adapted to economic and social systems.
and affected their environments.
A. Possibly as a response
ENV-2 Explain how to climatic change,
environmental factors, disease, permanent agricultural
and technology affected villages emerged first in
patterns of human migration the lands of the eastern
and settlement over time. Mediterranean. Agriculture
emerged independently in
ENV-3 Evaluate the extent to Mesopotamia, the Nile River
which migration, population, Valley, Sub-Saharan Africa,
and urbanization affected the the Indus River Valley, the
environment over time. Yellow River (or Huang He)
SB-5 Explain how societies Valley, Papua New Guinea,
with states and state-less Mesoamerica, and the Andes.
societies interacted over time. B. People in each region
ECON-2 Explain the causes and domesticated locally available
effects of economic strategies of plants and animals.
C. Pastoralism developed in
Afro–Eurasian grasslands,
ECON-7 Explain how local, affecting the environment in a
regional, and global economic variety of ways.
D. Agricultural communities
had to work cooperatively to
clear land and create the water
control systems needed for crop
production, drastically affecting
environmental diversity.
▲

Concept Outline
Key Concept 1.2 — Beginning about 10,000 years ago, some human
Related Thematic communities adopted sedentism and agriculture, while others
Learning Objectives pursued hunter-forager or pastoralist lifestyles—different pathways
(Focus of Exam Questions) that had significant social and demographic ramifications.
ENV-1 Explain how different II. Agriculture and pastoralism began to transform human societies.
types of societies have adapted to
A. Pastoralism and agriculture
led to more reliable and
ENV-2 Explain how abundant food supplies,
environmental factors, disease, which increased the
and technology affected population and led to
patterns of human migration specialization of labor,
and settlement over time. including new classes of
artisans and warriors and the
SB-1 Explain how different
development of elites.
forms of governance have been
constructed and maintained B. Technological innovations
over time. led to improvements in
agricultural production, trade,
SB-4 Explain how and why
and transportation.
internal and external political
factors have influenced the C. Patriarchal forms of social
process of state building, organization developed in
expansion, and dissolution. both pastoralist and agrarian
societies.
SB-5 Explain how societies
with states and state-less
societies interacted over time.
ECON-2 Explain the causes and

effects of economic strategies of
ECON-5 Explain how and why

labor systems have developed
and changed over time.

SOC-1 Explain how distinctions

based on kinship, ethnicity, class,
gender, and race influenced the
development and transformations
of social hierarchies.
SOC-4 Explain how the

development of specialized labor
systems interacted with the
▲

Concept Outline
Key Concept 1.3 — The appearance of the first urban societies

Related Thematic 5,000 years ago laid the foundations for the development of complex
Learning Objectives civilizations; these civilizations shared several significant social,
(Focus of Exam Questions) political, and economic characteristics.
ENV-1 Explain how different I. Core and foundational civilizations developed in a variety of geographical
types of societies have adapted to and environmental settings where agriculture flourished.
and affected their environments. w Mesopotamia in the Tigris and Euphrates River Valleys
ENV-2 Explain how w Egypt in the Nile River Valley
environmental factors, disease, w Mohenjo-daro and Harappa in the Indus River Valley
and technology affected
patterns of human migration
w Shang in the Yellow River (Huange He) Valley
and settlement over time. w Olmec in Mesoamerica
ww Chavin in Andean South America
▲

Concept Outline

ENV-1 Explain how different II. The first states emerged within core civilizations in Mesopotamia and the
types of societies have adapted to Nile River Valley.
A. States were powerful new
ENV-2 Explain how systems of rule that mobilized
environmental factors, disease, surplus labor and resources
and technology affected over large areas. Rulers of
patterns of human migration early states often claimed
and settlement over time. divine connections to power.
Rulers also relied on the
SB-1 Explain how different support of the military,
forms of governance have been religious, or aristocratic elites.
constructed and maintained
over time. B. As states grew and competed
for land and resources, the
more favorably situated had
different functions and
greater access to resources,
institutions of governance have produced more surplus food,
changed over time.
and experienced growing
SB-3 Explain how and why populations, enabling them
economic, social, cultural, to undertake territorial
and geographical factors have expansion and conquer
influenced the processes of surrounding states.
state building, expansion,
C. Pastoralists were often the
and dissolution.
developers and disseminators
SB-4 Explain how and why of new weapons and
internal and external political modes of transportation
factors have influenced the that transformed warfare in
process of state building, agrarian civilizations.
expansion, and dissolution.


ECON-3 Explain how different

modes and locations of
production and commerce have

▲

Concept Outline

ECON-7 Explain how local, II. The first states emerged within core civilizations in Mesopotamia and the
regional, and global economic Nile River Valley.
systems and exchange (CONTINUED)

▲

Concept Outline

ENV-1 Explain how different III. Culture played a significant role in unifying states through laws,
types of societies have language, literature, religion, myths, and monumental art.
adapted to and affected their
A. Early civilizations developed
environments.
monumental architecture and
CUL-1 Explain how religions, urban planning.
belief systems, philosophies,
B. Systems of record keeping
and ideologies originated,
arose independently in
developed, and spread
all early civilizations and
as a result of expanding
writing and record keeping
communication and exchange
subsequently spread.
networks.
C. States developed legal
CUL-2 Explain how religions,
codes that reflected existing
hierarchies and facilitated
and ideologies affected
the rule of governments over
political, economic, and social
people.
developments over time.
D. New religious beliefs that
CUL-3 Explain how cross-
developed in this period—
cultural interactions resulted
including the Vedic religion,
in the diffusion of culture,
Hebrew monotheism, and
technologies, and scientific
Zoroastrianism—continued to
knowledge.
have strong influences in later
CUL-5 Explain how the arts periods.
are shaped by and reflect
E. Interregional cultural and
innovation, adaptation, and
technological exchanges grew
creativity of specific societies
as a result of expanding trade
over time.
networks and large-scale
CUL-6 Explain how expanding population movements such
exchange networks shaped the as the Indo–European and
emergence of various forms of Bantu migrations.
transregional culture, including
music, literature, and visual art. F. Social hierarchies, including
patriarchy, intensified as
SB-1 Explain how different states expanded and cities
forms of governance have been multiplied.
over time.

institutions of governance have
changed over time.
▲

Concept Outline

SB-3 Explain how and why III. Culture played a significant role in unifying states through laws,
economic, social, cultural, language, literature, religion, myths, and monumental art.
and geographical factors have (CONTINUED)
influenced the processes of
and dissolution.

factors have influenced the
process of state building,

SOC-2 Evaluate the extent

to which different ideologies,
philosophies, and religions
affected social hierarchies.

to which legal systems,
colonialism, nationalism, and
independence movements have
sustained or challenged class,
gender, and racial hierarchies
over time.
SOC-5 Explain how social

categories, status, roles,
and practices have been
maintained or challenged
over time.
▲

PERIOD 2:
Organization and
Reorganization of
Human Societies
c. 600 B.C.E. to
c. 600 C.E.
Concept Outline
Related Thematic Key Concept 2.1 — As states and empires increased in size
Learning Objectives and contacts between regions intensified, human communities
(Focus of Exam Questions) transformed their religious and ideological beliefs and practices.
CUL-1 Explain how religions, I. Codifications and further developments of existing religious traditions
belief systems, philosophies, provided a bond among people and an ethical code to live by.
A. The association of
monotheism with Judaism
further developed with the
codification of the Hebrew
networks.
Scriptures, which also
CUL-2 Explain how religions, reflected the influence of
belief systems, philosophies, Mesopotamian cultural
and ideologies affected and legal traditions. The
political, economic, and social Assyrian, Babylonian, and
developments over time. Roman empires conquered
various Jewish states at
SB-4 Explain how and why different points in time.
internal and external political These conquests contributed
factors have influenced the to the growth of Jewish
process of state building, diasporic communities
expansion, and dissolution. around the Mediterranean and
SOC-2 Evaluate the extent Middle East.
to which different ideologies, B. The core beliefs outlined
philosophies, and religions in the Sanskrit scriptures
affected social hierarchies. formed the basis of the
SOC-5 Explain how social Vedic religions—developing
categories, roles, and practices later into what was known
have been maintained as Hinduism, a monistic
over time. belief system. These beliefs
included the importance of
multiple manifestations of
brahman and teachings about
dharma and reincarnation,
and they contributed to the
development of the social
and political roles of a
caste system.
▲

Concept Outline
ENV-1 Explain how different II. New belief systems and cultural traditions emerged and spread, often
types of societies have asserting universal truths.
A. The core beliefs preached
environments.
by the historic Buddha and
CUL-1 Explain how religions, collected by his followers in
belief systems, philosophies, and sutras and other scriptures
ideologies originated, developed, were, in part, a reaction to
and spread as a result of the Vedic beliefs and rituals
expanding communication and dominant in South Asia.
exchange networks. Buddhism branched into
many schools and changed
CUL-2 Explain how religions, over time as it spread
belief systems, philosophies, throughout Asia—first
and ideologies affected through the support of the
political, economic, and social Mauryan emperor Ashoka,
developments over time. and then through the
CUL-5 Explain how the arts are efforts of missionaries
shaped by and reflect innovation, and merchants and the
adaptation, and creativity of establishment of educational
specific societies over time. institutions to promote
Buddhism’s core teachings.
CUL-6 Explain how expanding
exchange networks shaped the B. Confucianism’s core beliefs
emergence of various forms of and writings originated in
transregional culture, including the writings and lessons
music, literature, and visual art. of Confucius. They were
elaborated by key disciples,
ECON-6 Explain how economic including rulers such as
systems and the development Wudi, who sought to promote
of ideologies, values, and social harmony by outlining
institutions have influenced proper rituals and social
each other. relationships for all people
in China.
to which different ideologies, C. In major Daoist writings,
philosophies, and religions the core belief of balance
affected social hierarchies. between humans and nature
assumed that the Chinese
SOC-3 Evaluate the extent to
political system would be
which legal systems, colonialism,
altered indirectly. Daoism also
nationalism, and independence
influenced the development of
movements have sustained or
Chinese culture.
challenged class, gender, and
racial hierarchies over time.

