APWH Modern: Chapter 1.5

Jim Rhoades
26 Aug 201911:22
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

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
  • ๐ŸŒ The script provides an overview of the development of states in Africa, focusing on causation and change over time.
  • ๐Ÿ” 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.
  • ๐Ÿ“ 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.
  • ๐ŸŒพ The Bantu migration significantly influenced Sub-Saharan Africa, spreading iron tools and farming techniques across the continent by around 1000 AD.
  • ๐Ÿ› 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.
  • ๐Ÿ’ผ 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.
  • ๐Ÿฐ 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.
  • ๐Ÿ•Œ 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.
  • ๐Ÿ‘ฅ 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.
  • ๐ŸŽญ 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.
  • โณ 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
00:00
๐ŸŒ 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.

05:02
๐Ÿฐ 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.

10:03
๐Ÿ” 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
Ethiopia
Zimbabwe
Islamic Influence
Hausa Kingdoms
Trial by Combat
Kin-Based States
Bantu Migration
Sub-Saharan Africa
Religion and Cultural Practices
States Development
Visual and Performing Arts
Griots
Ancestor Veneration
Slave Trade
Slavery
Mali Empire
Ghana Empire
Indian Ocean Trade Network
Trans-Saharan Trade Network
Political Structures
Major Regions
Precious Resources
Global Corporations
Change Over Time
Causation
Timeline and Historical Context
Arts and Culture
Social Structures and Slavery
Major African Empires
Trade and Economic Systems
Geographical and Political Divisions
Relevance
Essential Question
Developments in Africa
Alert
Keywords
๐Ÿ’กCausation
Causation refers to the relationship between an event (the cause) and a second event (the effect), where the second event is a result of the first. In the context of the video, causation is used to explore the reasons behind the development of states in Africa. The script discusses factors such as the availability of resources like gold, the connection to trade networks, and the role of religion as causes for the development and prosperity of African states.
๐Ÿ’กContinuity and Change
Continuity and change are concepts used to examine the ongoing elements and the transformations that occur over time within a society or region. The video uses these concepts to analyze the historical development of African states, highlighting both the enduring aspects such as social hierarchies and the adoption of religions, and the shifts that have taken place, such as the decline of certain states and the rise of new political systems.
๐Ÿ’กSub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is the region of the African continent that lies below the Sahara Desert. The term is used in the script to differentiate this area from North Africa, which has different historical and cultural connections. The script discusses the unique developments and interactions within sub-Saharan Africa, such as the Bantu migration and the distinct political structures that emerged there.
๐Ÿ’กBantu Migration
The Bantu migration refers to the gradual movement and spread of Bantu-speaking peoples across Africa over many centuries. In the video, this migration is highlighted as a significant factor in shaping the demographic and cultural landscape of sub-Saharan Africa, with the Bantu people's farming methods and iron tools contributing to the development of small kin-based societies.
๐Ÿ’กKin-based Societies
Kin-based societies are social structures organized around family or kinship ties. The script describes how early political organization in the interior of Africa often revolved around kin-based systems, where an extended family was governed by a chief, typically the eldest male. These societies are an example of the continuity in social structures discussed in the video.
๐Ÿ’กTrans-Saharan Trade Network
The Trans-Saharan Trade Network refers to the historical trade routes that connected North Africa with sub-Saharan Africa across the Sahara Desert. The script mentions this network as a key factor in the development of complex political systems and economic prosperity in West Africa, particularly through the trade of gold, salt, textiles, and slaves.
๐Ÿ’กHausa Kingdoms
The Hausa Kingdoms were a group of seven states in West Africa that developed complex political and economic systems to participate in international trade. The script uses the Hausa Kingdoms as an example of how the wealth generated from trade motivated the development of more sophisticated governance structures in parts of Africa.
๐Ÿ’กIslamic Caliphates
Islamic Caliphates refer to the political and religious leadership of the early Islamic community, represented historically by the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates. The video script discusses how the spread of Islam from the Arabian Peninsula across North Africa led to the control of the trans-Saharan trade by Islamic states, influencing the religious and cultural landscape of the region.
๐Ÿ’กIndian Ocean Trade Network
The Indian Ocean Trade Network was a series of maritime trade routes that connected the East African coast with the broader Indian Ocean region. The script explains how states like Zimbabwe and Ethiopia accessed this network for trade, which was crucial for their economic development and cultural interactions with other societies.
๐Ÿ’กZimbabwe
Zimbabwe refers to both a modern-day country and, historically, a kingdom in Southern Africa. In the script, the Kingdom of Zimbabwe is highlighted for its use of revenue from taxing the gold trade to construct stone cities and walls, demonstrating the impact of the Indian Ocean trade network on the development of African states.
๐Ÿ’กGriots
Griots are traditional West African storytellers, musicians, and oral historians. The script describes the role of griots in maintaining cultural and political cohesion within societies by preserving and transmitting knowledge and history through songs and performances, which was especially important in a time when many African languages were not written down.
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
00:01

