World History MCQs

Notes:
Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA) ended the Bosnian War, which was part of the Yugoslav Wars. The DPA was signed on December 1995 after months of negotiations. The war lasted three and a half years and was known for its violence and atrocities. The war resulted in about 100,000 deaths and displaced two million people. The DPA also outlined a constitutional framework for peace in Bosnia.  The DPA was reached by the presidents of Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia. The agreement was brokered by American diplomat Richard Holbrooke. The negotiations began in the Balkans and ended in Dayton, Ohio.

Notes:
Apartheid was a system of racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. The National Party governed South Africa from 1948 until 1994. During this time, South Africa was a partial democracy because non-white people were barred from voting after 1958.
The Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) was a British organization that opposed the South African apartheid system. The AAM supported South Africa’s non-white population who were persecuted by the policies of apartheid.
Nelson Mandela was sworn in as President of South Africa in 1994. He was known for his internal resistance to apartheid.

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Ping pong diplomacy refers to the brief thaw in relations between the United States and China in the early 1970s, which was facilitated in part by the exchange of table tennis players between the two countries. In April 1971, a group of American table tennis players visited China for a tournament, and the Chinese government invited them to stay for several days. This marked the first time in more than 20 years that Americans had been allowed to visit China. The visit was followed by several high-level diplomatic meetings between the two countries, which ultimately led to the establishment of diplomatic relations between the US and China in 1979.

Notes:
The Imphal Peace Museum (IPM) has been gifted by Japan to Manipur to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Imphal, which was one of the fiercest battles of the Second World War. The museum was inaugurated at Maibam Lokpa Ching popularly known as Red Hill. Around 70,000 Japanese soldiers, alongside those of Subhash Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army (INA), died in battles with the British-led Allied forces in areas around Imphal and Kohima from March to June 1944. The last of these battles was fought at Red Hill, where the Japanese War Memorial was built in 1944 to mark the 50th anniversary of the battle. The museum symbolizes the reconciliation between Japan & Britain and Japan & India. It is to reinforce the message that history changes and makes us learn from the past.

Notes:
The immediate cause of World War I was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. In June 1914, a Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke and his wife to take revenge against the occupation of Bosnia-Herzegovina by Austria-Hungary. immediately, after the assassination, Austria-Hungary declared the war over Serbia. This further leads to alliance nations declaring war between themselves, caused WW I.

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Great Leap Forward was an economic and social campaign of China launched by Mao Zedong, the Chairman. It was developed by the Communist Party of China. This campaign was from 1958 to 1962. This campaign leads to the formation of people’s communes so as to develop a communist society and to transform China’s agrarian economy. But this campaign was a disaster and lead to Great Chinese Famine.

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The Democratic Republic of Congo gained its independence from Belgium in 1960. Belgian expedition under Sir Henry Morton Stanley received patronage from King Leopold II of Belgium to explore and administer Congo from 1870s. Belgians forced the local population of Congo to produce rubber and unleashed abuses through exploitation and diseases. In 1908, Belgian parliament annexed Congo as Belgian colony from King Leopold II of Belgium. In 1960, Mouvement National Congolais under Patrice Lumumba started the nationalist movement and won Parliamentary election. And in June 1960, Congo achieved independence and established as a republic of Congo or Congo-Leopoldville.

Notes:
First Congo War, happened from 1996 to 1997, was also known as Africa’s First World War. This war’s main aim was to overthrow the Mobutu regime of Zaire. This war happened mostly in Zaire (present-day Democratic Republic of Congo) and also spread into Sudan and Uganda. Rwandan Genocide, Corrupt dictatorship of Mobutu Sese Seko, economic decline of Zaire were the causes of this war. This war leads to the renaming of Zaire as the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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“The Pharaoh was all” was the official title of the king of Egyptian Civilization. His position was so much above the common people and the nobbles, that he was regarded as the son of the chief of their Gods.

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The religious beliefs and inspirations held by Egyptians made them the first and foremost builders in the world. Their belief in life after death, led them to build tombs and these royal tombs were the Pyramids. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid and the tomb of Fourth Dynasty pharaoh Khufu. It was built in 26th century BC and is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It is located in Greater Cairo, Egypt.