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. Which three countries invaded Egypt in the Suez Crisis of 1956?
[A] Israel, United Kingdom and France
[B] Israel, United Kingdom and United States of America
[C] Israel, United Kingdom and Germany
[D] Israel, United States of America and Canada
[B] Israel, United Kingdom and United States of America
[C] Israel, United Kingdom and Germany
[D] Israel, United States of America and Canada
Correct Answer: A [Israel, United Kingdom and France]
Notes:
The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the tripartite aggression in the Arab world and Sinai War in Israel, was an invasion of Egypt in late 1956 by Israel, followed by the United Kingdom and France. The aims were to regain Western control of the Suez Canal and to remove Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, who had just nationalised the canal. After the fighting had started, political pressure from the United States, the Soviet Union and the United Nations, led to a withdrawal by the three invaders. The episode humiliated the United Kingdom and France and strengthened Nasser. This war resulted in:- Anglo-French withdrawal following international pressure (December 1956), the Israeli occupation of Sinai (until March 1957), UNEF deployment in Sinai, Straits of Tiran re-opened to Israeli shipping, Resignation of Anthony Eden as British Prime Minister, end of Britain’s role as a superpower and
Guy Mollet’s position as French Prime Minister heavily damaged.
The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the tripartite aggression in the Arab world and Sinai War in Israel, was an invasion of Egypt in late 1956 by Israel, followed by the United Kingdom and France. The aims were to regain Western control of the Suez Canal and to remove Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, who had just nationalised the canal. After the fighting had started, political pressure from the United States, the Soviet Union and the United Nations, led to a withdrawal by the three invaders. The episode humiliated the United Kingdom and France and strengthened Nasser. This war resulted in:- Anglo-French withdrawal following international pressure (December 1956), the Israeli occupation of Sinai (until March 1957), UNEF deployment in Sinai, Straits of Tiran re-opened to Israeli shipping, Resignation of Anthony Eden as British Prime Minister, end of Britain’s role as a superpower and
Guy Mollet’s position as French Prime Minister heavily damaged.
22. The “Denshawai Incident of 1906” happened in which country?
[A] Iraq
[B] Iran
[C] Syria
[D] Egypt
[B] Iran
[C] Syria
[D] Egypt
Correct Answer: D [Egypt]
Notes:
Denshawai Incident of 1906 was a dispute between the British military officers, the then colonial power of Egypt, and locals of Denshawai village of Egypt. Britishers unleashed severe consequences to retaliate against the incident on the Egyptian locals, which marked the turning point for the Egyptians to turn against the British presence in their country. Denshway Museum was constructed to commemorate the incident. This incident provoked Egyptian nationalist sentiment against British occupation.
Denshawai Incident of 1906 was a dispute between the British military officers, the then colonial power of Egypt, and locals of Denshawai village of Egypt. Britishers unleashed severe consequences to retaliate against the incident on the Egyptian locals, which marked the turning point for the Egyptians to turn against the British presence in their country. Denshway Museum was constructed to commemorate the incident. This incident provoked Egyptian nationalist sentiment against British occupation.
23. The “Algerian War (1954 to 1962)” was fought to gain the independence of Algeria from which country?
[A] United Kingdom
[B] Portugal
[C] France
[D] Spain
[B] Portugal
[C] France
[D] Spain
Correct Answer: C [France ]
Notes:
The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian War of Independence or the Algerian Revolution or the War of 1 November, was fought between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front from 1954 to 1962, which led to Algeria winning its independence from France. It was an important decolonization war, it was a complex conflict characterized by guerrilla warfare, maquis fighting, and the use of torture. The conflict also became a civil war between the different communities and within the communities. The war took place mainly on the territory of Algeria, with repercussions in metropolitan France.
The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian War of Independence or the Algerian Revolution or the War of 1 November, was fought between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front from 1954 to 1962, which led to Algeria winning its independence from France. It was an important decolonization war, it was a complex conflict characterized by guerrilla warfare, maquis fighting, and the use of torture. The conflict also became a civil war between the different communities and within the communities. The war took place mainly on the territory of Algeria, with repercussions in metropolitan France.
