HIST 201 Farnsworth Final flashcards

Question 1

What is Confucianism and why is it important?

Accepted Answer

Confucianism is a foundational philosophical tradition that provided a moral and ethical framework for social order during times of instability, becoming the bedrock of imperial rule in China for millennia.

Question 2

Who founded Confucianism and when?

Accepted Answer

Confucianism was founded by Kong Fuzi (Confucius) during the chaotic Warring States Period (551–479 BC).

Question 3

What are the five key relationships in Confucianism?

Accepted Answer

The five key relationships are ruler to subject, father to son, husband to wife, elder to younger, and friend to friend, each involving mutual obligations and respect.

Question 4

What are the core Confucian virtues?

Accepted Answer

Core Confucian virtues include ren (humaneness), li (ritual propriety), and the Dao (the Way, a universal good).

Question 5

What is filial piety in Confucianism?

Accepted Answer

Filial piety emphasizes respect for elders and the family, believing that respect learned within the family should extend outward to the state and the emperor.

Question 6

What is Legalism and what was its core argument?

Accepted Answer

Legalism is a philosophy that argues humans are naturally selfish and inherently bad, so social order can only be maintained through strict laws, harsh punishments, and strong, centralized authority.

Question 7

Which dynasty adopted Legalism as its ruling ideology?

Accepted Answer

The Qin Dynasty (221–206 BC) adopted Legalism as its ruling ideology, which enabled the first unification of China but led to its rapid collapse due to brutality.

Question 8

What is Daoism and what does it emphasize?

Accepted Answer

Daoism is an indigenous Chinese tradition centered on living in harmony with the Dao ('the Way') – the natural order of the universe, emphasizing spontaneity, simplicity, and non-action (wu wei).

Question 9

Who is credited with the foundational text of Daoism?

Accepted Answer

Laozi, the semi-legendary founder, is credited with the Dao De Jing, the foundational text of Daoist thought.

Question 10

What was Mencius's view on human nature?

Accepted Answer

Mencius taught that people are fundamentally good at their core, possessing innate moral tendencies, though they must refine this goodness through education.

Question 11

What was Xunzi's view on human nature?

Accepted Answer

Xunzi taught that human nature is fundamentally bad or selfish, and that goodness only emerges through strict education, ritual, and harsh punishment.

Question 12

How did Xunzi influence Legalism?

Accepted Answer

Xunzi's pessimistic view of human nature laid the groundwork for Legalism, as his students, Han Feizi and Li Si, carried his logic forward into the philosophy.

Question 13

What was the Examination System in Imperial China?

Accepted Answer

The Examination System was a merit-based civil service examination used to select government officials based on their knowledge of Confucian classics and other subjects.

Question 14

Which dynasties fully developed and expanded the Examination System?

Accepted Answer

The Examination System was fully developed under the Tang Dynasty and expanded under the Song Dynasty.

Question 15

What were the key achievements of the Qin Dynasty?

Accepted Answer

The Qin Dynasty unified China, standardized weights, measures, currency, and the writing system, and began construction of the Great Wall.

Question 16

What was the Han Dynasty's official ideology and a key achievement?

Accepted Answer

The Han Dynasty officially adopted Confucianism as state ideology and established the civil service examination in its early form; it also saw the opening of the Silk Road.

Question 17

What was the Sui Dynasty's greatest achievement?

Accepted Answer

The Sui Dynasty's greatest achievement was the Grand Canal, an enormous inland waterway connecting the agricultural south to the political north.

Question 18

What are the two main branches of Buddhism that spread to East Asia?

Accepted Answer

Mahayana Buddhism ('Great Vehicle') spread northward into East Asia, while Theravada Buddhism ('Teaching of the Elders') spread southward into Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.

Question 19

What is the bodhisattva ideal in Mahayana Buddhism?

Accepted Answer

The bodhisattva ideal is where enlightened beings delay their own nirvana to help others achieve liberation, making enlightenment accessible to laypeople.

Question 20

What were key characteristics of Roman Catholicism?

Accepted Answer

Roman Catholicism emphasized the Pope's supreme authority, used unleavened bread for communion, required clerical celibacy, and added the 'filioque' clause to the Nicene Creed.

Question 21

What were key characteristics of Eastern Orthodoxy?

