World History MCQs
World History Multiple Choice Quiz Questions (MCQs) on Ancient World History, Medieval World History and Modern World History for various UPSC, PCS and other Competitive Examinations.
21. Zollverein refers to which of the following?
[A] Trade Union
[B] Labours Union
[C] Farmers Union
[D] Customs Union
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Customs Union]
Notes:
Zollverein refers to Customs Union which was established in 1818 in Prussia. Consequently the internal taxes on commercial goods were abolished and free trade was established. There was no tax was imposed on raw-materials coming into Prussia from outside.
22. Who was the leader of Russia during the March Revolution?
[A] Joseph Stalin
[B] Czar Nicholas
[C] Vladimir Lenin
[D] None of the above
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Vladimir Lenin]
Notes:
Tsar Nicholas II ruled Russia in 1917, while Bolshevik Vladmir Lenin lived in exile. However by October, the revolution had reversed their roles, leaving the former tsar a prisoner and Lenin holding all the power.
23. Which ruler got finally defeated in the “Battle of Waterloo”?
[A] Adolf Hitler
[B] Otto von Bismarck
[C] Napoleon Bonaparte
[D] Benito Mussolini
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Napoleon Bonaparte]
Notes:
Battle of Waterloo was fought on 18 June 1815, near Waterloo in Belgium, part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands at the time. A French army under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated by two of the armies of the Seventh Coalition: A British-led coalition consisting of units from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Hanover, Brunswick, and Nassau, under the command of the Duke of Wellington; and a Prussian army under the command of Field Marshal von Blucher. This battle marked the final defeat of Napoleon and the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The defeat at Waterloo ended Napoleon’s rule as Emperor of France and ended his First French Empire.
24. Which country conducted the “Red Army invasion of Georgia”?
[A] Germany
[B] Russia
[C] Turkey
[D] Iran
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Russia]
Notes:
The Red Army invasion of Georgia (15 February – 17 March 1921), also known as the Soviet–Georgian War or the Soviet invasion of Georgia, which forms part of the Russian Civil War and Turkish War of Independence, was a military campaign by the Russian Red Army aimed at overthrowing the Social-Democratic government of the Democratic Republic of Georgia and installing a Bolshevik regime in the country. The conflict was a result of an expansionist policy by the Russians, who aimed to control as much as possible of the lands which had been part of the former Russian Empire until the turbulent events of the First World War, as well as the revolutionary efforts of mostly Russian-based Georgian Bolsheviks, who did not have sufficient support in their native country to seize power without external intervention.
25. Which of the following is also known as the “Seven Weeks War”?
[A] Russo-Georgia War
[B] Austro-Prussian War
[C] Anglo-Aro War
[D] Italo-Turkish War
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Austro-Prussian War]
Notes:
The Austro-Prussian War or Seven Weeks’ War, also known as the German Civil War or the Unification War or the War of 1866 or the Fraternal War or the Brother’s War, happened as part of the wars of German unification, was a war fought in 1866 between the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia, with each also being aided by various allies within the German Confederation. Prussia had also allied with the Kingdom of Italy, linking this conflict to the Third Independence War of Italian unification. The Austro-Prussian War was part of the wider rivalry between Austria and Prussia and resulted in Prussian dominance over the German states. The major result of the war was a shift in power among the German states away from Austrian and towards Prussian hegemony. The war also resulted in the Italian annexation of the Austrian province of Venetia.
26. Who was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana and also credited with the independence of Gold Coast from Britain in 1957?
[A] Thomas Sankara
[B] Paul Kagame
[C] Patrice Lumumba
[D] Kwame Nkrumah
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Kwame Nkrumah]
Notes:
Kwame Nkrumah was a Ghanaian politician and revolutionary. He was the first Prime Minister and President of Ghana, having led the Gold Coast to independence from Britain in 1957. An influential advocate of Pan-Africanism, Nkrumah was a founding member of the Organization of African Unity and winner of the Lenin Peace Prize from the Soviet Union in 1962.
27. Which of the following was the period of the event “Guinea-Bissau War of Independence”?
[A] 1963 – 1971
[B] 1963 – 1972
[C] 1963 – 1973
[D] 1963 – 1974
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [1963 – 1974]
Notes:
The Guinea-Bissau War of Independence was an armed Independence conflict that took place in Portuguese Guinea between 1963 and 1974. Fought between Portugal and the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde, an armed independence movement backed by Cuba and the Soviet Union, the war is commonly referred to as “Portugal’s Vietnam” due to the large numbers of men and amounts of material expended in a long, mostly guerrilla war and the internal political turmoil it created in Portugal. The war ended when Portugal, after the Carnation Revolution of 1974, granted independence to Guinea-Bissau, followed by Cape Verde a year later.
28. In 1918, with which country Iceland signed an agreement to recognize Iceland as a fully independent and sovereign state?
[A] United Kingdom
[B] Denmark
[C] Norway
[D] Germany
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Denmark]
Notes:
In 1918, Iceland signed an agreement with Denmark to recognize Iceland as a fully independent and sovereign state. The Danish–Icelandic Act of Union, a December 1, 1918 agreement signed by Iceland and Denmark, recognized Iceland as a fully independent and sovereign state – the Kingdom of Iceland – freely associated with Denmark in a personal union with the Danish king.
29. Which of the following Indians attended any session of ‘Second International’?
- Dadabhai Naoroji
- Madame Cama
- Mahatma Gandhi
Select the correct answer from the codes given below:
[A] Only 1
[B] Only 1 and 2
[C] Only 1 and 3
[D] Only 2 and 3
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Only 1 and 2]
Notes:
In 1864, the International Working Men’s Association was formed. It was more popularly known as the ‘First International’. The ‘Second International’ was formed in 1889 CE. Leaders of the international socialist movement maintained contacts with the leaders of the colonial countries. Dadabhai Naoroji, the grand old man of India’s freedom movement, attended a congress of the Second International and was greeted warmly. Madame Cama, an Indian revolutionary, unfurled the India’s flag of freedom that she had designed at a Congress of the ‘Second International’. Mahatma Gandhi did not attend any session of the Second International, which became redundant due to the events on the eve of WWI. So, option b is the correct answer.
30. Which of the following agencies were created by the League of Nations?
- Permanent Court of International Justice
- International Labour Organisation
Select the correct answer from the codes given below:
[A] Only 1
[B] Only 2
[C] Both 1 and 2
[D] Neither 1 nor 2
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Both 1 and 2]
Notes:
League of Nations had three constitutional organs- the Assembly, the Council and the Secretariat. But, it proved to be totally ineffective in maintaining peace and taking any effective steps against the aggressor countries that led the world towards WWII. Also, there could no progress towards the reduction of armaments. But, the two agencies created by the League did useful work. These were the Permanent Court of International Justice (popularly known as the World Court) and the International Labour Organisation. Both these bodies were later incorporated into the UNO system. So, option ‘c’ is the correct answer.