categories, roles, and practices
have been maintained over time.
▲

Concept Outline
II. New belief systems and cultural traditions emerged and spread, often
asserting universal truths.
(CONTINUED)
D. Core beliefs of Christianity

were based on the teachings
of Jesus of Nazareth as
recorded by his disciples
and their belief in his
divinity. Christianity drew on
Judaism as well as Roman
and Hellenistic influences.
Despite initial Roman
imperial hostility, Christianity
spread through the efforts
of missionaries, merchants,
and early martyrs through
many parts of Afro-Eurasia
and eventually gained Roman
imperial support by the time
of Emperor Constantine.
E. Greco–Roman religious and

philosophical traditions
offered diverse perspectives
on the study of the natural
world, the connection to the
divine, and the nature of
political power and hierarchy.
Some of these perspectives
emphasized logic, empirical
observation, and scientific
investigation.
F. Art and architecture reflected

the values of religions and
belief systems.
▲

Concept Outline
CUL-1 Explain how religions, III. Belief systems generally reinforced existing social structures while also
belief systems, philosophies, offering new roles and status to some men and women.
A. Confucianism emphasized
filial piety.
communication and exchange B. Some Buddhists and
networks. Christians practiced a
monastic life.
political, economic, and
social developments over time.

based on kinship, ethnicity,
class, gender, and race
influenced the development
and transformations of social
hierarchies.

have been maintained or
challenged over time.
▲

Concept Outline
ENV-1 Explain how different IV. Other religious and cultural traditions continued and in some paces were
types of societies have incorporated into major religious traditions.
adapted to and affected
A. Shamanism, animism, and
their environments.
ancestor veneration continued
in their traditional forms in
some instances, and in others
were incorporated into other
religious traditions.
▲

Concept Outline
Related Thematic Key Concept 2.2 — As the early states and empires grew in
Learning Objectives number, size, and population, they frequently competed for
(Focus of Exam Questions) resources and came into conflict with one another.
ENV-2 Explain how I. The number and size of key states and empires grew dramatically as
environmental factors, disease, rulers imposed political unity on areas where previously there had been
and technology affected competing states.
A. Key states and empires that
and settlement over time.
grew included:
SB-2 Explain how and why w Southwest Asia: Persian
different functions and empires
institutions of governance w East Asia: Qin and Han
have changed over time. empires
SB-3 Explain how and why w South Asia: Mauryan and
economic, social, cultural, Gupta empires
and environmental factors w Mediterranean region:
have influenced the processes Phoenicia and its colonies,
of state building, expansion, Greek city-states and
and dissolution. colonies, and Hellenistic and
Roman empires
with states and state-less w Mesoamerica: Teotihuacan,
societies interacted over time. Maya city-states
Andean South America:
SB-6 Explain the political
w
Moche
and economic interactions
between states and non-state w North America: Chaco
actors over time. and Cahokia
[NOTE: Students should know
the location and names of the
key empires and states.]
▲

Concept Outline
ENV-1 Explain how different II. Empires and states developed new techniques of imperial administration
types of societies have based, in part, on the success of earlier political forms.
A. In order to organize their
environments.
subjects, in many regions
ENV-3 Evaluate the extent to imperial rulers created
which migration, population, administrative institutions,
and urbanization affected the including centralized
environment over time. governments, as well as
elaborate legal systems and
ENV-5 Evaluate the extent bureaucracies.
to which the development
of diverse technologies, B. Imperial governments
industrialization, transportation promoted trade and projected
methods, and exchange and military power over larger
communication networks areas using a variety of
have affected the environment techniques, including issuing
over time. currencies; diplomacy;
developing supply lines;
building fortifications,
forms of governance have been defensive walls, and roads;
and drawing new groups of
over time.
military officers and soldiers
SB-2 Explain how and why from the location populations
different functions and or conquered populations.
changed over time.

economic, social, cultural,
and geographical factors have
and dissolution.


SB-6 Explain the political and

economic interactions between
states and non-state actors
over time.
▲

Concept Outline
ECON-2 Explain the causes and II. Empires and states developed new techniques of imperial administration
effects of economic strategies of based, in part, on the success of earlier political forms.
different types of communities, (CONTINUED)

production and commerce
have developed and changed
over time.
▲

Concept Outline
CUL-5 Explain how the arts are III. Unique social and economic dimensions developed in imperial societies
shaped by and reflect innovation, in Afro–Eurasia and the Americas.
adaptation, and creativity of
A. Imperial cities served as
specific societies over time.
centers of trade, public
SB-1 Explain how different performance of religious
forms of governance have been rituals, and political
constructed and maintained administration for states and
over time. empires.
SB-2 Explain how and why B. The social structures of

different functions and empires displayed hierarchies
institutions of governance have that included cultivators,
changed over time. laborers, slaves, artisans,
merchants, elites, or caste
SB-3 Explain how and why groups.
and geographical factors have C. Imperial societies relied on a
influenced the processes of range of methods to maintain
state building, expansion, the production of food and
and dissolution. provide rewards for the loyalty
of the elites.
internal and external political D. Patriarchy continued to shape
factors have influenced the gender and family relations in
process of state building, all imperial societies of this
expansion, and dissolution. period.


over time.



▲

Concept Outline
SOC-1 Explain how distinctions III. Unique social and economic dimensions developed in imperial societies
based on kinship, ethnicity, class, in Afro–Eurasia and the Americas.
gender, and race influenced the (CONTINUED)



categories, status, roles, and
practices have been maintained
or challenged over time.
▲

Concept Outline
ENV-1 Explain how different IV. The Roman, Han, Persian, Mauryan, and Gupta empires encountered
types of societies have political, cultural, and administrative difficulties that they could
adapted to and affected their not manage, which eventually led to their decline, collapse, and
environments. transformation into successor empires or states.
ENV-2 Explain how A. Through excessive

environmental factors, disease, mobilization of resources,
and technology affected erosion of established
patterns of human migration political institutions, and
and settlement over time. economic changes, imperial
governments generated
ENV-3 Evaluate the extent to social tensions and created
which migration, population, economic difficulties by
and urbanization affected the concentrating too much
environment over time. wealth in the hands of elites.
SB-2 Explain how and why B. Security issues along their
different functions and frontiers, including the threat
institutions of governance have of invasions, challenged
changed over time. imperial authority.
and dissolution.



over time.

▲

Concept Outline
Related Thematic Key Concept 2.3 — With the organization of large-scale empires,
Learning Objectives transregional trade intensified, leading to the creation of extensive
(Focus of Exam Questions) networks of commercial and cultural exchange.
ENV-1 Explain how different I. Land and water routes became the basis for interregional trade,
types of societies have communication, and exchange networks in the Eastern Hemisphere.
A. Many factors, including
environments.
the climate and location of
ENV-2 Explain how the routes, the typical trade
environmental factors, disease, goods, and the ethnicity
and technology affected of people involved, shaped
patterns of human migration the distinctive features of
and settlement over time. a variety of trade routes,
including Eurasian Silk
CUL-3 Explain how cross- Roads, Trans-Saharan
cultural interactions resulted caravan routes, Indian Ocean
in the diffusion of culture, sea lanes, and Mediterranean
technologies, and scientific sea lanes.
knowledge.

over time.

▲

Concept Outline
ENV-1 Explain how different II. New technologies facilitated long-distance communication and exchange.
types of societies have
A. New technologies permitted
the use of domesticated pack
environments.
animals to transport goods
ENV-2 Explain how across longer routes.
environmental factors, disease,
and technology affected B. Innovations in maritime
patterns of human migration technologies, as well as
and settlement over time. advanced knowledge of the
monsoon winds, stimulated
CUL-3 Explain how cross- exchanges along maritime
cultural interactions resulted routes from East Africa to
in the diffusion of culture, East Asia.
knowledge.

states and non-state actors over
time.

▲

Concept Outline
ENV-1 Explain how different III. Alongside the trade in goods, the exchange of people, technology,
types of societies have religious and cultural beliefs, food crops, domesticated animals,
adapted to and affected their and disease pathogens developed across extensive networks of
environments. communication and exchange.
ENV-2 Explain how A. The spread of crops,

environmental factors, disease, including rice and cotton
and technology affected from South Asia to the Middle
patterns of human migration East, encouraged changes
and settlement over time. in farming and irrigation
techniques.
ENV-3 Evaluate the extent to
which migration, population, B. The spread of disease
and urbanization affected the pathogens diminished urban
environment over time. populations and contributed
to the decline of some
ENV-5 Evaluate the extent empires, including the Roman
to which the development and Han.
of diverse technologies,
industrialization, transportation C. Religious and cultural
methods, and exchange and traditions—including
communication networks Christianity, Hinduism, and
have affected the environment Buddhism—were transformed
over time. as they spread partly as a
result of syncretism.
networks.

knowledge.

and dissolution.

