Global History & Geography II Regents Review Sheet
History rhymes. Learn the recurring patterns (rise/fall, revolution, contact, exchange) and every era becomes a variation on a theme.
Big ideas
- Geography shapes history. Rivers make civilizations. Mountains isolate. Oceans connect (or don't).
- Every revolution has 4 phases: grievance → rebellion → radicalism → reaction (or new order).
- The 'enduring issues' framework works because these issues recur: scarcity, power, conflict, ideas, human/environment.
Ancient & classical civilizations
Rivers = cities = writing = the ancient world. Then empires expand and codify.
Egypt (Nile), Mesopotamia (Tigris/Euphrates), Indus, Yellow River. All: agriculture → surplus → cities → writing.
Democracy (Athens), philosophy (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle), theater, math, Olympics.
Republic → Empire. Roman law (twelve tables), engineering (aqueducts, roads), Latin/Romance languages, adoption of Christianity.
Silk Road connected Rome, Persia, India, China. Moved goods, ideas, religions, and (accidentally) diseases.
Trap: Direct democracy (all citizens vote) ≠ representative democracy (elect people to vote). Athens was direct.
Tip: For 'compare civilizations' questions, compare on: government, religion, economy, technology, social structure.
Medieval world & post-classical
Rome falls, Islam rises, feudalism organizes Europe, Mongols connect Asia.
Land for loyalty. King → lords → knights → serfs. Decentralized. Rose after Roman collapse.
7th c. Arabia. Prophet Muhammad. Five Pillars. Rapid spread across Middle East, N. Africa, Spain. Preserved Greek/Roman knowledge.
Eastern Roman Empire, survived 1000 more years. Constantinople. Justinian Code. Orthodox Christianity.
13th c., Genghis Khan. Largest contiguous land empire ever. Pax Mongolica — safe trade routes across Asia.
Trap: 'Dark Ages' is now considered an oversimplification. Islamic world, Byzantines, and China thrived during Europe's medieval era.
Tip: Enduring issues that pop up: interconnectedness (trade routes), power (kings vs church), religious impact.
Renaissance through Age of Revolutions
Ideas explode: humanism, science, exploration, popular sovereignty.
14th–17th c., started in Italy. Rediscovery of classical thought, humanism, art (Michelangelo, Da Vinci). Wealth from trade funded it.
Luther, 1517, 95 Theses. Challenged Catholic Church. Led to religious wars and diversity of Christian denominations.
1400s–1600s. Europeans (Portugal, Spain first) reach Africa, Asia, Americas. Columbian Exchange. Colonialism begins.
Locke (natural rights), Rousseau (social contract), Montesquieu (separation of powers). Fed American, French, Haitian, Latin American revolutions.
Trap: The French Revolution isn't just one event — it went through moderate → radical (Reign of Terror) → Napoleon phases.
Tip: Revolutions rarely stop where they started. Effects ripple decades later.
Industrialization & imperialism
Machines transform work; Europeans transform the world map.
Late 1700s–1800s, started in Britain. Steam engine → factories → urbanization → new social classes (bourgeoisie, working class).
Positives: goods, jobs, transportation. Negatives: pollution, child labor, terrible urban living. Led to unions, reform, socialism.
Late 1800s. Europe (later US, Japan) colonized Africa, Asia. 'Scramble for Africa' 1884 Berlin Conference divided the continent without African input.
1868 Japan. Rapid modernization to avoid European colonization. Studied Western technology, kept own culture.
Trap: Imperialism had positive AND negative effects on colonies. Regents essays want you to acknowledge both.
Tip: The 'enduring issue' of scarcity and inequality drove much of industrialization's social conflict.
World Wars & the Cold War
Two total wars redraw the world; ideology divides it for 45 years.
Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, Nationalism. Trigger: Franz Ferdinand assassination 1914.
1919. Blamed Germany, huge reparations, lost land, army limits. Fueled resentment → Hitler's rise.
1939–1945. Axis (Germany, Italy, Japan) vs Allies (US, UK, USSR, France, China). Holocaust — 6 million Jews murdered. Atomic bombs end Pacific war.
1945–1991. US-led capitalism vs USSR-led communism. No direct war, but proxy wars (Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan). Ended with USSR collapse.
Trap: The Cold War was NOT a shooting war between US and USSR — it was ideological, economic, and fought through proxies.
Tip: Learn the enduring issue of 'conflict.' WWI, WWII, Cold War all showcase how alliances and ideology can escalate.
Contemporary + Enduring Issues framework
Post-1945: decolonization, globalization, human rights. And the essay skill: identifying enduring issues.
After WWII, Asian & African colonies gained independence. Some peaceful (India 1947), some violent (Algeria, Vietnam). Cold War influenced many.
Economies, cultures, tech interconnect. WTO, multinationals, internet. Benefits: growth. Downsides: inequality, cultural homogenization.
Recurring problems across time: scarcity, conflict, power, impact of ideas, human/environment. Great for essays.
1948 UN Declaration. Applied to Holocaust (Nuremberg trials), apartheid (South Africa), Rwandan genocide, others.
Trap: Enduring Issues Essay: pick ONE clear issue, trace across 3+ time periods, use documents as evidence. Don't try to cover everything.
Tip: The CRQ (Constructed Response Question) has 2-3 specific short answers. Answer WHAT'S ASKED, cite the document.
Frequently asked questions
How should I study for the Global History & Geography II Regents?
Work real past-exam questions by topic, review this one-page summary of the must-know concepts, and read the worked solution every time you miss one. The exam reuses the same ideas year after year.