APWH Modern: Chapter 1.5
TLDRThis video script offers an insightful overview of the development of states in Africa, focusing on the causation and change over time. It highlights the impact of geography, trade networks, and cultural practices on political structures. The script delves into the significance of the Bantu migration, the kin-based systems, and the rise of complex political entities like the Hausa Kingdom, Ghana, Mali, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia. It also discusses the role of religion, particularly Islam and Christianity, in shaping these societies. The script provides a timeline to contextualize the flourishing of these states and emphasizes the continuity of social hierarchies, slavery, and the enduring influence of trade and cultural practices like griots in African societies.
Takeaways
- ๐ The script provides an overview of the development of states in Africa, focusing on causation and change over time.
- ๐ It emphasizes the relevance of understanding historical patterns of interaction in Africa to interpret current events, especially in relation to global trade and resource exploitation.
- ๐ Africa is divided into major regions: North, West, East, South, and Central Africa, with Sub-Saharan Africa often referring to regions below the Sahara Desert.
- ๐พ The Bantu migration significantly influenced Sub-Saharan Africa, spreading iron tools and farming techniques across the continent by around 1000 AD.
- ๐ The earliest political structures in Africa were kin-based systems, with extended families ruled by a chief, and these persisted in some regions until the 19th century.
- ๐ผ Trade networks, especially the trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean trade, played a crucial role in the development of complex political systems and empires in Africa.
- ๐ฐ Major empires like Ghana and Mali in West Africa, and Zimbabwe and Ethiopia in East Africa, developed due to trade and resource abundance, with gold being a significant draw for Muslim traders.
- ๐ Islam became the dominant religion among the elite in West African empires, while Ethiopia was unique for adopting Christianity due to historical trade connections with the Roman Empire.
- ๐ฅ Social structures in Sub-Saharan Africa were based on age and ability, with slavery being common for various reasons, including as prisoners of war or to pay off debts.
- ๐ญ The arts, particularly bronze sculpture and storytelling by griots, played a vital role in maintaining cultural and political cohesion, especially in the absence of written languages.
- โณ A timeline of major African states is provided to contextualize their development and decline, highlighting the importance of resources, trade networks, and religion in their rise and fall.
Q & A
What is the essential question addressed in the video script about developments in Africa?
-The essential question is how and why did states develop in Africa and change over time, focusing on causation and continuity and change.
How does the video script connect the study of Africa to the current global context?
-It connects by highlighting the importance of understanding historical patterns of interaction that have emerged over centuries to help us understand current events, such as the mining operations of global corporations in Africa today.
What are the major regions of Africa mentioned in the script?
-The major regions mentioned are North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and Central Africa.
What is the significance of the Sahara Desert in the context of Africa's geography?
-The Sahara Desert is significant as it divides Africa into North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, creating a barrier that kept much of the continent's interior closed off to outsiders.
What was the earliest political organization of the interior of Africa?
-The earliest political organization was a kin-based system where an extended family was ruled by a chief, usually the eldest male.
How did the Hausa Kingdom in West Africa develop a more complex political system?
-The Hausa Kingdom developed a more complex political system due to its direct connection to Europe and Asia by trade, which motivated leaders to participate fully in the trade by developing political and economic systems.
What was the main attraction for Muslim traders in West Africa?
-The main attraction for Muslim traders was gold, which was plentiful in West Africa and a valuable commodity in the trans-Saharan trade network.
What role did religion play in the development of African states according to the script?
-Religion, primarily Islam but also Christianity in the case of Ethiopia, played a significant role in connecting African societies to other cultures and supporting the authority of rulers.
How did the kingdom of Zimbabwe benefit from its location and trade?
-Zimbabwe benefited from its location by taxing the gold trade, which allowed it to build stone cities and protective walls. Its connection to the Indian Ocean trade network facilitated this prosperity.
What were the griots and why were they important in sub-Saharan African societies?
-Griots were storytellers who performed songs and were keepers of oral history and knowledge of a clan. They were crucial in passing on knowledge from one generation to the next in societies where languages were generally not written down.
What is the significance of the timeline provided in the script for understanding the development of African states?
-The timeline helps to contextualize the development of major African states like Ghana, Mali, and Ethiopia, showing their time of flourishing and providing a review tool for the regional development discussed in the chapter.