▲

Concept Outline
ECON-6 Explain how economic III. Alongside the trade in goods, the exchange of people, technology,
systems and the development religious and cultural beliefs, food crops, domesticated animals,
of ideologies, values, and and disease pathogens developed across extensive networks of
institutions have influenced communication and exchange.
each other. (CONTINUED)

▲

to c. 600 B.C.E c. 600 B.C.E.–c. 600 C.E. c. 600 C.E.–c. 1450 c. 1450–C. 1750 c. 1750–c. 1900 c. 1900–PRESENT
PERIOD 3:
Regional and
Interregional
Interactions
c. 600 C.E. to c. 1450
Concept Outline
Key Concept 3.1 — A deepening and widening of networks of

Related Thematic human interaction within and across regions contributed to cultural,
Learning Objectives technological, and biological diffusion within and between various
(Focus of Exam Questions) societies.
ENV-2 Explain how I. Improved transportation technologies and commercial practices led to an
environmental factors, disease, increased volume of trade and expanded the geographical range of existing
and technology affected and newly active trade networks.
A. Existing trade routes—
including the Silk Roads,
ENV-3 Evaluate the extent to the Mediterranean Sea, the
which migration, population, Trans-Saharan routes, and
and urbanization affected the the Indian Ocean basin—
environment over time. flourished and promoted
ENV-5 Evaluate the extent to the growth of powerful new
which the development of diverse trading cities.
technologies, industrialization, B. Communication and exchange
transportation methods, and networks developed in the
exchange and communication Americas.
networks have affected the
environment over time. C. The growth of interregional
trade in luxury goods was
encouraged by significant
interactions resulted in the
innovations in previously
diffusion of culture, technologies,
existing transportation and
commercial technologies—
SB-1 Explain how different including the caravanserai,
forms of governance have been compass use, the astrolabe,
constructed and maintained and larger ship designs in
over time. sea travel—and new forms of
credit and the development of
money economies.
institutions of governance have D. Commercial growth was also
changed over time. facilitated by state practices,
SB-3 Explain how and why including the Inca road system;
economic, social, cultural, trading organizations, such
and geographical factors have as the Hanseatic League; and
influenced the processes of state-sponsored commercial
state building, expansion, infrastructures, such as the
and dissolution. Grand Canal in China.
SB-4 Explain how and why E. The expansion of empires—

internal and external political including China, the Byzantine
factors have influenced the Empire, various Muslim
process of state building, states, and the Mongols—
expansion, and dissolution. facilitated Afro–Eurasian trade
and communication as new
SB-5 Explain how societies peoples were drawn into their
with states and state-less conquerors’ economies and
societies interacted over time. trade networks.
▲

Concept Outline

ECON-3 Explain how different I. Improved transportation technologies and commercial practices led to an
modes and locations of increased volume of trade and expanded the geographical range of existing
production and commerce and newly active trade networks.
have developed and changed (CONTINUED)
over time.


systems and exchange networks
have influenced and impacted
each other over time.
▲

Concept Outline

ENV-2 Explain how II. The movement of peoples caused environmental and linguistic effects.
A. The expansion and
intensification of long-distance
trade routes often depended on
environmental knowledge and
ENV-3 Evaluate the extent to technological adaptations to
which migration, population, the environment.
and urbanization affected the
environment over time. B. Some migrations had a
significant environmental
ENV-5 Evaluate the extent impact, including migration
to which the development of Bantu-speaking peoples
of diverse technologies, who facilitated transmission
industrialization, transportation of iron technologies and
methods, and exchange and agricultural techniques in
communication networks Sub-Saharan Africa, as well
have affected the environment as the maritime migrations of
over time. the Polynesian peoples who
cultivated transplanted foods
and domesticated animals as
they moved to new islands.
technologies, and scientific C. Some migrations and
knowledge. commercial contacts led to
the diffusion of languages
throughout a new region or the
emergence of new languages.
and dissolution.
▲

Concept Outline

CUL-1 Explain how religions, III. Cross-cultural exchanges were fostered by the intensification of existing,
belief systems, philosophies, or the creation of new, networks of trade and communication.
A. Islam, based on the
revelations of the prophet
Muhammad, developed
communication and
in the Arabian Peninsula.
exchange networks.
The beliefs and practices of
CUL-2 Explain how religions, Islam reflected interactions
belief systems, philosophies, among Jews, Christians, and
and ideologies affected Zoroastrians with the local
political, economic, and social Arabian peoples. Muslim
developments over time. rule expanded to many
parts of Afro–Eurasia due
CUL-3 Explain how cross- to military expansion, and
cultural interactions resulted Islam subsequently expanded
in the diffusion of culture, through the activities of
technologies, and scientific merchants, missionaries,
knowledge. and Sufis.
CUL-4 Explain how
B. In key places along important
technological and scientific
trade routes, merchants set up
innovations affected religions,
diasporic communities where
they introduced their own
and ideologies over time.
cultural traditions into the
CUL-5 Explain how the arts indigenous culture.
C. As exchange networks
intensified, an increased
number of travelers within
over time.
Afro–Eurasia wrote about
CUL-6 Explain how expanding their travels.
exchange networks shaped the
D. Increased cross-cultural
emergence of various forms of
diffusion of literary, artistic,
music, literature, and visual art.
and cultural traditions, as well
SB-3 Explain how and why as scientific and technological
economic, social, cultural, innovations.
and dissolution.

over time.
▲

Concept Outline

ECON-7 Explain how local, III. Cross-cultural exchanges were fostered by the intensification of existing,
regional, and global economic or the creation of new, networks of trade and communication.
systems and exchange (CONTINUED)

which distinctions based on
kinship, ethnicity, class, gender,
and race influenced the origins,
development, and transformations


SOC-6 Explain how political,

economic, cultural, and
demographic factors have affected
social structures over time.
▲

Concept Outline

ENV-3 Evaluate the extent to IV. There was continued diffusion of crops and pathogens, including
which migration, population, epidemic diseases like the bubonic plague, along trade routes.

which the development of diverse
technologies, industrialization,
transportation methods, and
exchange and communication

▲

Concept Outline
Related Thematic
Learning Objectives Key Concept 3.2 — State formation and development demonstrated
(Focus of Exam Questions) continuity, innovation, and diversity in various regions.
CUL-1 Explain how religions, I. Empires collapsed in different regions of the world, and in some areas
belief systems, philosophies, were replaced by new imperial states or political systems.
A. Following the collapses of
empires, imperial states were
reconstituted in some regions,
including the Byzantine Empire
networks.
and the Chinese dynasties
CUL-2 Explain how religions, (Sui, Tang, and Song),
belief systems, philosophies, combining traditional sources
and ideologies affected of power and legitimacy with
political, economic, and social innovations better suited to
developments over time. their specific local context.
SB-1 Explain how different B. In some places, new political

forms of governance have entities emerged, including
been constructed and those in various Islamic states;
maintained over time. the Mongol khanates; new
Hindu and Buddhist states in
South, East, and Southeast Asia;
city-states; and decentralized
institutions of governance
government (feudalism) in
have changed over time.
Europe and Japan.
C. Some states synthesized local
with foreign traditions.
influenced the processes of D. In the Americas, as in
state building, expansion, Afro–Eurasia, state systems
and dissolution. expanded in scope and
reach; networks of city-states
flourished in the Maya region
and, at the end of this period,
imperial systems were created
by the Mexica (Aztecs)
and Inca.

over time.

▲

Concept Outline
Related Thematic
ECON-3 Explain how different I. Empires collapsed in different regions of the world, and in some areas
modes and locations of were replaced by new imperial states or political systems.
production and commerce have (CONTINUED)


based on kinship, ethnicity, class,
gender, and race influenced the


▲

Concept Outline
Related Thematic
CUL-3 Explain how cross-cultural II. Interregional contacts and conflicts between states and empires encouraged
interactions resulted in the significant technological and cultural transfers.
A. Technological and cultural
transfers were taking place:
SB-3 Explain how and why w between Tang China and the
economic, social, cultural, Abbasids;
w across the Mongol Empire;
state building, expansion, w between Muslims
and dissolution. and Christians in the
Mediterranean region during
SB-4 Explain how and why the Crusades; and
internal and external political w during Chinese maritime
factors have influenced the activity led by Ming Admiral
process of state building, Zheng He.


over time.

▲

Concept Outline
Key Concept 3.3 — Changes in trade networks resulted from

Related Thematic and stimulated increasing productive capacity, with important
Learning Objectives implications for social and gender structures and environmental
(Focus of Exam Questions) processes.
ENV-3 Evaluate the extent to I. Innovations stimulated agricultural and industrial production in many regions.
which migration, population,
A. Agricultural production
increased significantly due to
technological innovations.
ENV-4 Explain how
environmental factors have B. Demand for luxury goods
shaped the development increased in Afro–Eurasia.
of diverse technologies, Chinese, Persian, and Indian
industrialization, transportation artisans and merchants
methods, and exchange and expanded their production
communication networks. of textiles and porcelains for
export; industrial production
ENV-5 Evaluate the extent to of iron and steel expanded
which the development of diverse in China.




▲

Concept Outline

ENV-2 Explain how II. The fate of cities varied greatly, with periods of significant decline and
environmental factors, disease, periods of increased urbanization buoyed by rising productivity and
and technology affected expanding trade networks.
A. Multiple factors contributed to
the decline of urban areas in
ENV-3 Evaluate the extent to this period, including invasions,
which migration, population, disease, and the decline of
and urbanization affected the agricultural productivity.
B. Multiple factors contributed
ENV-5 Evaluate the extent to to urban revival, including
which the development of diverse the end of invasions, the
technologies, industrialization, availability of safe and reliable
transportation methods, and transport, the rise of commerce
exchange and communication and warmer temperatures
networks have affected the between 800 C.E. and
environment over time. 1300, increased agricultural
productivity and subsequent
SB-2 Explain how and why rising population, and greater
different functions and availability of labor.
changed over time.

and dissolution.




