Humanities › History & Culture AP World History Study Guide: Asian History Topics Share Flipboard Email Print Exam time. Stockbyte via Getty Images History & Culture Asian History Basics Major Figures & Events Southeast Asia East Asia South Asia Middle East Central Asia Wars & Battles American History African American History African History Ancient History & Culture European History Family History & Genealogy Inventions Latin American History Medieval & Renaissance History Military History The 20th Century Women's History View More by Kallie Szczepanski Kallie Szczepanski has a Ph.D. in history and has taught at the college and high school level in both the U.S. and Korea. Updated August 12, 2018 Are you preparing for the AP World History Exam? Here are the topics from Asian History that may appear on your World History test. Foundations: c. 8000 B.C.E. – 600 C.E. The Great River Valley Civilizations: MesopotamiaIndus Valley or Harappan CivilizationShang or Huang He (Yellow River Valley) Civilization Classical Civilizations: Political developments in classical IndiaPolitical developments in classical China Major Asian Belief Systems: HinduismJudaismConfucianismDaoismBuddhismChristianity Late Classical Developments: Collapse of Han ChinaCollapse of the Gupta Empire in IndiaThe Huns move into Europe Comparisons and Analysis: Compare the social hierarchies within Hinduism and BuddhismCompare the roles of women within Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, and HinduismCompare India's caste system with different types of slaveryDescribe the Silk RoadCompare the political and social structures of Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, and Shang China Late Classical through Medieval Asia The Emergence of New Empires and Systems: The Umayyad EmpireThe Abbasid EmpireTang ChinaSong ChinaMing ChinaThe Delhi SultanateThe Mongol EmpireSeljuk Turkey Changing Contacts and Cultural Patterns: The Indian Ocean trade networkThe Mongols' Impact on EuropeThe spread of IslamDevelopments along the Silk RoadChinese interactions with Japan, Vietnam, and Korea Demographic Changes: Impact of the Mongol, Turkish and Arab migrationsConsequences of the bubonic plague (Black Death) pandemics in Asia Comparisons and Analysis: Compare Japanese and European styles of feudalismCompare the Indian caste and Japanese class systemsAnalyze China's meritocratic civil service exam systemAnalyze the impact of European crusades on southwest Asia Asian History, 1450-1750 New Empires and Developments: Ottoman TurkeyQing ChinaTokugawa JapanThe Mughal Empire in IndiaZen BuddhismSikhism Comparisons and Analysis: Compare colonial administrations in AsiaAnalyze empire-building in AsiaCompare Russia's interactions with Ottoman Turkey and China Asian History, 1750-1914 Major Developments: Boxer RebellionFall of China's Qing DynastyRise of nationalism and nation-states, Japan and ThailandCultural policies of Meiji Japan Comparisons and Analysis: Debates over Europe's technological development in relation to Asia'sCompare the Industrial Revolution in Japan and western EuropeCompare responses to European expansionism in China, the Ottoman Empire, India, Southeast Asia and JapanCompare nationalism in China and JapanCompare the Indian Congress Movement with Pan-Africanism Asian History, 1914 to Present Major Developments World War I in AsiaWorld War II in AsiaThe Cold War in AsiaNuclear weaponsEconomic development of the Pacific RimDeforestation and environmental change in AsiaRural to urban population movement in Asia Comparisons and Analysis Compare decolonization in India and AfricaCompare the effects of the Chinese and Iranian revolutions on the roles of womenCompare the legacies of colonialism in Asia with those in Africa or Latin America Best of luck on your exam! Continue Reading