Accepted Answer

Eastern Orthodoxy was organized around multiple patriarchs, used leavened bread in communion, permitted married priests, rejected the 'filioque' clause, and placed importance on icons.

Question 22

What event marked the formal split between Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy?

Accepted Answer

The Great Schism of 1054 marked the formal and permanent split, with the Pope and Patriarch of Constantinople mutually excommunicating each other.

Question 23

Who was Muhammad and what is the basis of Islam?

Accepted Answer

Muhammad was the prophet and founder of Islam, who received revelations from the angel Gabriel that formed the basis of the Quran, Islam's holy book.

Question 24

What are the Five Pillars of Islam?

Accepted Answer

The Five Pillars are Shahada (profession of faith), Salat (prayer), Sawm (fasting), Zakat (almsgiving), and Hajj (pilgrimage).

Question 25

What is the difference between Sunni and Shia Islam?

Accepted Answer

Sunni Islam believes leadership should pass to Abu Bakr, Muhammad's companion, while Shia Islam believes leadership should remain within Muhammad's family, starting with Ali.

Question 26

What was Constantinople's significance to the Byzantine Empire?

Accepted Answer

Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire, serving as its largest, richest, and most fortified city, acting as the political, religious, and commercial heart.

Question 27

Who was Emperor Justinian and what were his key achievements?

Accepted Answer

Emperor Justinian sought to restore the Roman Empire, reconquered territories, and codified Roman law into the Corpus Juris Civilis; he also oversaw the construction of the Hagia Sophia.

Question 28

What was the Battle of Manzikert and its consequence?

Accepted Answer

The Battle of Manzikert in 1071 was a decisive Seljuk victory over the Byzantine army, allowing the Seljuks to seize Anatolia and threaten the Byzantine Empire, leading to appeals for Western aid.

Question 29

What triggered the Crusades?

Accepted Answer

Pope Urban II's call for the First Crusade in 1095, in response to the Byzantine emperor's appeal for military assistance against the Seljuk Turks, triggered the Crusades.

Question 30

What was Sufism?

Accepted Answer

Sufism represents the mystical tradition within Islam, emphasizing a direct, personal connection with God and detachment from worldly desires through practices like prayer and poetry.

Question 31

Who was Ibn Rushd and what was his significance?

Accepted Answer

Ibn Rushd (Averroes) was a Muslim philosopher who reconciled Greek philosophy with Islam, and his commentaries on Aristotle served as a critical bridge transmitting classical philosophy to medieval Europe.

Question 32

Who was Charlemagne and what was his significance?

Accepted Answer

Charlemagne was the Frankish king crowned Emperor of the Romans in 800 AD, consolidating power in Western Europe and initiating the Carolingian Renaissance, forging a link between secular and spiritual authority.

Question 33

What were the Papal States?

Accepted Answer

The Papal States were territories in central Italy ruled directly by the Pope, giving him temporal power and making him a significant player in European politics.

Question 34

What practical innovations boosted agricultural output in medieval Europe?

Accepted Answer

Key innovations included the heavy plow, three-field crop rotation, the horse collar, and the widespread adoption of watermills and windmills.

Question 35

What was the role of monasteries in medieval Europe?

Accepted Answer

Monasteries were crucial centers for preserving learning, copying manuscripts, running schools, and providing hospitality, shaping religious life around St. Benedict's Rule.

Question 36

What was the Investiture Controversy?

Accepted Answer

The Investiture Controversy was a power struggle in the 11th and 12th centuries over whether popes or secular kings had the right to appoint bishops and abbots.

Question 37

What was Scholasticism?

Accepted Answer

Scholasticism was the dominant intellectual method in medieval universities, using rigorous logical analysis to reconcile Greek philosophy with Christian revelation, exemplified by Thomas Aquinas.

Question 38

What was the Magna Carta and its significance?

Accepted Answer

The Magna Carta (1215) was a charter that limited royal power and guaranteed legal rights, establishing the principle that the king himself was subject to the law.

Question 39

What were the Hundred Years' War and the Black Death?

Accepted Answer

The Hundred Years' War (1337–1453) was a conflict between England and France that consolidated nation-states, while the Black Death (1346–1353) was a pandemic that killed 30-50% of Europe's population, causing social upheaval.

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