▲

Concept Outline

ECON-7 Explain how local, II. The fate of cities varied greatly, with periods of significant decline and
regional, and global economic periods of increased urbanization buoyed by rising productivity and
systems and exchange networks expanding trade networks.
have influenced and impacted (CONTINUED)
▲

Concept Outline

CUL-2 Explain how religions, III. Despite significant continuities in social structures and in methods of
belief systems, philosophies, production, there were also some important changes in labor management
and ideologies affected and in the effect of religious conversion on gender relations and family life.
political, economic, and
A. The diversification of labor
social developments over time.
organization that began with
SB-2 Explain how and why settled agriculture continued
different functions and in this period. Forms of labor
institutions of governance organization included free
have changed over time. peasant agriculture, nomadic
pastoralism, craft production
SB-3 Explain how and why and guild organization, various
economic, social, cultural, forms of coerced and unfree
and geographical factors have labor, government-imposed
influenced the processes of labor, and military obligations.
and dissolution. B. As in the previous period,
social structures were
SB-4 Explain how and why shaped largely by class and
internal and external political caste hierarchies. Patriarchy
factors have influenced the continued; however, in some
process of state building, areas, women exercised more
expansion, and dissolution. power and influence, most
SB-5 Explain how societies notably among the Mongols
with states and state-less and in West Africa, Japan,
societies interacted over time. and Southeast Asia.
SB-6 Explain the political and C. New forms of coerced labor

economic interactions between appeared, including serfdom
states and non-state actors in Europe and Japan and the
over time. elaboration of the mit’a in
the Inca Empire. Peasants
ECON-2 Explain the causes resisted attempts to raise
and effects of economic dues and taxes by staging
strategies of different types revolts. The demand for
of communities, states, slaves for both military and
and empires. domestic purposes increased,
particularly in central Eurasia,
parts of Africa, and the
eastern Mediterranean.
have developed and changed D. Buddhism, Christianity,
over time. Islam, and Neoconfucianism
were adopted in new regions
and often caused significant
changes in gender relations
and family structure.
▲

Concept Outline

SOC-1 Explain how distinctions III. Despite significant continuities in social structures and in methods of
based on kinship, ethnicity, class, production, there were also some important changes in labor management
gender, and race influenced the and in the effect of religious conversion on gender relations and family life.
development and transformations (CONTINUED)




▲

PERIOD 4:
Global Interactions
c. 1450 to c. 1750
Concept Outline
Key Concept 4.1 — The interconnection of the Eastern and Western

Related Thematic Hemispheres, made possible by transoceanic voyaging, transformed
Learning Objectives trade and religion and had a significant economic, cultural, social,
(Focus of Exam Questions) and demographic impact on the world.
SB-3 Explain how and why I. Existing regional patterns of trade intensified in the context of the
economic, social, cultural, new global circulation of goods.
A. The intensification of trade
brought prosperity and
economic disruption to the
and dissolution.
merchants and governments
ECON-2 Explain the causes and in the trading regions of
effects of economic strategies of the Indian Ocean, the
different types of communities, Mediterranean, the Sahara,
states, and empires. and overland Eurasia.


▲

Concept Outline

ENV-2 Explain how II. European technological developments in cartography and navigation
environmental factors, disease, built on previous knowledge developed in the Classical, Islamic, and
and technology affected Asian worlds.
A. The developments included
the production of new
CUL-3 Explain how cross-cultural tools, innovations in ship
interactions resulted in the designs, and an improved
diffusion of culture, technologies, understanding of global wind
and scientific knowledge. and currents patterns—all
of which made transoceanic
ECON-7 Explain how local, travel and trade possible.
▲

Concept Outline

ENV-2 Explain how III. Remarkable new transoceanic maritime reconnaissance occurred in
environmental factors, disease, this period.
A. Portuguese development of
maritime technology and
navigational skills led to
CUL-3 Explain how cross-cultural increased travel to and trade
interactions resulted in the with West Africa and resulted
diffusion of culture, technologies, in the construction of a global
and scientific knowledge. trading-post empire.
ECON-2 Explain the causes B. Spanish sponsorship of

and effects of economic the first Columbian and
strategies of different types subsequent voyages across
of communities, states, the Atlantic and Pacific
and empires. dramatically increased
European interest in
ECON-3 Explain how different transoceanic travel and trade.
production and commerce C. Northern Atlantic crossings
have developed and changed for fishing and for the purpose
over time. of settlement continued and
spurred European searches
for multiple routes to Asia.
▲

Concept Outline

SB-3 Explain how and why IV. The new global circulation of goods was facilitated by chartered
economic, social, cultural, European monopoly companies and the flow of silver from Spanish
and geographical factors have colonies in the Americas to purchase Asian goods for the Atlantic
influenced the processes of markets. Regional markets continued to flourish in Afro–Eurasia by
state building, expansion, using established commercial practices and new transoceanic shipping
and dissolution. services developed by European merchants.
SB-5 Explain how societies A. European merchants’ role in

with states and state-less Asian trade was characterized
societies interacted over time. mostly by transporting goods
from one Asian country to
SB-6 Explain the political and another market in Asia or the
economic interactions between Indian Ocean region.
over time. B. Commercialization and the
creation of a global economy
ECON-2 Explain the causes and were intimately connected
effects of economic strategies of to new global circulation of
different types of communities, silver from the Americas.
C. Mercantilist policies and
ECON-5 Explain how and why practices were used by
labor systems have developed European rulers to expand
and changed over time. and control their economies
ECON-6 Explain how economic and claim overseas territories,
systems and the development and joint-stock companies,
of ideologies, values, and influenced by these
institutions have influenced mercantilist principles, were
each other. used by rulers and merchants
to finance exploration and
ECON-7 Explain how local, compete against one another
regional, and global economic in global trade.
have influenced and impacted D. The Atlantic system involved
each other over time. the movement of goods,
wealth, and free and unfree
SOC-1 Evaluate the extent to laborers and the mixing
which distinctions based on of African, American, and
kinship, ethnicity, class, gender, European cultures and peoples.
and race influenced the origins,
development, and transformations

▲

Concept Outline

SOC-4 Explain how the IV. The new global circulation of goods was facilitated by chartered
development of specialized labor European monopoly companies and the flow of silver from Spanish
systems interacted with the colonies in the Americas to purchase Asian goods for the Atlantic
development of social hierarchies. markets. Regional markets continued to flourish in Afro–Eurasia by
using established commercial practices and new transoceanic shipping
SOC-5 Explain how social services developed by European merchants.
categories, status, roles, and (CONTINUED)

▲

Concept Outline

ENV-3 Evaluate the extent to V. The new connections between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres resulted
which migration, population, in the Columbian Exchange.
A. European colonization of the
Americas led to the spread of
ENV-5 Evaluate the extent to diseases—including smallpox,
which the development of diverse measles, and influenza—
technologies, industrialization, that were endemic in the
transportation methods, and Eastern Hemisphere among
exchange and communication Amerindian populations and
networks have affected the the unintentional transfer of
environment over time. disease vectors, including
mosquitoes and rats.
ECON-2 Explain the causes
and effects of economic B. American foods became
strategies of different types staple crops in various parts
of communities, states, of Europe, Asia, and Africa.
and empires. Cash crops were grown
primarily on plantations
ECON-5 Explain how and why with coerced labor and were
labor systems have developed exported mostly to Europe and
and changed over time. the Middle East in this period.
C. Afro–Eurasian fruit trees,
grains, sugar, and domesticated
animals were brought by
Europeans to the Americas,
while other foods were brought
SOC-1 Evaluate the extent by African slaves.
to which distinctions based
D. Populations in Afro–Eurasia
on kinship, ethnicity, class,
benefitted nutritionally from
gender, and race influenced
the increased diversity of
the origins, development,
American food crops.
hierarchies. E. European colonization and
the introduction of European
agriculture and settlements
practices in the Americas
often affected the physical
environment through
deforestation and soil depletion.

development of specialized
labor systems interacted with
the development of social
hierarchies.
▲

Concept Outline

SOC-5 Explain how social V. The new connections between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres
categories, status, roles, and resulted in the Columbian Exchange.
practices have been maintained (CONTINUED)

▲

Concept Outline

ENV-2 Explain how VI. The increase in interactions between newly connected hemispheres and
environmental factors, disease, intensification of connections within hemispheres expanded the spread
and technology affected and reform of existing religions and contributed to both religious conflicts
patterns of human migration and the creation of syncretic belief systems and practices.


belief systems, philosophies, and
ideologies originated, developed,
and spread as a result of
expanding communication and
exchange networks.

ECON-6 Explain how economic

systems and the development
of ideologies, values, and
institutions have influenced
each other.
▲

Concept Outline

CUL-5 Explain how the arts are VII. As merchants’ profits increased and governments collected more taxes,
shaped by and reflect innovation, funding for the visual and performing arts, even for popular audiences,
adaptation, and creativity of increased along with an expansion of literacy and increased focus on
specific societies over time. innovation and scientific inquiry.


over time.

and dissolution.
▲

Concept Outline
Key Concept 4.2 — Although the world's productive systems continued

Related Thematic to be heavily centered on agriculture, major changes occurred in
Learning Objectives agricultural labor, the systems and locations of manufacturing, gender
(Focus of Exam Questions) and social structures, and environmental processes.
ENV-2 Explain how I. Beginning in the 14th century, there was a decrease in mean temperatures,
environmental factors, disease, often referred to as the Little Ice Age, around the world that lasted until
and technology affected the 19th century, contributing to changes in agricultural practices and the
patterns of human migration contraction of settlement in parts of the Northern Hemisphere.