[Music]

00:14

welcome to the chapter 1.5 overview

00:16

developments in Africa so for the

00:19

essential question it's very similar to

00:20

what we've seen in the past how and why

00:22

did States develop in Africa and change

00:24

over time so you might remember from the

00:28

Americas video if you watched it that

00:30

the first part is a causation so how and

00:33

why that is the causes of the

00:35

development of the states and the second

00:37

part change over time of course is

00:38

continuity and change over time and as

00:41

we will see at the end of this video

00:42

there are definitely some continuities

00:45

in this chapter as well as changes so

00:47

let's start with relevance in our

00:49

interconnected world culture and

00:50

economics ties together more than ever

00:52

this chapters about Africa and an

00:54

understanding of patterns of interaction

00:55

that have emerged over the centuries

00:57

helps us understand current events the

00:59

map on the right shows the mining

01:00

operations of global corporations in

01:02

Africa today and as we will see in this

01:04

chapter the lure of precious resources

01:06

like gold has drawn traders to this part

01:08

of the world for centuries for context

01:11

first let's start with the major regions

01:13

of Africa so when we look at Africa and

01:15

world history we like to split it up

01:17

because it's such a large complex place

01:19

into regions so the pink here we're

01:22

going to use to call refer to as North

01:25

Africa in this yellow part here we have

01:28

West Africa down here in the gray we

01:31

have East Africa in the red southern

01:33

Africa and we will not talk about

01:36

central Africa Africa quite as much but

01:39

here in this sort of reddish brown color

01:41

we would call that Central Africa the

01:44

other thing I want to make sure you know

01:45

is it's not labeled on the map but the

01:47

Sahara Desert is roughly this sort of

01:50

northern you know 5th of Africa or so so

01:53

if you imagine drawing a line roughly

01:55

around here going across we call the

01:59

region below that line sub-saharan

02:01

Africa so sometimes we use sub-saharan

02:03

Africa to refer to all of this stuff

02:05

down here

02:08

Africa has a rather impenetrable

02:10

geography and much of the interior of

02:12

the continent was closed off to

02:13

outsiders

02:14

until much later than the time period

02:16

we're studying here North and East

02:19

Africa had direct contact with your

02:20

Asians as we will see in this chapter

02:22

trade networks link those parts of

02:24

Africa with states in Asia

02:25

besides the coastal regions of East

02:27

Africa most of sub-saharan Africa

02:29

enjoyed the legacy of the Bantu

02:30

migration a slow movement of people

02:33

throughout the continent over many

02:34

centuries by about 1,000 most of Africa

02:36

consisted of small kin based societies

02:39

that used iron tools for subsistence

02:41

farming the Bantu originated roughly

02:44

about here and from maybe two or three

02:47

hundred seee

02:48

until one thousand their technology and

02:51

farming methods slowly moved through

02:55

most of sub-saharan Africa let's talk

02:58

about political structures for starters

03:00

the earliest political organization of

03:02

the interior of Africa was a kin based

03:04

system in which an extended family was

03:06

ruled by a chief usually the eldest male

03:08

these clans made frequent contact with

03:10

their neighbors sometimes through

03:11

peaceful trade and sometimes in war if

03:13

you've seen Black Panther you'll

03:14

remember the rival clans and as shown in

03:17

this scene trial by combat which was an

03:19

occasional method used to select a ruler

03:21

especially when clans came into conflict

03:23

with each other and needed to choose one

03:26

ruler from multiple clans these kin Bay

03:29

states persisted in parts of Africa

03:31

until the 19th century but there is

03:33

directly connected to Europe and Asia by

03:35

trade often develop more complex

03:36

political systems such as the Hausa

03:38

Kingdom in West Africa the riches of

03:41

international trade motivated leaders to

03:43

develop political and economic systems

03:45

to fully participate in the trade this

03:48

group of seven states lacked a

03:49

centralized government but cooperated

03:51

with neighbors who focused on

03:52

specialized economic production and

03:54

connection to Eurasia through the

03:56

trans-saharan trade network so as you