Outlines
๐ Historical Developments and Trade in African States
This paragraph introduces the essential question of how and why states developed in Africa and changed over time. It highlights the interconnectedness of culture and economics in Africa and its relevance to current global events. The paragraph discusses the major regions of Africa, including North, West, East, Southern, and Central Africa, and the geographical challenges posed by the Sahara Desert. It also touches upon the Bantu migration and the kin-based political structures that persisted in parts of Africa until the 19th century. The development of more complex political systems, such as the Hausa Kingdom in West Africa, is attributed to the influence of international trade, particularly the trans-Saharan trade network. The paragraph concludes with a brief mention of the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates' control over North Africa and their role in trade with West Africa.
๐ฐ Rise and Fall of African Empires and Cultural Practices
The second paragraph delves into the development of empires in West and East Africa, focusing on Ghana, Mali, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia. It explains how the prosperity of these empires was linked to their access to trade networks and resources like gold. The paragraph describes the conversion of the ruling class to Islam and the construction of stone cities in Zimbabwe, which still stand today. It also mentions the decline of Zimbabwe due to overgrazing and the unique blend of Christianity with traditional beliefs in Ethiopia. The social structures of sub-Saharan Africa are explored, emphasizing the importance of age, ability, and gender roles. Slavery is discussed as a common practice, with a focus on the types of slavery prevalent in Africa and the significant slave trade between East Africa and the Middle East. The arts and the role of griots in preserving oral history and cultural practices are also highlighted, along with a timeline to contextualize the flourishing periods of the mentioned states.
๐ Causes and Changes in African States' Development
The final paragraph synthesizes the information presented in the previous sections by addressing the essential question's causation and continuity/change components. It prompts reflection on the factors that led to the development of states in Africa, such as resources, trade networks, religion, and cultural practices. The paragraph also considers the continuities and changes over time, including social hierarchies, slavery, trade connections, religious adoptions, and reasons for state decline. This summary encourages a deeper analysis of the historical context and the driving forces behind the evolution of African societies.
Mindmap
Keywords
๐กCausation
๐กContinuity and Change
๐กSub-Saharan Africa
๐กBantu Migration
๐กKin-based Societies
๐กTrans-Saharan Trade Network
๐กHausa Kingdoms
๐กIslamic Caliphates
๐กIndian Ocean Trade Network
๐กZimbabwe
๐กGriots
Highlights
The essential question of the chapter focuses on the development and changes of states in Africa over time.
Africa is divided into major regions due to its large and complex nature: North, West, East, and Southern Africa.
The Sahara Desert acts as a geographical barrier, distinguishing North Africa from Sub-Saharan Africa.
North and East Africa had direct contact with Asia through trade networks, influencing their political and economic development.
The Bantu migration significantly impacted the cultural and technological landscape of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Kin-based societies were the earliest political structures in Africa, governed by a chief from an extended family.
Complex political systems like the Hausa Kingdoms in West Africa emerged from international trade.
The trans-Saharan trade network connected West Africa to the Mediterranean Sea, facilitating the spread of Islam.
Major empires such as Ghana and Mali developed in West Africa, with Mali being considered the richest kingdom in its time.
Gold was a significant resource that attracted traders and contributed to the prosperity of West African empires.
In East Africa, states like Zimbabwe and Ethiopia were connected to global trade through the Indian Ocean.
Zimbabwe's revenue from gold trade enabled the construction of stone cities and protective walls.
Ethiopia was unique in being Christian due to its historical trade connections with the Roman Empire.
Social structures in Sub-Saharan Africa were based on age and ability, with men and women having defined roles.
Slavery was common in African societies, but chattel slavery was not practiced as in the US.
The arts played a crucial role in politics and culture, with griots being the keepers of oral history.
A timeline is provided to contextualize the flourishing periods of major African states.
Causation factors for state development in Africa include resources, trade networks, religion, and cultural practices.
Continuity and change in African societies are marked by social hierarchies, slavery, trade connections, and religious shifts.