▲

Concept Outline

SB-3 Explain how and why II. Traditional peasant agriculture increased and changed, plantations expanded,
economic, social, cultural, and demand for labor increased. These changes both fed and responded to
and geographical factors have growing global demand for raw materials and finished products.
A. Peasant and artisan labor
intensified in many regions.
and dissolution.
B. Slavery in Africa continued
both the traditional
and effects of economic
incorporation of mainly
strategies of different types
female slaves into households
of communities, states,
and the export of slaves to
and empires.
the Mediterranean and the
ECON-3 Explain how different Indian Ocean.
C. The growth of the plantation
economy increased the
demand for slaves in the
over time.
Americas.
D. Colonial economies in the
Americas depended on a
range of coerced labor.

hierarchies.


hierarchies.
▲

Concept Outline

SOC-5 Explain how social II. Traditional peasant agriculture increased and changed, plantations expanded,
categories, status, roles, and demand for labor increased. These changes both fed and responded to
and practices have been growing global demand for raw materials and finished products.
maintained or challenged (CONTINUED)
over time.

demographic factors have
affected social structures
over time.
▲

Concept Outline

SB-3 Explain how and why III. As social and political elites changed, they also restructured ethnic, racial, and
economic, social, cultural, gender hierarchies.
A. Both imperial conquests and
widening global economic
opportunities contributed to
and dissolution.
the formation of new political
ECON-2 Explain the causes and economic elites.
and effects of economic
B. The power of existing
strategies of different types
political and economic elites
of communities, states,
fluctuated as they confronted
and empires.
new challenges to their
ECON-5 Explain how and why ability to affect the policies
labor systems have developed of the increasingly powerful
and changed over time. monarchs and leaders.
SOC-1 Explain how distinctions C. Some notable gender and

based on kinship, ethnicity, family restructuring occurred,
class, gender, and race including demographic
influenced the development changes in Africa that
and transformations of social resulted from the slave trades.
hierarchies.

over time.

hierarchies.


over time.
▲

Concept Outline
Related Thematic Key Concept 4.3 — Empires expanded around the world, presenting
Learning Objectives new challenges in the incorporation of diverse populations and in
(Focus of Exam Questions) the effective administration of new coerced labor systems.
CUL-2 Explain how religions, I. Rulers used a variety of methods to legitimize and consolidate their power.
A. Rulers continued to use
religious ideas, art, and
monumental architecture to
legitimize their rule.
CUL-5 Explain how the arts
are shaped by and reflect B. Many states adopted practices
innovation, adaptation, and to accommodate the different
creativity of specific societies ethnic and religious diversity
over time. of their subjects or to utilize
the economic, political, and
SB-1 Explain how different military contributions of
forms of governance have been different ethnic or religious
constructed and maintained groups.
over time.
C. Recruitment and use of
SB-2 Explain how and why bureaucratic elites, as well as
different functions and the development of military
institutions of governance have professionals, became more
changed over time. common among rulers
who wanted to maintain
centralized control over their
populations and resources.
influenced the processes of D. Rulers used tribute collection
state building, expansion, and and tax farming to generate
dissolution. revenue for territorial
expansion.


time.
▲

Concept Outline
ECON-2 Explain the causes and I. Rulers used a variety of methods to legitimize and consolidate their power.
effects of economic strategies of (CONTINUED)

developed and changed over
time.

each other.

hierarchies.


over time.


affected social structures over
time.
▲

Concept Outline
ENV-2 Explain how II. Imperial expansion relied on the increased use of gunpowder, cannons,
environmental factors, disease, and armed trade to establish large empires in both hemispheres.
A. Europeans established new
trading-post empires in Africa
and Asia, which proved
SB-1 Explain how different profitable for the rulers and
forms of governance have been merchants involved in new
constructed and maintained global trade networks, but
over time. the impact of these empires
was limited by the authority
SB-2 Explain how and why of local states, including the
different functions and Ashanti and Mughal empires
changed over time. B. Land empires—including the
Manchu, Mughal, Ottoman,
SB-3 Explain how and why and Russian—expanded
economic, social, cultural, dramatically in size.
influenced the processes of C. European states established
state building, expansion, and new maritime empires in
dissolution. the Americas, including the
Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch,
French, and British.

time.

▲

Concept Outline
SB-2 Explain how and why III. Competition over trade routes, state rivalries, and local resistance all
different functions and provided significant challenges to state consolidation and expansion.
changed over time.

state building, expansion, and
dissolution.



time.


time.
▲

PERIOD 5:
Industrialization and
Global Integration
c. 1750 to c. 1900
Concept Outline
Related Thematic Key Concept 5.1 — The process of industrialization changed

Learning Objectives the way in which goods were produced and consumed, with far-
(Focus of Exam Questions) reaching effects on the global economy, social relations, and culture.
ENV-4 Explain how I. Industrialization fundamentally changed how goods were produced.
environmental factors have
A. A variety of factors that
shaped the development
led to the rise of industrial
production and eventually
industrialization, transportation
resulted in the Industrial
methods, and exchange and
Revolution included:
communication networks.
w Europe’s location on the
ENV-5 Evaluate the extent to Atlantic Ocean
w The geographical
distribution of coal, iron,
and timber
ww European demographic
environment over time. changes
ww Urbanization
different functions and w Improved agricultural
institutions of governance have productivity
changed over time. w Legal protection of private
property
ECON-1 Explain how technology
ww An abundance of rivers and
shaped economic production
canals
and globalization over time.
w Access to foreign resources
ww The accumulation of capital
production and commerce have B. The development of
developed and changed over machines, including steam
time. engines and the internal
combustion engine, made it
possible to take advantage
of vast new resources of
energy stored in fossil fuels,
ECON-6 Explain how economic specifically coal and oil. The
systems and the development fossil fuels revolution greatly
of ideologies, values, and increased the energy available
institutions have influenced to human societies.
each other.
C. The development of the
SOC-1 Evaluate the extent factory system concentrated
to which distinctions based labor in a single location and
on kinship, ethnicity, class, led to an increasing degree of
gender, and race influenced specialization of labor.
hierarchies.
▲

Concept Outline

SOC-2 Evaluate the extent I. Industrialization fundamentally changed how goods were produced.
to which different ideologies, (CONTINUED)
D. As the new methods of
industrial production became
SOC-3 Evaluate the extent more common in parts of
to which legal systems, northwestern Europe, they
colonialism, nationalism, and spread to other parts of Europe
independence movements have and the United States, Russia,
sustained or challenged class, and Japan.
E. The “second industrial
over time.
revolution” led to new
SOC-4 Explain how the methods in the production of
development of specialized steel, chemicals, electricity,
labor systems interacted with and precision machinery
the development of social during the second half of the
hierarchies. 19th century.
▲

Concept Outline

ENV-4 Explain how II. New patterns of global trade and production developed and further
environmental factors have integrated the global economy as industrialists sought raw materials and
shaped the development new markets for the increasing amount and array of goods produced in
of diverse technologies, their factories.
A. The need for raw materials for
the factories and increased
food supplies for the growing
ENV-5 Evaluate the extent to population in urban centers
which the development of diverse led to the growth of export
technologies, industrialization, economies around the world
transportation methods, and that specialized in commercial
exchange and communication extraction of natural
networks have affected the resources and the production
environment over time. of food and industrial crops.
The profits from these raw
CUL-3 Explain how cross-cultural materials were used to
interactions resulted in the purchase finished goods.
and scientific knowledge. B. The rapid development of
steam-powered industrial
SB-3 Explain how and why production in European
economic, social, cultural, countries and the U.S.
and geographical factors have contributed to the increase in
influenced the processes of these regions’ share of global
state building, expansion, and manufacturing during the
dissolution. first Industrial Revolution.
ECON-1 Explain how While Middle Eastern and
technology shaped economic Asian countries continued to
production and globalization produce manufactured goods,
over time. these regions’ share in global
manufacturing declined.
effects of economic strategies of C. The global economy of the
different types of communities, 19th century expanded
states, and empires. dramatically from the
previous period due to
ECON-3 Explain how different increased exchanges of raw
modes and locations of materials and finished goods
production and commerce in most parts of the world.
have developed and changed Trade in some commodities
over time. was organized in a way
that gave merchants and
companies based in Europe
and the U.S. a distinct
economic advantage.
▲

Concept Outline

CUL-1 Explain how religions, III. To facilitate investments at all levels of industrial production, financiers
belief systems, philosophies, and developed and expanded various financial institutions.
A. The ideological inspiration
for economic changes lies in
the development of capitalism
exchange networks.
and classical liberalism
ECON-1 Explain how associated with Adam Smith
technology shaped economic and John Stuart Mill.
production and globalization
B. The global nature of trade and
over time.
production contributed to the
ECON-2 Explain the causes and proliferation of large-scale
effects of economic strategies of transnational businesses that
different types of communities, relied on various financial
states, and empires. instruments.

time.

each other.

▲

Concept Outline

ENV-2 Explain how IV. There were major developments and innovations in transportation and
environmental factors, disease, communication, including railroads, steamships, telegraphs, and canals.

▲

Concept Outline

CUL-1 Explain how religions, V. The development and spread of global capitalism led to a variety of
belief systems, philosophies, responses.
A. In industrialized states,
many workers organized
themselves, often in labor
unions, to improve working
networks.
conditions, limit hours, and
SB-1 Explain how different gain higher wages. Workers’
forms of governance have been movements and political
constructed and maintained parties emerged in different
over time. areas, promoting alternative
visions of society, including
SB-2 Explain how and why Marxism.
institutions of governance have B. In response to the expansion
changed over time. of industrializing states,
some governments in Asia
and Africa, such as the
Ottoman Empire and Qing
China, sought to reform and
modernize their economies
and militaries. Reform efforts
dissolution.
were often resisted by some
SB-4 Explain how and why members of government or
internal and external political established elite groups.
C. In a small number of states,
governments promoted their
own state-sponsored visions
ECON-2 Explain the causes and of industrialization.
D. In response to the social
and economic changes
brought about by
ECON-3 Explain how different industrial capitalism, some
modes and locations of governments promoted
production and commerce have various types of political,
developed and changed over social, educational, and urban
time. reforms.

and effects of labor reform
movements.
▲

Concept Outline

ECON-6 Explain how economic V. The development and spread of global capitalism led to a variety of
systems and the development responses.
of ideologies, values, and (CONTINUED)
each other.

hierarchies.