24. Which revolution was the theme for the famous painting “Liberty Leading the People”?
[A] Russian Revolution, 1917
[B] French Revolution, 1789
[C] French Revolution, 1830
[D] American Revolution, 1783
[B] French Revolution, 1789
[C] French Revolution, 1830
[D] American Revolution, 1783
Correct Answer: C [French Revolution, 1830]
Notes:
Liberty Leading the People is a painting by Eugene Delacroix commemorating the French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution of 1830, which toppled King Charles X of France. A woman of the people with a Phrygian cap personifying the concept of Liberty leads a varied group of people forward over a barricade and the bodies of the fallen, holding the flag of the French Revolution – the tricolour, which again became France’s national flag after these events – in one hand and brandishing a bayonetted musket with the other. The figure of Liberty is also viewed as a symbol of France and the French Republic known as Marianne.
Liberty Leading the People is a painting by Eugene Delacroix commemorating the French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution of 1830, which toppled King Charles X of France. A woman of the people with a Phrygian cap personifying the concept of Liberty leads a varied group of people forward over a barricade and the bodies of the fallen, holding the flag of the French Revolution – the tricolour, which again became France’s national flag after these events – in one hand and brandishing a bayonetted musket with the other. The figure of Liberty is also viewed as a symbol of France and the French Republic known as Marianne.
25. Which country was the location of the “Georgian Uprising on Texel”?
[A] Germany
[B] Netherlands
[C] Russia
[D] Denmark
[B] Netherlands
[C] Russia
[D] Denmark
Correct Answer: B [Netherlands]
Notes:
Texel, a municipality of the Netherlands, was the location of the “Georgian Uprising on Texel”. The Georgian uprising on Texel (5 April 1945 – 20 May 1945), happened as part of the Western Front of 1944-45 in the European theatre of World War II, was an insurrection by the 882nd Infantry Battalion Konigin Tamara (Queen Tamar or Tamara) of the Georgian Legion of the German Army stationed on the German-occupied Dutch island of Texel. The battalion was made up of 800 Georgians and 400 Germans, with mainly German officers. It was one of the last battles in the European theatre.
Texel, a municipality of the Netherlands, was the location of the “Georgian Uprising on Texel”. The Georgian uprising on Texel (5 April 1945 – 20 May 1945), happened as part of the Western Front of 1944-45 in the European theatre of World War II, was an insurrection by the 882nd Infantry Battalion Konigin Tamara (Queen Tamar or Tamara) of the Georgian Legion of the German Army stationed on the German-occupied Dutch island of Texel. The battalion was made up of 800 Georgians and 400 Germans, with mainly German officers. It was one of the last battles in the European theatre.
26. Who is regarded as an inspiration of French Revolution?
[A] Rousseau
[B] Karl Marx
[C] Lenin
[D] Gramsci
[B] Karl Marx
[C] Lenin
[D] Gramsci
Correct Answer: A [Rousseau]
Notes:
Rousseau is regarded as the source of inspiration of the great French Revolution that took place in 1789 as his ideas not only inspired poets and men of letters but included the revolutionary upsurge that shook the French polity to its foundation.
Rousseau is regarded as the source of inspiration of the great French Revolution that took place in 1789 as his ideas not only inspired poets and men of letters but included the revolutionary upsurge that shook the French polity to its foundation.
27. Which country’s political party was the “Nazi Party”?
[A] France
[B] Germany
[C] Italy
[D] Russia
[B] Germany
[C] Italy
[D] Russia
Correct Answer: B [Germany]
Notes:
The National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP), commonly referred as the Nazi Party, was a far-right political party in Germany that was active between 1920 and 1945, that created and supported the ideology of National Socialism. The Nazi Party emerged from the German nationalist, racist and populist Freikorps paramilitary culture, which fought against the communist uprisings in post-World War I Germany. The party was created to draw workers away from communism and into nationalism. Initially, Nazi political strategy focused on anti-big business, anti-bourgeois, and anti-capitalist rhetoric, although this was later downplayed to gain the support of business leaders, and in the 1930s the party’s main focus shifted to antisemitic and anti-Marxist themes.
The National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP), commonly referred as the Nazi Party, was a far-right political party in Germany that was active between 1920 and 1945, that created and supported the ideology of National Socialism. The Nazi Party emerged from the German nationalist, racist and populist Freikorps paramilitary culture, which fought against the communist uprisings in post-World War I Germany. The party was created to draw workers away from communism and into nationalism. Initially, Nazi political strategy focused on anti-big business, anti-bourgeois, and anti-capitalist rhetoric, although this was later downplayed to gain the support of business leaders, and in the 1930s the party’s main focus shifted to antisemitic and anti-Marxist themes.