Transcripts
[Music]
welcome to the chapter 1.5 overview
developments in Africa so for the
essential question it's very similar to
what we've seen in the past how and why
did States develop in Africa and change
over time so you might remember from the
Americas video if you watched it that
the first part is a causation so how and
why that is the causes of the
development of the states and the second
part change over time of course is
continuity and change over time and as
we will see at the end of this video
there are definitely some continuities
in this chapter as well as changes so
let's start with relevance in our
interconnected world culture and
economics ties together more than ever
this chapters about Africa and an
understanding of patterns of interaction
that have emerged over the centuries
helps us understand current events the
map on the right shows the mining
operations of global corporations in
Africa today and as we will see in this
chapter the lure of precious resources
like gold has drawn traders to this part
of the world for centuries for context
first let's start with the major regions
of Africa so when we look at Africa and
world history we like to split it up
because it's such a large complex place
into regions so the pink here we're
going to use to call refer to as North
Africa in this yellow part here we have
West Africa down here in the gray we
have East Africa in the red southern
Africa and we will not talk about
central Africa Africa quite as much but
here in this sort of reddish brown color
we would call that Central Africa the
other thing I want to make sure you know
is it's not labeled on the map but the
Sahara Desert is roughly this sort of
northern you know 5th of Africa or so so
if you imagine drawing a line roughly
around here going across we call the
region below that line sub-saharan
Africa so sometimes we use sub-saharan
Africa to refer to all of this stuff
down here
Africa has a rather impenetrable
geography and much of the interior of
the continent was closed off to
outsiders
until much later than the time period
we're studying here North and East
Africa had direct contact with your
Asians as we will see in this chapter
trade networks link those parts of
Africa with states in Asia
besides the coastal regions of East
Africa most of sub-saharan Africa
enjoyed the legacy of the Bantu
migration a slow movement of people
throughout the continent over many
centuries by about 1,000 most of Africa
consisted of small kin based societies
that used iron tools for subsistence
farming the Bantu originated roughly
about here and from maybe two or three
hundred seee
until one thousand their technology and
farming methods slowly moved through
most of sub-saharan Africa let's talk
about political structures for starters
the earliest political organization of
the interior of Africa was a kin based
system in which an extended family was
ruled by a chief usually the eldest male
these clans made frequent contact with
their neighbors sometimes through
peaceful trade and sometimes in war if
you've seen Black Panther you'll
remember the rival clans and as shown in
this scene trial by combat which was an
occasional method used to select a ruler
especially when clans came into conflict
with each other and needed to choose one
ruler from multiple clans these kin Bay
states persisted in parts of Africa
until the 19th century but there is
directly connected to Europe and Asia by
trade often develop more complex
political systems such as the Hausa
Kingdom in West Africa the riches of
international trade motivated leaders to
develop political and economic systems
to fully participate in the trade this
group of seven states lacked a
centralized government but cooperated
with neighbors who focused on
specialized economic production and
connection to Eurasia through the
trans-saharan trade network so as you
can see on the map down here the house
states remember there seven of them are
right about here and the trans-saharan
trade network comes really right across
the desert here there's several paths
that these caravans take and remember
that that trade network connecting to
the Mediterranean Sea here connects to
the rest of the world but if you
remember from your studies about Islam
the umayyad and abbasid caliphate had
spread from the Arabian Peninsula here
across North Africa so this northern
part of Africa is under the control of
Islamic state
and they are the ones conducting the
trans-saharan trade down here to West
Africa in later centuries even more
complex kingdoms would develop in this
part of West Africa and adopt Islam as
the elite religion as the transient
trade network continued to flourish
major empires such as Ghana and Mali
developed in West Africa as you can see
on the maps here for the Muslim traders
making the trip across the desert the
big draw was gold which was plentiful in
that part of the world caravans of
camels brought salt textiles and metals
and returned with valuable goods like
gold and slaves as in other societies
prisoners of war were sometimes sold
into slavery the ruling class in these
empires often converted to Islam which
became the dominant religion of the
elite the first of these empires Ghana
enjoy prosperity until its decline
around the 11th century it was succeeded
by Mali which was regarded in its heyday
as the richest kingdom in the world we
will learn more about Mali in a future
chapter in East Africa we have two more
states that developed Zimbabwe towards
the south and Ethiopia
farther north so here on our map of
Africa the kingdom of Zimbabwe is way
down here it's not shown on the map but
the kingdom of Ethiopia would be roughly
in this region next to where it says Red
Sea and you can see here here's the Red
Sea and we'll talk in a minute about a
specific kingdom called Axum but this