▲

Concept Outline

ENV-3 Evaluate the extent to VI. The ways in which people organized themselves into societies also
which migration, population, underwent significant transformations in industrialized states due to the
and urbanization affected the fundamental restructuring of the global economy.
A. New social classes, including
ENV-4 Explain how the middle class and the
environmental factors have industrial working class,
shaped the development developed.
B. Family dynamics, gender
roles, and demographics
changed in response to
industrialization.
C. Rapid urbanization that
accompanied global
capitalism often led to a
variety of challenges.

dissolution.


hierarchies.


hierarchies.
▲

Concept Outline
Related Thematic Key Concept 5.2 — As states industrialized, they also expanded
Learning Objectives existing overseas empires and established new colonies and
(Focus of Exam Questions) transoceanic relationships.
ENV-4 Explain how I. Industrializing powers established transoceanic empires.
A. States with existing colonies
shaped the development
strengthened their control
over those colonies.
methods, and exchange and B. European states, as well
communication networks. as the United States and
ENV-5 Evaluate the extent Japan, established empires
to which the development throughout Asia and the
of diverse technologies, Pacific, while Spanish
industrialization, transportation and Portuguese influence
methods, and exchange and declined.
communication networks have C. Many European states used
affected the environment over both warfare and diplomacy
time. to expand their empires
SB-1 Explain how different in Africa.
forms of governance have been D. In some parts of their
constructed and maintained empires, Europeans
over time. established settler colonies.
SB-2 Explain how and why E. Industrialized states practiced
different functions and neocolonialism in Latin
institutions of governance have America and economic
changed over time. imperialism in some parts of
SB-3 Explain how and why the world.
dissolution.

time.

▲

Concept Outline
ECON-3 Explain how different I. Industrializing powers established transoceanic empires.
modes and locations of (CONTINUED)
time.

over time.


time.
▲

Concept Outline
CUL-1 Explain how religions, II. Imperialism influenced state formation and contraction around the world.
A. The expansion of U.S. and
European influence over
Tokugawa Japan led to the
emergence of Meiji Japan.
networks. B. The United States, Russia,
SB-1 Explain how different and Japan expanded their
forms of governance have been land borders by conquering
constructed and maintained and settling neighboring
over time. territories.
SB-2 Explain how and why C. Anti-imperial resistance took

different functions and various forms, including
institutions of governance have direct resistance within
changed over time. empires and the creation of
new states on the peripheries.
dissolution.


time.
ECON-1 Explain how

technology shaped economic
over time.

over time.
▲

Concept Outline
SOC-5 Explain how social II. Imperialism influenced state formation and contraction around the world.
categories, status, roles, and (CONTINUED)

time.
▲

Concept Outline
CUL-1 Explain how religions, III. In some imperial societies, emerging cultural, religious, and racial
belief systems, philosophies, ideologies, including social Darwinism, were used to justify imperialism.
networks.


dissolution.

each other.

▲

Concept Outline
Key Concept 5.3 — The 18th century marked the beginning of

Related Thematic an intense period of revolution and rebellion against existing
Learning Objectives governments, leading to the establishment of new nation-states
(Focus of Exam Questions) around the world.
CUL-1 Explain how religions, I. The rise and diffusion of Enlightenment thought that questioned
belief systems, philosophies, established traditions in all areas of life often preceded revolutions and
and ideologies originated, rebellions against existing governments.
A. Enlightenment philosophies
applied new ways of
understanding and empiricist
networks.
approaches to both the
CUL-2 Explain how religions, natural world and human
belief systems, philosophies, relationships, encouraging
and ideologies affected observation and inference
political, economic, and social in all spheres of life; they
developments over time. also reexamined the role
that religion played in
CUL-4 Explain how technological public life, insisting on the
and scientific innovations importance of reason as
affected religions, belief systems, opposed to revelation. Other
philosophies, and ideologies over Enlightenment philosophies
time. developed new political ideas
SB-3 Explain how and why about the individual, natural
economic, social, cultural, rights, and the social contract.
and geographical factors have B. The ideas of Enlightenment
influenced the processes of philosophers, as reflected in
state building, expansion, and revolutionary documents—
dissolution. including the American
SB-4 Explain how and why Declaration of Independence,
internal and external political the French Declaration
factors have influenced the of the Rights of Man and
process of state building, Citizen, and Bolívar’s
expansion, and dissolution. Jamaica Letter—influenced
resistance to existing
ECON-4 Explain the causes political authority, often in
and effects of labor reform pursuit of independence and
movements. democratic ideals.
SOC-1 Explain how distinctions C. Enlightenment ideas
based on kinship, ethnicity, influenced various reform
class, gender, and race movements that challenged
influenced the development existing notions of social
and transformations of social relations, which contributed
hierarchies. to the expansion of rights as
seen in expanded suffrage,
the abolition of slavery, and/or
the end of serfdom.
▲

Concept Outline

SOC-3 Evaluate the extent I. The rise and diffusion of Enlightenment thought that questioned
to which legal systems, established traditions in all areas of life often preceded revolutions and
colonialism, nationalism, and rebellions against existing governments.
independence movements have (CONTINUED)
over time.

hierarchies.


time.
▲

Concept Outline

CUL-1 Explain how religions, II. Beginning in the 18th century, peoples around the world developed a
belief systems, philosophies, new sense of commonality based on language, religion, social customs,
and ideologies originated, and territory. These newly imagined national communities linked this
developed, and spread identity with the borders of the state, while governments used this idea
as a result of expanding of nationalism to unite diverse populations. In some cases, nationalists
communication and exchange challenged boundaries or sought unification of fragmented regions.
networks.

CUL-4 Explain how


dissolution.

hierarchies.


over time.
▲

Concept Outline

SOC-5 Explain how social II. Beginning in the 18th century, peoples around the world developed a
categories, status, roles, and new sense of commonality based on language, religion, social customs,
practices have been maintained and territory. These newly imagined national communities linked this
or challenged over time. identity with the borders of the state, while governments used this idea
of nationalism to unite diverse populations. In some cases, nationalists
SOC-6 Explain how political, challenged boundaries or sought unification of fragmented regions.
economic, cultural, and (CONTINUED)
time.
▲

Concept Outline

SB-1 Explain how different III. Increasing discontent with imperial rule propelled reformist and
forms of governance have been revolutionary movements.
A. Subjects challenged
over time.
centralized imperial
SB-2 Explain how and why governments.
B. American colonial subjects
led a series of rebellions—
changed over time.
including the American
SB-3 Explain how and why Revolution, the Haitian
economic, social, cultural, Revolution, and the Latin
and geographical factors have American independence
influenced the processes of movements—that facilitated
state building, expansion, and the emergence of independent
dissolution. states in the U.S., Haiti, and
mainland Latin America.
internal and external political C. Slave resistance challenged
factors have influenced the existing authorities in the
process of state building, Americas.
D. Increasing questions
SB-5 Explain how societies about political authority
with states and state-less and growing nationalism
societies interacted over time. contributed to anticolonial
movements.
economic interactions between E. Some of the rebellions
states and non-state actors over were influenced by diverse
time. religious ideas.

movements.

hierarchies.
▲

Concept Outline

SOC-3 Evaluate the extent III. Increasing discontent with imperial rule propelled reformist and
to which legal systems, revolutionary movements.
colonialism, nationalism, and (CONTINUED)
over time.


over time.
▲

Concept Outline

CUL-1 Explain how religions, IV. The global spread of European political and social thought and the
belief systems, philosophies, increasing number of rebellions stimulated new transnational ideologies
and ideologies originated, and solidarities.
A. Discontent with monarchist
and imperial rule encouraged
the development of various
networks.
ideologies, including
CUL-2 Explain how religions, democracy, liberalism,
belief systems, philosophies, socialism, and communism.
B. Demands for women’s
suffrage and an emergent
feminism challenged political
SB-3 Explain how and why and gender hierarchies.
dissolution.


movements.

hierarchies.

▲

Concept Outline

SOC-3 Evaluate the extent IV. The global spread of European political and social thought and the
to which legal systems, increasing number of rebellions stimulated new transnational ideologies
colonialism, nationalism, and and solidarities.
independence movements have (CONTINUED)
over time.

hierarchies.