03:58

can see on the map down here the house

03:59

states remember there seven of them are

04:01

right about here and the trans-saharan

04:04

trade network comes really right across

04:07

the desert here there's several paths

04:09

that these caravans take and remember

04:11

that that trade network connecting to

04:13

the Mediterranean Sea here connects to

04:15

the rest of the world but if you

04:17

remember from your studies about Islam

04:19

the umayyad and abbasid caliphate had

04:21

spread from the Arabian Peninsula here

04:23

across North Africa so this northern

04:26

part of Africa is under the control of

04:28

Islamic state

04:28

and they are the ones conducting the

04:30

trans-saharan trade down here to West

04:32

Africa in later centuries even more

04:35

complex kingdoms would develop in this

04:37

part of West Africa and adopt Islam as

04:40

the elite religion as the transient

04:42

trade network continued to flourish

04:43

major empires such as Ghana and Mali

04:45

developed in West Africa as you can see

04:48

on the maps here for the Muslim traders

04:50

making the trip across the desert the

04:52

big draw was gold which was plentiful in

04:54

that part of the world caravans of

04:55

camels brought salt textiles and metals

04:58

and returned with valuable goods like

04:59

gold and slaves as in other societies

05:01

prisoners of war were sometimes sold

05:03

into slavery the ruling class in these

05:05

empires often converted to Islam which

05:07

became the dominant religion of the

05:08

elite the first of these empires Ghana

05:11

enjoy prosperity until its decline

05:13

around the 11th century it was succeeded

05:15

by Mali which was regarded in its heyday

05:17

as the richest kingdom in the world we

05:20

will learn more about Mali in a future

05:22

chapter in East Africa we have two more

05:25

states that developed Zimbabwe towards

05:27

the south and Ethiopia

05:29

farther north so here on our map of

05:31

Africa the kingdom of Zimbabwe is way

05:33

down here it's not shown on the map but

05:35

the kingdom of Ethiopia would be roughly

05:36

in this region next to where it says Red

05:38

Sea and you can see here here's the Red

05:41

Sea and we'll talk in a minute about a

05:43

specific kingdom called Axum but this

05:45

general region over here we're using to

05:47

refer to as Ethiopia due to their

05:51

location these states were connected to

05:52

the world through the Indian Ocean trade

05:53

network so again back to the map the

05:57

Indian Ocean trade connects to the coast

05:59

of East Africa that is how Zimbabwe

06:02

accesses it and then they would go off

06:03

that in this direction and it also

06:04

connects to the Red Sea which is how

06:06

Ethiopia would access it

06:09

blessed with rich gold deposits Zimbabwe

06:12

use revenue from taxing the gold trade

06:13

to build stone cities and protective

06:15

walls some of which still stand today as

06:17

you can see on the maps and Bob way is

06:19

not on the coast its connection to the

06:20

Indian Ocean trade relied on the Swahili

06:22

city-states and they are located right

06:25

next to Zimbabwe up and down the coast

06:27

here of East Africa agriculture and

06:30

animal grazing provided food but by the

06:32

15th century over grazing he made the

06:33

land sterile and the kingdom declined

06:35

due to lack of food Ethiopia up in the

06:38

north is different from the three states

06:40

we have discussed so far because it was

06:42

Chris

06:42

rather than Muslim due to a trade

06:44

connection with the Roman Empire dating

06:46

back to the Classical era so you can see

06:48

here that this general region of

06:49

Ethiopia is located on the Nile River

06:51

which goes up through Egypt here to the

06:52

Mediterranean and that part of the world

06:55

was part of the Roman Empire in the

06:57

classical area which era we're talking

06:59

about you know the 1st 2nd 3rd centuries

07:02

and so that is how Christianity made its

07:05

way to Eastern Africa semana de Ethiopia

07:08

was an island of Christianity and the

07:10

kingdom of Aksum encouraged the practice

07:12

of Christianity building 11 churches of

07:14

rock such as the one shown here in Axum

07:18

shown here on the map Christianity was

07:23

combined with traditional beliefs like

07:25

ancestor veneration to create a unique

07:26

form of the religion you might compare

07:28

this process with how Christianity

07:30

developed in Latin America which you

07:32

