AP World History Exam: Period 4 Notes (1450 to 1750 C.E.)

Six Things to Know about AP World History Period 4

1. As a result of the search for a faster way to the trade routes of the Indian Ocean, the Americas became part of the global trade network, and the process of true globalization began. This encounter set off the Columbian Exchange of goods, disease, and cultures, which spread throughout the world.
2. Improvements in and the spread of shipping technologies and gunpowder weapons allowed European countries to begin to exercise a more prominent role in world affairs.
3. Native American people died by the millions due to their exposure to previously unknown European diseases. African people were forcibly transported across the Atlantic Ocean to fill the need for forced labor on plantations.
4. New social structures emerged like those in the Americas based on race. While few women exerted power publicly, women of the harem in the Ottoman empire wielded considerable power behind the scenes.
5. In Europe, the Renaissance and Reformation challenged previously accepted beliefs and the power of the Roman Catholic Church. In other parts of the world such as China, the reaffirmation of more traditional beliefs was viewed as the key to stability.
6. European empires, such as Spain and Portugal, stretched their power overseas to conquer and control the newly encountered Americas. At the same time, dominant land-based empires such as the Ottoman, Mughal, and Qing grew powerful.