▲

Concept Outline
Key Concept 5.4 — As a result of the emergence of transoceanic

Related Thematic empires and a global capitalist economy, migration patterns
Learning Objectives changed dramatically, and the numbers of migrants increased
(Focus of Exam Questions) significantly.
ENV-2 Explain how I. Migration in many cases was influenced by changes in demographics
environmental factors, disease, in both industrialized and unindustrialized societies that presented
and technology affected challenges to existing patterns of living.
A. Changes in food production
and improved medical
ENV-3 Evaluate the extent to conditions contributed to
which migration, population, a significant global rise in
and urbanization affected the population in both urban and
environment over time. rural areas.
ENV-5 Evaluate the extent B. Because of the nature

to which the development of the new modes of
of diverse technologies, transportation, both internal
industrialization, transportation and external migrants
methods, and exchange and increasingly relocated
communication networks have to cities. This pattern
affected the environment over contributed to the significant
time. global urbanization of the
19th century. The new
SB-2 Explain how and why methods of transportation
different functions and also allowed for many
institutions of governance have migrants to return,
changed over time. periodically or permanently,
ECON-1 Explain how to their home societies.
over time.

over time.


over time.
▲

Concept Outline

ENV-2 Explain how II. Migrants relocated for a variety of reasons.
A. Many individuals chose freely
to relocate, often in search of
work.
ENV-3 Evaluate the extent to B. The new global capitalist

which migration, population, economy continued to rely
and urbanization affected the on coerced and semicoerced
environment over time. labor migration, including
slavery, Chinese and Indian
ECON-5 Explain how and why indentured servitude, and
labor systems have developed convict labor.

hierarchies.

hierarchies.

time.
▲

Concept Outline

ENV-2 Explain how III. The large-scale nature of migration, especially in the 19th century,
environmental factors, disease, produced a variety of consequences and reactions to the increasingly
and technology affected diverse societies on the part of migrants and the existing populations.
A. Migrants tended to be male,
leaving women to take on new
CUL-6 Explain how expanding roles in the home society that
exchange networks shaped the had been formerly occupied
emergence of various forms of by men.
B. Migrants often created ethnic
enclaves in different parts
SOC-1 Explain how distinctions of the world that helped
based on kinship, ethnicity, transplant their culture
class, gender, and race into new environments and
influenced the development facilitated the development of
and transformations of social migrant support networks.
hierarchies.
C. Receiving societies did not
SOC-6 Explain how political, always embrace immigrants,
economic, cultural, and as seen in the various degrees
demographic factors have of ethnic and racial prejudice
affected social structures over and the ways states attempted
time. to regulate the increased flow
of people across their borders.
▲

PERIOD 6:
Accelerating
Global Change and
Realignments
c. 1900 to the PRESENT
Concept Outline
Key Concept 6.1 — Rapid advances in science and technology

Related Thematic altered the understanding of the universe and the natural world
Learning Objectives and led to advances in communication, transportation, industry,
(Focus of Exam Questions) agriculture, and medicine.
ENV-2 Explain how I. Researchers made rapid advances in science that spread throughout the
environmental factors, disease, world, assisted by the development of new technology.
A. New modes of
communication—
including the Internet,
ENV-3 Evaluate the extent to radio communication, and
which migration, population, cellular communication—
and urbanization affected the and transportation reduced
environment over time. the problem of geographic
ENV-4 Explain how distance.
environmental factors have B. The Green Revolution and
shaped the development commercial agriculture
of diverse technologies, increased productivity and
industrialization, transportation sustained the earth’s growing
methods, and exchange and population as it spread
communication networks. chemically and genetically
ENV-5 Evaluate the extent to modified forms of agriculture.
C. Medical innovations, such
as vaccines and antibiotics,
increased the ability of
humans to survive and live
longer lives.
D. Energy technologies,
including the use of
petroleum and nuclear power,
raised productivity and
increased the production of
CUL-4 Explain how material goods.
▲

Concept Outline

ENV-2 Explain how II. During a period of unprecedented global population expansion, humans
environmental factors, disease, fundamentally changed their interactions with the environment.
A. As human activity
contributed to deforestation,
desertification, and increased
ENV-3 Evaluate the extent to consumption of the world’s
which migration, population, supply of fresh water and
and urbanization affected the clean air, humans competed
environment over time. over these and other
resources more intensely than
ENV-4 Explain how ever before.
shaped the development B. The release of greenhouse
of diverse technologies, gases and other pollutants
industrialization, transportation into the atmosphere
methods, and exchange and contributed to debates about
communication networks. the nature and causes of
climate change.
ENV-5 Evaluate the extent
to which the development
communication networks
have affected the environment
over time.

dissolution.
ECON-1 Explain how

over time.
▲

Concept Outline

ENV-3 Evaluate the extent to III. Disease, scientific innovations, and conflict led to demographic shifts.
A. Diseases associated with
poverty persisted, while other
diseases emerged as new
CUL-4 Explain how epidemics and threats to
technological and scientific human survival. In addition,
innovations affected religions, increased longevity led to a
belief systems, philosophies, higher incidence of certain
and ideologies over time. diseases.
SB-3 Explain how and why B. More effective forms of birth

economic, social, cultural, control gave women greater
and geographical factors have control over fertility and
influenced the processes of transformed sexual practices.
dissolution. C. New military technology and
new tactics and the waging
SB-6 Explain the political and of “total war” led to increased
economic interactions between levels of wartime casualties.
time.

▲

Concept Outline
Related Thematic Key Concept 6.2 — Peoples and states around the world challenged
Learning Objectives the existing political and social order in varying ways, leading to
(Focus of Exam Questions) unprecedented worldwide conflicts.
SB-2 Explain how and why I. Europe dominated the global political order at the beginning of the 20th
different functions and century, but both land-based and transoceanic empires gave way to new
institutions of governance have states by the century’s end.
changed over time.
A. The older, land-based
SB-3 Explain how and why Ottoman, Russian, and Qing
economic, social, cultural, empires collapsed due to a
and geographical factors have combination of internal and
influenced the processes of external factors.
B. Between the two world wars,
dissolution.
European imperial states
SB-4 Explain how and why often maintained control
internal and external political over their colonies and in
factors have influenced the some cases gained additional
process of state building, territories.
C. After the end of World War II,
SB-6 Explain the political and some colonies negotiated
economic interactions between their independence, while
states and non-state actors over other colonies achieved
time. independence through armed
struggle.
ECON-1 Explain how
over time.
▲

Concept Outline
CUL-1 Explain how religions, II. Emerging ideologies of anti-imperialism contributed to the dissolution of
belief systems, philosophies, empires and the restructuring of states.
A. Nationalist leaders and
parties in Asia and Africa
sought varying degrees
of autonomy within or
networks.
independence from imperial
CUL-2 Explain how religions, rule.
B. Regional, religious, and
ethnic movements challenged
both colonial rule and
inherited imperial boundaries.
C. Transnational movements
sought to unite people across
national boundaries.
SB-1 Explain how different D. The Mexican Revolution

forms of governance have been arose in opposition to
constructed and maintained neocolonialism and economic
over time. imperialism, and movements
to redistribute land and
SB-2 Explain how and why resources developed within
different functions and states in Africa, Asia, and
institutions of governance have Latin America, sometimes
changed over time. advocating communism or
socialism.
economic, social, cultural, E. In many parts of the world,
and geographical factors have religious movements sought
influenced the processes of to redefine the relationship
state building, expansion, and between the individual and
dissolution. the state.


time.
▲

Concept Outline
ECON-4 Explain the causes II. Emerging ideologies of anti-imperialism contributed to the dissolution of
and effects of labor reform empires and the restructuring of states.
movements. (CONTINUED)

each other.

hierarchies.


over time.


over time.
▲

Concept Outline
SB-3 Explain how and why III. Political changes were accompanied by major demographic and social
economic, social, cultural, consequences.
A. The redrawing of old colonial
boundaries led to conflict
as well as population
dissolution.
displacement and/or
SB-4 Explain how and why resettlements, such as the
internal and external political partitioning of India and
factors have influenced the Pakistan and population
process of state building, displacements following the
expansion, and dissolution. creation of the state of Israel.
SB-6 Explain the political and B. The migration of former

economic interactions between colonial subjects to imperial
states and non-state actors over metropoles (the former
time. colonizing country, usually in
the major cities) maintained
ECON-3 Explain how different cultural and economic ties
modes and locations of between the colony and the
production and commerce have metropole even after the
developed and changed over dissolution of empires.
time.
C. The rise of extremist
groups in power led to the
annihilation of specific
populations, notably in the
Holocaust during World
time.
War II, and to other atrocities,
acts of genocide, or ethnic
violence.
▲

Concept Outline
CUL-1 Explain how religions, IV. Military conflicts occurred on an unprecedented global scale.
A. World War I and World
War II were the first total
wars. Governments used a
variety of strategies, including
political propaganda, art,
networks.
media, and intensified forms
CUL-5 Explain how the arts of nationalism, to mobilize
are shaped by and reflect populations (both in the home
innovation, adaptation, and countries and the colonies
creativity of specific societies or former colonies) for the
over time. purpose of waging war.
Governments used ideologies,
including fascism and
communism, to mobilize all of
their state’s resources for war
over time.
and, in the case of totalitarian
SB-2 Explain how and why states, to direct many aspects
different functions and of daily life during the course
institutions of governance have of the conflicts and beyond.
changed over time.
B. The sources of global
SB-3 Explain how and why conflict in the first half of the
economic, social, cultural, century varied and included
and geographical factors have imperialist expansion by
influenced the processes of European powers and Japan,
state building, expansion, and competition for resources, the
dissolution. economic crisis engendered
by the Great Depression,
SB-4 Explain how and why and the rise of fascist and
internal and external political totalitarian regimes to
factors have influenced the positions of power.

time.
ECON-1 Explain how

over time.
▲

Concept Outline
ECON-2 Explain the causes and IV. Military conflicts occurred on an unprecedented global scale.
effects of economic strategies of (CONTINUED)
states, and empires. C. The global balance of
economic and political
ECON-3 Explain how different power shifted after the end
modes and locations of of World War II and rapidly
production and commerce have evolved into the Cold War.
developed and changed over The democracy of the United
time. States and the communist
ECON-6 Explain how economic Soviet Union emerged as
systems and the development superpowers, which led to
of ideologies, values, and ideological conflict and a
institutions have influenced power struggle between
each other. capitalism and communism
across the globe. This conflict
SOC-3 Evaluate the extent extended beyond its basic
to which legal systems, ideological origins to have
colonialism, nationalism, and profound effects on economic,
independence movements have political, social, and cultural
sustained or challenged class, aspects of global events.
over time. D. The Cold War produced new
military alliances, including
SOC-6 Explain how political, NATO and the Warsaw
economic, cultural, and Pact, and promoted proxy
demographic factors have wars between and within
affected social structures postcolonial states in Latin
over time. America, Africa, and Asia.
E. Expansions in U.S. military

spending and technological
development, the Soviet
invasion of Afghanistan,
and economic weakness in
communist countries led to
the end of the Cold War and
the collapse of the Soviet
Union.
▲

Concept Outline
CUL-1 Explain how religions, V. Although conflict dominated much of the 20th century, many individuals
belief systems, philosophies, and and groups—including states—opposed this trend. Some individuals and
ideologies originated, developed, groups, however, intensified the conflicts.
A. Groups and individuals
challenged the many wars
exchange networks.
of the century, and some,
CUL-5 Explain how the arts are such as Mohandas Gandhi,
shaped by and reflect innovation, Martin Luther King Jr., and
adaptation, and creativity of Nelson Mandela, promoted
specific societies over time. the practice of nonviolence as
a way to bring about political
CUL-6 Explain how expanding change.
emergence of various forms of B. Groups and individuals,
transregional culture, including including the Non-Aligned
music, literature, and visual art. Movement, opposed and
promoted alternatives to the
SB-1 Explain how different existing economic, political,
forms of governance have been and social orders.
over time. C. Militaries and militarized
states often responded to the
SB-2 Explain how and why proliferation of conflicts in
different functions and ways that further intensified
institutions of governance have conflict.
changed over time.
D. Some movements used
SB-3 Explain how and why violence against civilians to
economic, social, cultural, achieve political aims.
dissolution.


time.