28. Which of the following is correct regarding the “Kingdom of Prussia”?
[A] It was a German kingdom
[B] It was an Italian kingdom
[C] It was a French kingdom
[D] It was a Russian kingdom
[B] It was an Italian kingdom
[C] It was a French kingdom
[D] It was a Russian kingdom
Correct Answer: A [It was a German kingdom]
Notes:
The “Kingdom of Prussia” was a German kingdom. The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918. It was the driving force behind the unification of Germany in 1871 and was the leading state of the German Empire until its dissolution in 1918. Although it took its name from the region called Prussia, it was based in the Margraviate of Brandenburg, where its capital was Berlin. Prussia is considered the legal predecessor of the unified German Reich (1871–1945) and as such a direct ancestor of today’s Federal Republic of Germany. The Kingdom left a significant cultural legacy, today notably promoted by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, which has become one of the largest cultural organisations in the world.
The “Kingdom of Prussia” was a German kingdom. The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918. It was the driving force behind the unification of Germany in 1871 and was the leading state of the German Empire until its dissolution in 1918. Although it took its name from the region called Prussia, it was based in the Margraviate of Brandenburg, where its capital was Berlin. Prussia is considered the legal predecessor of the unified German Reich (1871–1945) and as such a direct ancestor of today’s Federal Republic of Germany. The Kingdom left a significant cultural legacy, today notably promoted by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, which has become one of the largest cultural organisations in the world.
29. Which country’s military junta was known as the “Regime of the Colonels”?
[A] Italy
[B] Austria
[C] Greece
[D] Spain
[B] Austria
[C] Greece
[D] Spain
Correct Answer: C [Greece]
Notes:
The Greek junta or Regime of the Colonels was a series of far-right military juntas that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974. On 21 April 1967, a group of colonels overthrew the caretaker government a month before scheduled elections which Georgios Papandreou’s Center Union was favoured to win. The dictatorship was characterised by right-wing cultural policies, restrictions on civil liberties, and the imprisonment, torture, and exile of political opponents. An attempt to renew its support in a 1973 referendum on the monarchy and gradual democratisation was ended by another coup by hardliner Dimitrios Ioannidis. The junta’s rule ended on 24 July 1974 under the pressure of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, leading to the Metapolitefsi (“regime change”) to democracy and the establishment of the Third Hellenic Republic.
The Greek junta or Regime of the Colonels was a series of far-right military juntas that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974. On 21 April 1967, a group of colonels overthrew the caretaker government a month before scheduled elections which Georgios Papandreou’s Center Union was favoured to win. The dictatorship was characterised by right-wing cultural policies, restrictions on civil liberties, and the imprisonment, torture, and exile of political opponents. An attempt to renew its support in a 1973 referendum on the monarchy and gradual democratisation was ended by another coup by hardliner Dimitrios Ioannidis. The junta’s rule ended on 24 July 1974 under the pressure of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, leading to the Metapolitefsi (“regime change”) to democracy and the establishment of the Third Hellenic Republic.
30. Which country was the location of the party “New Jewel Movement”?
[A] Trinidad and Tobago
[B] Grenada
[C] Barbados
[D] Dominica
[B] Grenada
[C] Barbados
[D] Dominica
Correct Answer: B [Grenada]
Notes:
The New Joint Endeavor for Welfare, Education, and Liberation, or New JEWEL Movement (NJM), was a Marxist–Leninist vanguard party in the Caribbean island nation of Grenada that was led by Maurice Bishop. Established in 1973, the NJM issued its manifesto prior to the granting of Independence to Grenada in 1974. The movement took control of the country with a successful revolution in 1979 and ruled by decree as the People’s Revolutionary Government until 1983. In 1983, Bishop was killed by paramilitaries affiliated with hard-liners in his own party. This led to a military government, which was deposed by the US military in a 1983 invasion.
The New Joint Endeavor for Welfare, Education, and Liberation, or New JEWEL Movement (NJM), was a Marxist–Leninist vanguard party in the Caribbean island nation of Grenada that was led by Maurice Bishop. Established in 1973, the NJM issued its manifesto prior to the granting of Independence to Grenada in 1974. The movement took control of the country with a successful revolution in 1979 and ruled by decree as the People’s Revolutionary Government until 1983. In 1983, Bishop was killed by paramilitaries affiliated with hard-liners in his own party. This led to a military government, which was deposed by the US military in a 1983 invasion.