learned about in the previous chapter

07:33

due to its location Aksum was able to

07:35

connect to Indian Ocean trade as well as

07:37

trade to the north along the

07:39

Mediterranean Sea giving it an

07:41

especially valuable opportunity as we

07:44

move from economic and political themes

07:45

to social structures it's important to

07:47

remember that the vast majority of

07:48

states in sub-saharan Africa work in

07:50

based which we discussed at the

07:51

beginning of the chapter in these

07:53

societies social structures were based

07:55

on practical matters like age and

07:56

ability so younger people carried out

07:58

more physical tasks in general men

08:01

filled skilled roles and women managed

08:02

the home and engage in agriculture

08:04

slavery was common and one could become

08:06

a slave as a prisoner criminal or to pay

08:08

off a debt the chart in your book

08:11

reviews three types of slavery in world

08:13

history please notice that chattel

08:15

slavery which is maybe what we're used

08:16

to from our studies of US history did

08:19

not exist in Africa at this time there

08:22

was a widespread slave trade between

08:23

East Africa in the Middle East as you

08:25

can see on this map common labor for

08:27

these slaves was on the sugar

08:28

plantations of Mesopotamia in modern-day

08:30

Iraq a famous slave uprising occurred

08:33

between 869 and 893 making one of the

08:36

largest slave rebellions in history

08:38

despite the rebellion the institution of

08:40

slavery and the trade and slaves

08:42

persisted into the modern era and think

08:45

about that persistence as a possible

08:47

continuity in African societies the arts

08:50

played important political roles as well

08:52

as the cultural ones we are used to the

08:54

persistence of ancestor veneration meant

08:56

rulers

08:56

a way to communicate with their

08:57

predecessors and visual and performing

08:59

arts were a path to this connection

09:01

bronze sculpture such as the one from

09:03

Benin shown here provided a link to

09:06

ancestors but the most important role

09:08

was filled by storytellers known as

09:09

griots performing on instruments like

09:11

the kora shown here on the right GU

09:14

yachts performed songs that were the

09:15

keepers of oral history and knowledge of

09:17

a clan at this time sub-saharan African

09:19

languages were generally not written

09:21

down and griots were crucial in passing

09:23

on knowledge from one generation to the

09:25

next so that their cultural political

09:27

and economic practices could continue i

09:29

thought we'd look at a timeline here to

09:31

put some of this into a time context so

09:33

these are the major states on the top

09:35

row that we've talked about houses in

09:37

Bob ley Ghana Mali and Ethiopia with a

09:39

reminder of where in Africa they were

09:41

located and then the time range of when

09:44

they flourished is on the bottom to kind

09:46

of help you place things in context

09:47

because our chapter looked at it

09:49

regionally so we talked about for

09:51

instance Ethiopia and Zimbabwe together

09:53

but they're quite separated on the

09:55

timeline this might be a good review

09:57

tool for you now for our essential

10:00

question remember we started by pointing

10:02

out it has two parts a sort of a

10:04

causation part as you can see on the top

10:06

of this slide how and why did States

10:08

develop and then the continuity and

10:10

change part as the second part of the

10:13

question so things to think about for

10:15

that causation what would cause States

10:17

in Africa to develop the resources

10:19

that's we talked about like gold for

10:21

instance the connection to the trade

10:23

networks especially the trans-saharan

10:24

and the Indian Ocean the role of

10:27

religion and connecting the African

10:30

societies to other people and also to

10:32

supporting the authority of the ruler

10:34

and that was primarily Islam but there

10:36

was also that Christian example in

10:38

modern-day Ethiopia and the cultural

10:40

practices of griots

10:41

in helping to create some cohesion in

10:44

the society and then for change over

10:47

time the social hierarchies and slavery

10:48

are continuities as is the importance of

10:51

that trade connection and adopting

10:53

religions or changing religions like

10:55

Islam would be a change and so would be

10:57

the various examples and reasons why

10:59

States decline to begin with

11:02

that's your chapter one

11:19

[Music]