World History MCQs

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.

Notes:
The Beer Hall Putsch, also known as the Munich Putsch or the Hitlerputsch or the Hitler–Ludendorff-Putsch, was a failed coup d’etat by the Nazi Party (NSDAP) leader Adolf Hitler to seize power in Munich, Bavaria, which took place on 8–9 November 1923. Approximately two thousand Nazis were marching to the Feldherrnhalle, in the city centre, when they were confronted by a police cordon, which resulted in the deaths of 16 Nazi party members and four police officers. Hitler, who was wounded during the clash, escaped immediate arrest. After two days, he was arrested and charged with treason. The putsch brought Hitler to the attention of the German nation and generated front-page headlines in newspapers around the world. His arrest was followed by a 24-day trial, which was widely publicised and gave him a platform to express his nationalist sentiments to the nation. Hitler was found guilty of treason and sentenced to five years in Landsberg Prison, where he dictated Mein Kampf to his fellow prisoners Emil Maurice and Rudolf Hess. On 20 December 1924, having served only nine months, Hitler was released. Once released, Hitler redirected his focus towards obtaining power through legal means rather than revolution or force, and accordingly changed his tactics, further developing Nazi propaganda.

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.

Notes:
Indonesia was the location of the event “30 September Movement”. The Thirtieth of September Movement was a self-proclaimed organization of Indonesian National Armed Forces members who, in the early hours of 1 October 1965, assassinated six Indonesian Army generals in an abortive coup d’etat. Later that morning, the organisation declared that it was in control of media and communication outlets and had taken President Sukarno under its protection. By the end of the day, the coup attempt had failed in Jakarta. Meanwhile, in central Java, there was an attempt to take control of an army division and several cities. By the time this rebellion was put down, two more senior officers were dead.

Notes:
The NATO played a significant role by intervening in the Kosovo war to end the war in 1999.

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Liberals wanted a nation which tolerated all religions. They wanted to safeguard the rights of individuals against governments. They argued for an elected parliamentary government, rule of law, separation of power and an independent judiciary. However, they were not ‘democrats’. They did not believe in universal adult franchise, that is, the right of every citizen to vote. They felt men of property mainly should have the vote. They also did not want the vote for women. So, statement 1 is incorrect. Radicals wanted a government that was based on the elected majority. Many supported women’s suffragette movements. Unlike liberals, they opposed the privileges of great landowners and wealthy factory owners. They were not against the existence of private property but disliked concentration of property in the hands of a few. So, statement 2 is incorrect. Conservatives were opposed to radicals and liberals. Earlier, in the eighteenth century, conservatives had been generally opposed to the ideas of change. After the French Revolution, however, even conservatives had opened their minds to the need for change. By the nineteenth century, they accepted that some change was inevitable but believed that the past had to be respected and change had to be brought through a slow process. So, statement 3 is correct.

Notes:
Woodrow Wilson was the President of USA. When USA decided to join the WWI on the side of allies, Wilson proposed a ‘fourteen-point proposal’ for any future peace negotiation for the post-WWI global order. This proposal was to be taken up in the Paris Peace Conference held after the surrender of Germany in WWI. Among the proposals were territorial readjustments, Polish Corridor, disarmament, free trade, freedom of navigation, end to secret treaties, self-determination, setting up of League of Nations, etc.

Notes:
The growing tension during the cold war was worsened by the formation of military alliances globally. Apart from Europe centric NATO and WARSAW pact, there were SEATO and Baghdad Pact. The Baghdad Pact was signed in 1955 between Britain, Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan, Iran and USA. These military alliances were seen as a danger to the peace and harmful for the independence of its smaller members. For example, after a revolution in Iraq in 1958, it withdrew from the pact. Then, the Baghdad pact was renamed as the Central Treaty Organisation (CENTO).

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.

Notes:
The Great Depression, which had its origin in USA, affected the whole world. It was basically a deep economic recession that chipped away a significant portion of GDP of the European states and USA. But, in USA, some of the worst effects of the economic recession began to be remedied after 1933. This happened during the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was first elected in 1932 and won three subsequent elections. The programme of reform which he started is known as the ‘New Deal’. A large program of welfare was initiated which alleviated the misery of many sections of the population. The New Deal was inspired from the Keynesian economic model, in which expansionary fiscal and monetary policies were used to spur the demand in the economy. This increased demand could boost production and employment. So, both the statements are correct.