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. Russian Revolution took place in which of the following years?
[A] 1914
[B] 1915
[C] 1916
[D] 1917
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [1917]
Notes:
Russian Revolution took place in the year 1917, during the final phase of World War I. The revolution erupted as a result of Russia’s major military losses during the War, which resulted in much of the Russian Army being ready to mutiny.
22. The term Bourbon Restoration is linked with the political history of __?
[A] France
[B] Canada
[C] Germany
[D] Russia
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [France]
Notes:
The Bourbon Restoration was the period of French history from 1814 to 1830 following the first fall of Napoleon in 1814 and his final defeat in the Hundred Days War in 1815, until the July Revolution of 1830. The brothers of the executed Louis XVI, namely Louis XVIII and Charles X, came to power and reigned in a highly conservative fashion. Exiled supporters of the monarchy returned to France. They were nonetheless unable to reverse most of the changes made by the French Revolution and Napoleon. At the Congress of Vienna, they were treated respectfully but had to give up nearly all the territorial gains made since 1789.
23. The “War of the First Coalition” was fought by a group of European powers against which country?
[A] Russia
[B] Turkey
[C] France
[D] Germany
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [France]
Notes:
The War of the First Coalition is the traditional name of wars that several European powers fought between 1792 and 1797 against initially the Kingdom of France and then the French Republic that succeeded it. They were only loosely allied and fought without much apparent coordination or agreement, each power had its eye on a deficient part of France it wanted to appropriate after a French defeat, which never occurred.
24. Which country’s historical period was “Belle Epoque”?
[A] France
[B] Netherlands
[C] Italy
[D] Germany
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [France]
Notes:
Belle Epoque or La Belle Epoque is the term used to define a period of French history from 1880 to 1914 until the outbreak of World War I. This marked the era of the French Third Republic. This period was characterized by optimism, regional peace, economic prosperity, colonial expansion, and technological, scientific, and cultural innovations.
25. Which of the following was the subject-matter/agenda of the “Yalta Conference”?
[A] Post-World War II reorganization of Germany and Europe
[B] Post-World War II reorganization of Japan and South China Sea
[C] Post-World War II non-proliferation of nuclear weapons
[D] Post-World War II establishment of the United Nations
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Post-World War II reorganization of Germany and Europe]
Notes:
Post-World War II reorganization of Germany and Europe was the subject-matter/agenda of the “Yalta Conference”. The Yalta Conference, also known as the Crimea Conference and codenamed the Argonaut Conference, held February 4–11, 1945, was the World War II meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union to discuss the postwar reorganization of Germany and Europe. The three states were represented by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Premier Joseph Stalin, respectively. The conference was held near Yalta in Crimea, Soviet Union. The aim of the conference was to shape a post-war peace that represented not just a collective security order but a plan to give self-determination to the liberated peoples of post-Nazi Europe. The meeting was intended mainly to discuss the re-establishment of the nations of war-torn Europe.
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. What was “Jean-Pierre Boyer” famous for?
[A] As one of the leaders of the Dominican Revolution
[B] As one of the leaders of the Haitian Revolution
[C] As one of the leaders of the Bahamian Revolution
[D] As one of the leaders of the Jamaican Revolution
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [As one of the leaders of the Haitian Revolution]
Notes:
Jean-Pierre Boyer was one of the leaders of the Haitian Revolution and President of Haiti from 1818 to 1843. He reunited the north and south of the country into the Republic of Haiti in 1820 and also annexed the newly independent Spanish Haiti (Santo Domingo), which brought all of Hispaniola under one Haitian government by 1822. Boyer managed to rule for the longest period of time of any of the revolutionary leaders of his generation.
28. The “Hungarian Revolution of 1956” was a nationwide revolution against which following power?
[A] Germany
[B] Soviet Union
[C] Italy
[D] Austria
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Soviet Union]
Notes:
The “Hungarian Revolution of 1956” was a nationwide revolution against the Soviet Union. The Hungarian Revolution of 1956, or the Hungarian Uprising, was a nationwide revolution against the Hungarian People’s Republic and its Soviet-imposed policies, lasting from 23 October until 10 November 1956. Leaderless at the beginning, it was the first major threat to Soviet control since the Red Army drove Nazi Germany from its territory at the End of World War II in Europe. The revolution was crushed by the Soviet Union which leads to its victory.
29. Which country was invaded by the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union in 1941 through “Operation Countenance”?
[A] Iran
[B] Iraq
[C] Afghanistan
[D] Syria
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Iran]
Notes:
Iran was invaded by the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union in 1941 through “Operation Countenance”. The Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran or the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Persia was the joint invasion of the neutral Imperial State of Iran by the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union in August 1941. The invasion, codenamed Operation Countenance, was largely unopposed by the numerically and technologically inferior Iranian forces.
30. Consider the following statements with respect to the Sykes-Picot Agreement:
- It was signed between Britain and France.
- It was related to the West Asian territories of Ottoman Empire.
- It contained a declaration of intent to constitute a Jewish Homeland in the Palestine area.
Which of the above is / are correct?
[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:
During the WWI, Britain and France, were fomenting the dormant Arab nationalism in West Asia, which was under the control of Ottoman Turks at the time. They made promises that if the Arabs helped in war, they will be rewarded with a separate nation of their own. But, Britain and France arrived at a secret arrangement between themselves regarding the future division of Ottoman West Asia territories between themselves after the war. This arrangement is known as the Sykes-Picot agreement which was decided in 1916. So, statement 1 is correct. Under this agreement, Transjordan, Iraq and Palestine were to go to Britain and Syria and Lebanon were to be awarded to France under the guise of ‘Mandate’ system. So, statement 2 is also correct. In a separate case, British government also committed itself to the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people. This pledge was contained in a letter famously known as the ‘Balfour Declaration.’ So, statement 3 is incorrect.