▲

Concept Outline
SOC-1 Evaluate the extent V. Although conflict dominated much of the 20th century, many individuals
to which distinctions based and groups—including states—opposed this trend. Some individuals and
on kinship, ethnicity, class, groups, however, intensified the conflicts.
gender, and race influenced (CONTINUED)
hierarchies.


over time.

▲

Concept Outline
Related Thematic Key Concept 6.3 — The role of the state in the domestic economy
Learning Objectives varied, and new institutions of global association emerged and
(Focus of Exam Questions) continued to develop throughout the century.
CUL-1 Explain how religions, I. States responded in a variety of ways to the economic challenges of the
belief systems, philosophies, and 20th century.
A. In communist states, such as
the Soviet Union and China,
governments controlled
exchange networks.
their national economies,
SB-1 Explain how different often through repressive
forms of governance have been policies and with negative
constructed and maintained repercussions for their
over time. populations.
SB-2 Explain how and why B. Following World War I

different functions and and the onset of the Great
institutions of governance have Depression, governments
changed over time. began to take a more active
role in economic life.
economic, social, cultural, C. In newly independent
and geographical factors have states after World War II,
influenced the processes of governments often took
state building, expansion, and on a strong role in guiding
dissolution. economic life to promote
development.
internal and external political D. In a trend accelerated by the
factors have influenced the end of the Cold War, many
process of state building, governments encouraged
expansion, and dissolution. free-market economic policies
and promoted economic
ECON-1 Explain how technology
liberalization in the late 20th
shaped economic production and
century.
globalization over time.
E. In the late 20th century,
revolutions in information
and communications
technology led to the growth
of knowledge economies
ECON-3 Explain how different in the some regions, while
modes and locations of industrial production
production and commerce have and manufacturing were
developed and changed over time. increasingly situated in
developing economies
ECON-6 Explain how economic including the Pacific Rim and
systems and the development Latin America.
each other.
▲

Concept Outline
ENV-2 Explain how II. States, communities, and individuals became increasingly
environmental factors, disease, interdependent—a process facilitated by the growth of institutions of
and technology affected global governance.
A. New international
organizations formed to
ENV-4 Explain how maintain world peace and
environmental factors have to facilitate international
shaped the development cooperation.
B. Changing economic
institutions and regional
trade agreements reflected
the spread of principles and
ENV-5 Evaluate the extent to practices associated with free-
which the development of diverse market economics throughout
technologies, industrialization, the world.
C. Movements throughout the
world protested the inequality
of the environmental and
economic consequences of
CUL-1 Explain how religions, global integration.
belief systems, philosophies, and
exchange networks.

changed over time.

dissolution.


▲

Concept Outline
SB-6 Explain the political and II. States, communities, and individuals became increasingly
economic interactions between interdependent—a process facilitated by the growth of institutions of
states and non-state actors global governance.
over time. (CONTINUED)
ECON-1 Explain how

over time.


time.

each other.


▲

Concept Outline
CUL-1 Explain how religions, III. People conceptualized society and culture in new ways; rights-based
belief systems, philosophies, discourses challenged old assumptions about race, class, gender,
and ideologies originated, and religion. In much of the world, access to education, as well as
developed, and spread participation in new political and professional roles, became more
as a result of expanding inclusive in terms of these factors.
networks.

CUL-5 Explain how the arts

over time.


dissolution.
ECON-1 Explain how

over time.

hierarchies.
▲

Concept Outline
SOC-2 Evaluate the extent III. People conceptualized society and culture in new ways; rights-based
to which different ideologies, discourses challenged old assumptions about race, class, gender,
philosophies, and religions and religion. In much of the world, access to education, as well as
affected social hierarchies. participation in new political and professional roles, became more
inclusive in terms of these factors.
SOC-5 Explain how social (CONTINUED)
▲

Concept Outline
CUL-5 Explain how the arts IV. Political and social changes of the 20th century led to changes in the arts
are shaped by and reflect and literature. In the second half of the century, popular and consumer
innovation, adaptation, and culture became more global.
over time.

ECON-1 Explain how

over time.

over time.
▲

AP World History Exam
Questions on the AP World History Exam assess proficiency in the AP history disciplinary
practices and reasoning skills, as well as the thematic learning objectives and key concepts of
the AP World History course. The following table provides a brief overview of the exam format
and types of questions.
Exam Overview
Section 1, Part A Multiple Choice — 55 Questions | 55 Minutes | 40% of Exam Score
ww Questions appear in sets of two to five.
w Students analyze primary and secondary texts, images, graphs, and

maps.
ww Questions cover all course periods.
Section I, Part B Short Answer — 3 Questions | 40 Minutes | 20% of Exam Score

w Students respond to two required questions and choose between
two options for a third question.
ww Questions 1 and 2 cover periods 3–6 of the course; students choose
between answering either question 3 (periods 1–3) or question 4
(periods 4–6).
w Students analyze historians’ interpretations, historical sources, and
propositions about history.
ww Questions provide opportunities for students to explain the
historical examples that they know best.
Section II, Part A Document Based — 1 Question | 60 Minutes | 25% of Exam Score
w Students assess written, visual, and quantitative sources as
historical evidence.
ww Students develop an argument supported by an analysis of
w Question covers periods 3–6 of the course.
Section II, Part B Long Essay — 1 Question | 40 Minutes | 15% of Exam Score
ww Students select one question among three from different time
periods (1–2, 3–4, 5–6) of the course.
w Students explain and analyze significant issues in world history.
ww Students develop an argument supported by an analysis of
ww Questions provide opportunities for students to explain the
historical examples that they know best.
A full practice exam can be found on the AP World History Exam Page on
AP Central.

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AP

AP® World History

AP COURSE FRAMEWORKS ARE UPDATED REGULARLY.

Please visit AP Central (apcentral.collegeboard.com) to determine whether a more

AP Equity and Access Policy

Updated October 2017

Participating in the AP Course Audit 1

Offering AP Courses and Enrolling Students 2

How AP Courses and Exams Are Developed 3

How AP Exams Are Scored 3

Using and Interpreting AP Scores 4

About the AP World History Course 5

AP World History Course Framework 6

I. AP History Disciplinary Practices and Reasoning Skills 7

II. Thematic Learning Objectives 9

Theme 1: Interaction Between Humans and the Environment 9

Theme 2: Development and Interaction of Cultures 10

Theme 3: State Building, Expansion, and Conflict 10

Theme 4: Creation, Expansion, and Interaction of Economic Systems 11

Theme 5: Development and Transformation of Social Structures 11

III. Geographical Coverage 12

IV. Concept Outline 14

Using the Concept Outline to Plan Instruction 14

Period 1: Technological and Environmental Transformations, to c. 600 B.C.E. 15

Period 2: Organization and Reorganization of

Period 3: Regional and Interregional Interactions, c. 600 C.E. to c. 1450 40

Period 4: Global Interactions, c. 1450 to c. 1750 55

Period 5: Industrialization and Global Integration, c. 1750 to c. 1900 73

Period 6: Accelerating Global Change and Realignments, c. 1900 to the Present 98

AP World History Exam 116

Exam Overview 116

About the Course Framework

AP World History Course Framework Return to Table of Contents iv

Greg Ahlquist, Webster Thomas High School, Webster, NY

Kelly Stromberg, Director, AP Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

AP World History Course Framework Return to Table of Contents v

Participating in the AP Course Audit

Please visit www.collegeboard.com/html/apcourseaudit/courses/world_history.html for

AP World History Course Framework Return to Table of Contents 1

Offering AP Courses and Enrolling Students

AP World History Course Framework Return to Table of Contents 2

How AP Courses and Exams Are Developed

How AP Exams Are Scored

AP World History Course Framework Return to Table of Contents 3

Using and Interpreting AP Scores

5 Extremely well qualified

AP World History Course Framework Return to Table of Contents 4

About the AP World History Course

AP World History Course Framework Return to Table of Contents 5

II. Thematic Learning Objectives

III. Geographical Coverage

IV. Concept Outline

AP World History Course Framework Return to Table of Contents 6

I. AP History Disciplinary Practices

AP World History Course Framework Return to Table of Contents 7

AP History Disciplinary Practices

Students will be assessed on their ability to ...

Primary Sources ww Make a historically defensible

ww Describe the claim or argument of a secondary source, as well as the

AP History Reasoning Skills

AP World History Course Framework Return to Table of Contents 8

II. Thematic Learning Objectives

Learning Objective by Theme