One important theme in AP World History is political organization or governance. Questions on the exam will ask you to explain different types of government and how they have changed over time. You'll also need to describe how countries maintain their power.
I'm a licensed teacher and professional tutor with over ten years of experience in education. I've helped dozens of students improve their grades in their AP World History class. This article will cover different aspects of political organization. It will also show you relevant examples from AP World History. Read on for tips you can use to improve your grades today!
Note: This post is part of a series on historical themes covered in AP World History. A common way to remember these themes is using the acronym SPICE-T. You can learn more about the basics of historical themes and SPICE-T at this link.
Table of Contents
Political Organization
Definition
Political organization describes a country's government. It also describes the people who work in or for the government. The College Board refers to this as "governance."
Military and War
A military requires a lots of organization and money. There are some exceptions, but most militaries exist because of governments. Few other groups have enough resources to organize a military. Maintaining a military allows the government to achieve specific goals. These goals may be offensive or defensive. The Gunpowder Empires show a connection between the government and the military. The Gunpowder Empires formed because they gained a military advantage over their neighbors. They were able to secure reliable access to gunpowder. As a result, they could form larger armies and gain advantages by using guns. This meant they could expand by conquering neighboring groups.
Imperialism and Conquest
Imperialism is the process of forming and maintaining an empire. An empire is a type of government where one group rules over one or more other groups. This is often done by conquering different groups of people. Imperialism can also occur when one country controls another country's economy or governance. This can occur without a full-fledged invasion. The Mongols created the largest continuous empire in World History. At it's height, they had conquered most of Asia and ruled a quarter of the world's population. The sheer size of this empire meant that it was very diverse. Many different religious and ethnic groups lived in the Mongol Empire.
Legal System
Most governments create a legal system. This system outlines various crimes and punishments for specific crimes. Legal systems also explain how to determine if someone is guilty or innocent. In some places, legal systems are informal or unwritten. One reason why Islam spread through the Indian Ocean basin was its legal system. Islamic law provides clear guidance for creating contracts and resolving disputes. This reduced risk for merchants because they only had to worry about one set of laws. It was more difficult and risky to navigate many legal systems. This encouraged people to convert. It also encouraged non-Muslim rulers to allow Muslims to use their own courts.
Government and Leadership
A government is a way of organizing and controlling a community. In AP World History, we focus on governments that rule over countries or empires. Local governments are important, but they tend to have less influence on world events.
There are many different types of governments. Some governments are based around specific religious ideas and practices. The Incan Empire, Abbasid Caliphate, and the Vatican are examples of governments that mix religious and political leadership. You can learn more about governments with explicitly religious leaders here.
Other governments form based on the military. In this type of system, the leader of a country's military is also the leader of it's government. Unsurprisingly, these types of governments spend a lot of time invading and conquering outside groups. The Mongol Empire is a classical example of a government based on military leadership. You can learn more about militarized governments here.
Another type of government is a hereditary monarchy. In this system, a country's rulers are born into a specific family. The younger generations inherit leadership from their parents. This system is extraordinarily common. Ming China, France (under the Bourbons), and the Russian Empire are all examples of hereditary monarchies. You can learn more about the eight billion different types of hereditary monarchs here.
The last common type of government is a republic. In this system, a country is governed by leaders who are chosen by at least some of the country's people. This system of government was promoted by Enlightenment philosophers and political revolutionaries in the 1700s and 1800s. The United States and the Great Britain are examples of countries with elected leaders. Learn more about elected leaders here.
Administrators and Bureaucrats
Administrators and bureaucrats are people who carry out tasks in a government. The tasks they do keep the government running on a day-to-day basis. For example, they collect taxes, oversee projects, research, and write reports.
Imperial China is famous for it's scholar-bureaucrats. For hundreds of years, the Chinese government recruited bureaucrats using civil service exams. The higher a person scored on the exam, the better job they got in the bureaucracy. While imperfect, this system helped the government recruit people who were intelligent and educated for key jobs. This is one (of many!) reasons why China was one of, if not the most, powerful country for centuries.
I did a deep dive on bureaucracies here. This is one of the most important aspects of government, and it's often misunderstood, so check it out!
I help ambitious students improve their skills and master AP World History content. Learn more here!
You may also like these AP World History articles.
All blog posts are licensed using a CC-BY-SA 4.0 license. You are free to copy or share this information in any form. You may also adapt and build upon this material for commercial and noncommercial. If you chose to share, adapt, or use this information, you must give credit to Spring Learning Services, LLC and indicate if changes were made. All material must be shared using the same terms
This material is based on my interpretation of the AP World History Course and Exam Description and my experience working in education for the past decade. The views expressed on this page are my own. AP® and Advanced Placement® are trademarks registered and owned by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this site.