| Front | Back | | --- | --- | | How did the Pax Mongolica physically facilitate long-distance trade across Afro-Eurasia during the 13th and 14th centuries? |

Security: Suppressed banditry and policed trade routes to ensure safe transit.
Infrastructure: Maintained state-run postal relay systems (Yam) and issued official passports for merchants.

| | The Pax Mongolica (13th–14th centuries) under the Mongol Empire stabilized trade routes, reviving the Silk Road and connecting Europe directly to East Asia. | The Pax Mongolica (13th–14th centuries) under the Mongol Empire stabilized trade routes, reviving the Silk Road and connecting Europe directly to East Asia. | | Why was Marco Polo's account, The Travels of Marco Polo, historically significant for Western Europe's subsequent geopolitical actions? |

Geographic Knowledge: Provided Western Europeans with their first detailed descriptions of East Asian wealth and infrastructure.
Incentive: Stimulated intense interest in direct trade, inspiring later explorers like Christopher Columbus.

| | Venetian merchant Marco Polo reached the court of Yuan emperor Kublai Khan in approximately 1275, later writing a travelogue that shaped European views of Asia. | Venetian merchant Marco Polo reached the court of Yuan emperor Kublai Khan in approximately 1275, later writing a travelogue that shaped European views of Asia. | | How did Ibn Battuta's background as an Islamic scholar (qadi) shape the geographic scope of his travels? |

Scope: Focused his travels within Dar al-Islam (the Islamic world).
Integration: His legal training allowed him to serve as a judge in diverse Muslim societies, finding immediate employment and social integration.

| | Moroccan scholar Ibn Battuta documented his 120,000 km journey across the Islamic world in his book, the Rihla, demonstrating the cultural unity of Dar al-Islam. | Moroccan scholar Ibn Battuta documented his 120,000 km journey across the Islamic world in his book, the Rihla, demonstrating the cultural unity of Dar al-Islam. | | Compare the primary motivations of Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta for their extensive travels. |

Marco Polo: Motivated by commerce (merchant background) and imperial diplomacy.
Ibn Battuta: Motivated by religious devotion (the Hajj pilgrimage), legal study, and intellectual curiosity.

| | How did Kublai Khan integrate Chinese political traditions with Mongol rule to consolidate the Yuan Dynasty? |

Administration: Adopted Chinese administrative systems and employed Confucian scholars to run the bureaucracy.
Imperial Identity: Combined traditional Mongol customs with Chinese court rituals to legitimize his rule.

| | Kublai Khan founded the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty in 1271::year, marking the first time nomadic conquerors ruled all of China. | Kublai Khan founded the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty in 1271::year, marking the first time nomadic conquerors ruled all of China. | |

How did this ruler (Kublai Khan) adapt domestic infrastructure and currency to boost commerce within the Yuan Dynasty?

Infrastructure: Built the Grand Canal extension to link southern agricultural regions to the northern capital.
Currency: Promoted the use of standardized paper currency to ease transactions.

| | What military failures undermined the domestic legitimacy and financial stability of Kublai Khan's reign? |

Failed Invasions: Two unsuccessful naval invasions of Japan (1274 and 1281).
Consequences: Drained the treasury, caused heavy taxation, and shattered the myth of Mongol military invincibility.

| | The Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty suffered major military setbacks during failed invasions of Japan in 1274 and 1281, which severely strained empire resources. | The Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty suffered major military setbacks during failed invasions of Japan in 1274 and 1281, which severely strained empire resources. | | Explain the dual economic and epidemiological impact of increased interregional connectivity along 13th-century trade routes. |

Economic: Commercial hubs like Samarkand and Venice grew wealthy from luxury trade.
Epidemiological: Facilitated the rapid transmission of pathogens, culminating in the Black Death pandemic.

| | How did cultural diffusion along interregional networks affect the spread of technology from East Asia to the West? |

Mechanism: Merchants, envoys, and scholars carried innovations along protected trade routes.
Technologies: Transferred critical tools like printing, the magnetic compass, and gunpowder to Europe.

| |

Why is it historically inaccurate to classify these two figures (Ibn Battuta and Marco Polo) as "explorers"?

They traveled along pre-existing trade routes and networks rather than discovering new lands.
They acted as observers and chroniclers of established civilizations, not discoverers.

| | How did missionaries adapt to local cultures along interregional trade routes, and what was the result? |

Adaptation: Blended religious teachings with local traditions, beliefs, and artistic styles.
Result: Created syncretic cultural zones and eased the conversion of local populations.

| | While European historiography often emphasizes the Silk Road, non-European routes like the Indian Ocean and Trans-Saharan networks were equally vital for cultural and economic contact. | While European historiography often emphasizes the Silk Road, non-European routes like the Indian Ocean and Trans-Saharan networks were equally vital for cultural and economic contact. | |

| The Voyages of | |

| Ibn Battutah | |

| ATLANTIC | |

| OCEAN | |

| EUROPE | |

| Black Sea |

Paper 1 - The Move to Global War6 subtopics

Paper 1 - Rights and Protest6 subtopics

Paper 1 - Conflict and Intervention6 subtopics

Paper 2 - Independence Movements5 subtopics

Paper 2 - Emergence and Development of Democratic States5 subtopics

Paper 2 - Authoritarian States7 subtopics

Paper 2 - Causes and Effects of 20th Century Wars4 subtopics

Paper 2 - The Cold War: Superpower Tensions and Rivalries4 subtopics

Paper 3 - History of Europe18 subtopics

Paper 3 - History of the Americas18 subtopics

Paper 3 - History of Asia and Oceania18 subtopics

IB History Connecting West & East Flashcards

Flashcards for Connecting West & East

Flashcards for Connecting West & East - IB