general region over here we're using to
refer to as Ethiopia due to their
location these states were connected to
the world through the Indian Ocean trade
network so again back to the map the
Indian Ocean trade connects to the coast
of East Africa that is how Zimbabwe
accesses it and then they would go off
that in this direction and it also
connects to the Red Sea which is how
Ethiopia would access it
blessed with rich gold deposits Zimbabwe
use revenue from taxing the gold trade
to build stone cities and protective
walls some of which still stand today as
you can see on the maps and Bob way is
not on the coast its connection to the
Indian Ocean trade relied on the Swahili
city-states and they are located right
next to Zimbabwe up and down the coast
here of East Africa agriculture and
animal grazing provided food but by the
15th century over grazing he made the
land sterile and the kingdom declined
due to lack of food Ethiopia up in the
north is different from the three states
we have discussed so far because it was
Chris
rather than Muslim due to a trade
connection with the Roman Empire dating
back to the Classical era so you can see
here that this general region of
Ethiopia is located on the Nile River
which goes up through Egypt here to the
Mediterranean and that part of the world
was part of the Roman Empire in the
classical area which era we're talking
about you know the 1st 2nd 3rd centuries
and so that is how Christianity made its
way to Eastern Africa semana de Ethiopia
was an island of Christianity and the
kingdom of Aksum encouraged the practice
of Christianity building 11 churches of
rock such as the one shown here in Axum
shown here on the map Christianity was
combined with traditional beliefs like
ancestor veneration to create a unique
form of the religion you might compare
this process with how Christianity
developed in Latin America which you
learned about in the previous chapter
due to its location Aksum was able to
connect to Indian Ocean trade as well as
trade to the north along the
Mediterranean Sea giving it an
especially valuable opportunity as we
move from economic and political themes
to social structures it's important to
remember that the vast majority of
states in sub-saharan Africa work in
based which we discussed at the
beginning of the chapter in these
societies social structures were based
on practical matters like age and
ability so younger people carried out
more physical tasks in general men
filled skilled roles and women managed
the home and engage in agriculture
slavery was common and one could become
a slave as a prisoner criminal or to pay
off a debt the chart in your book
reviews three types of slavery in world
history please notice that chattel
slavery which is maybe what we're used
to from our studies of US history did
not exist in Africa at this time there
was a widespread slave trade between
East Africa in the Middle East as you
can see on this map common labor for
these slaves was on the sugar
plantations of Mesopotamia in modern-day
Iraq a famous slave uprising occurred
between 869 and 893 making one of the
largest slave rebellions in history
despite the rebellion the institution of
slavery and the trade and slaves
persisted into the modern era and think
about that persistence as a possible
continuity in African societies the arts
played important political roles as well
as the cultural ones we are used to the
persistence of ancestor veneration meant
rulers
a way to communicate with their
predecessors and visual and performing
arts were a path to this connection
bronze sculpture such as the one from
Benin shown here provided a link to
ancestors but the most important role
was filled by storytellers known as
griots performing on instruments like
the kora shown here on the right GU
yachts performed songs that were the
keepers of oral history and knowledge of
a clan at this time sub-saharan African
languages were generally not written
down and griots were crucial in passing
on knowledge from one generation to the
next so that their cultural political
and economic practices could continue i
thought we'd look at a timeline here to
put some of this into a time context so
these are the major states on the top
row that we've talked about houses in
Bob ley Ghana Mali and Ethiopia with a
reminder of where in Africa they were
located and then the time range of when
they flourished is on the bottom to kind
of help you place things in context
because our chapter looked at it
regionally so we talked about for
instance Ethiopia and Zimbabwe together
but they're quite separated on the
timeline this might be a good review
tool for you now for our essential
question remember we started by pointing
out it has two parts a sort of a
causation part as you can see on the top
of this slide how and why did States
develop and then the continuity and
change part as the second part of the
question so things to think about for
that causation what would cause States
in Africa to develop the resources
that's we talked about like gold for
instance the connection to the trade
networks especially the trans-saharan
and the Indian Ocean the role of
religion and connecting the African
societies to other people and also to
supporting the authority of the ruler
and that was primarily Islam but there
was also that Christian example in
modern-day Ethiopia and the cultural
practices of griots
in helping to create some cohesion in
the society and then for change over
time the social hierarchies and slavery
are continuities as is the importance of
that trade connection and adopting
religions or changing religions like
Islam would be a change and so would be
the various examples and reasons why
States decline to begin with
that's your chapter one
[Music]
Browse More Related Video
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)
Thanks for rating: