Chapter 9
Unit 3 World History
The Creation of Adam from the Sistine Chapel ceiling. (Public Domain photo. Info can be found here)
The Battle of Lepanto (1571) painting from the Maritime Museum. (Public Domain photo. Info can be found here)
This chapter spends a great deal of time covering the rise and golden ages of the Gunpowder Empires of the Middle East. There is a great deal of inter connectivity during this time between these groups and the countries of Eastern and Central Europe. There are many leaders of the Ottomans, Mughals, and Safavids that are covered during this unit that may be relatively unknown to many of the parents due to the fact that we were not taught this information growing up, but many of these people are towering figures in terms of World History. We also talk about the rise of Russia as a powerhouse after the removal of Mongol control. This is the moment where Russia develops an identity that continues to this day.

Essential questions

The following questions are meant to be studied during the chapter as possible essay questions for your exam.
Please be ready for any of the following questions.
  1. In what way is the Taj Mahal considered one of the most romantic gestures in the history of mankind?
  2. In what ways did Peter the Great modernize Russia? Did he do this in positive ways?
  3. What life events show that Ivan the Terrible had serious mental issues and is there anything in his life that may have contributed to this?
  4. What made Gunpowder Empires so powerful compared to other groups from the same areas?

Chapter Content

Use the following links to find the content you are interested in or use the search bar at the top right to look for specific concepts.

The Rise of the Gunpowder Empires

The Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Long Slow Decline

The Safavids

The Mughal Empire

Golden Age & Decline

The Rise of the Russian Empire

Ivan IV (the Terrible)

Absolute Power of The Romanov’s

Westernization In Russia

Catherine II (the Great)

Class
Resources

The following are a list of helpful resources that can be used in studying for this chapter.

Class Notes

These are the notes that I use for class. All information found in these notes lead directly to the test so they should be used in studying if you want the correct answers. This can only be accessed by students logged into their school account.

Chapter Powerpoint

This link will lead you to the PowerPoint for this unit. Those who missed class can use this to catch up on what was taught in class and what specific concepts to focus on in your studying.

Exam Review

This is the review that should be used to prepare for the exam. All exam questions will be connected directly to this document. Students are expected to answer all questions and are encouraged to know the rest also.

Review Videos

The videos to the right are placed here so that you can find other ways to study if that is your desire. Crash course videos tend to work pretty well for this type of studying as many of the AP World students use them to prep for tests. Please feel free to click on any of the videos in this feed for more info.