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 country’s government led by a committee of military leaders was “Derg”?
[A] Kenya
[B] Ethiopia
[C] Uganda
[D] Nigeria
[B] Ethiopia
[C] Uganda
[D] Nigeria
Correct Answer: B [Ethiopia ]
Notes:
Provisional Military Government Of Socialist Ethiopia also known as “Derg”, was the government led by a committee of military leaders or military junta from 1974 to 1987. This government was against the monarchy and supported communism as their ideology to rule Ethiopia. The infamous Qey Shibir Massacre of 1977, which was widely known as the Ethiopian Red Terror, was sanctioned by this government to eliminate political opponents.
Provisional Military Government Of Socialist Ethiopia also known as “Derg”, was the government led by a committee of military leaders or military junta from 1974 to 1987. This government was against the monarchy and supported communism as their ideology to rule Ethiopia. The infamous Qey Shibir Massacre of 1977, which was widely known as the Ethiopian Red Terror, was sanctioned by this government to eliminate political opponents.
22. What is “Finlandization”?
[A] A model of social development to be a happy country like Finland.
[B] A general term to denote the foreign subjugation of a smaller country by a powerful country.
[C] An economic development model to sustainably harness the nuclear energy.
[D] A social welfare model of poverty alleviation.
[B] A general term to denote the foreign subjugation of a smaller country by a powerful country.
[C] An economic development model to sustainably harness the nuclear energy.
[D] A social welfare model of poverty alleviation.
Correct Answer: B [A general term to denote the foreign subjugation of a smaller country by a powerful country.]
Notes:
Finlandization is a general term used to denote the foreign subjugation of a smaller country by another powerful country. It is a process by which one powerful country makes a smaller neighboring country abide by the farmer’s foreign policy rules while allowing it to keep its nominal independence and its own political system. The term means “to become like Finland”, referring to the influence of the Soviet Union on Finland’s policies during the Cold War.
Finlandization is a general term used to denote the foreign subjugation of a smaller country by another powerful country. It is a process by which one powerful country makes a smaller neighboring country abide by the farmer’s foreign policy rules while allowing it to keep its nominal independence and its own political system. The term means “to become like Finland”, referring to the influence of the Soviet Union on Finland’s policies during the Cold War.
23. Which country was the location of the “July Revolution”?
[A] France
[B] Canada
[C] Germany
[D] Russia
[B] Canada
[C] Germany
[D] Russia
Correct Answer: A [France]
Notes:
The July revolution, also known as the French Revolution of 1830 or the Second French Revolution, happened from 26 July to 29 July 1830 in France. This led to the overthrow of King Charles X, the French Bourbon monarch, and the ascent of his cousin Louis Philippe, Duke of Orléans, who himself, after 18 precarious years on the throne, would be overthrown in 1848. It marked the shift from one constitutional monarchy, under the restored House of Bourbon, to another, the July Monarchy; the transition of power from the House of Bourbon to its cadet branch, the House of Orléans; and the replacement of the principle of hereditary right by popular sovereignty. Supporters of the Bourbon would be called Legitimists, and supporters of Louis Philippe Orléanists.
The July revolution, also known as the French Revolution of 1830 or the Second French Revolution, happened from 26 July to 29 July 1830 in France. This led to the overthrow of King Charles X, the French Bourbon monarch, and the ascent of his cousin Louis Philippe, Duke of Orléans, who himself, after 18 precarious years on the throne, would be overthrown in 1848. It marked the shift from one constitutional monarchy, under the restored House of Bourbon, to another, the July Monarchy; the transition of power from the House of Bourbon to its cadet branch, the House of Orléans; and the replacement of the principle of hereditary right by popular sovereignty. Supporters of the Bourbon would be called Legitimists, and supporters of Louis Philippe Orléanists.
24. Which are the countries involved in the “Triple Entente”?
[A] Russia, France, Great Britain
[B] Italy, Austria-Hungary, Germany
[C] United States of America, Canada, Great Britain
[D] Russia, Italy, Germany
[B] Italy, Austria-Hungary, Germany
[C] United States of America, Canada, Great Britain
[D] Russia, Italy, Germany
Correct Answer: A [Russia, France, Great Britain ]
Notes:
The Triple Entente describes the informal understanding between the Russian Empire, the French Third Republic and Great Britain. It built upon the Franco-Russian Alliance of 1894, the Entente Cordiale of 1904 between Paris and London, and the Anglo-Russian Entente of 1907. It formed a powerful counterweight to the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. The Triple Entente, unlike the Triple Alliance or the Franco-Russian Alliance itself, was not an alliance of mutual defence.
The Triple Entente describes the informal understanding between the Russian Empire, the French Third Republic and Great Britain. It built upon the Franco-Russian Alliance of 1894, the Entente Cordiale of 1904 between Paris and London, and the Anglo-Russian Entente of 1907. It formed a powerful counterweight to the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. The Triple Entente, unlike the Triple Alliance or the Franco-Russian Alliance itself, was not an alliance of mutual defence.
25. Which country’s strategic naval plan was the “Naval Order of 24 October 1918”?
[A] United Kingdom
[B] France
[C] United States of America
[D] Germany
[B] France
[C] United States of America
[D] Germany
Correct Answer: D [Germany]
Notes:
Germany’s strategic naval plan was the “Naval Order of 24 October 1918”. The naval order of 24 October 1918 was a plan made by the German Admiralty at the end of World War I to provoke a decisive battle between the German High Seas Fleet and the British Grand Fleet in the southern North Sea. When the order to prepare for the sortie was issued on 29 October, a mutiny broke out aboard the German ships. Despite the operation being cancelled, these, in turn, led to the more serious Kiel mutiny, which was the starting point of the November Revolution and the proclamation of the Weimar Republic.
Germany’s strategic naval plan was the “Naval Order of 24 October 1918”. The naval order of 24 October 1918 was a plan made by the German Admiralty at the end of World War I to provoke a decisive battle between the German High Seas Fleet and the British Grand Fleet in the southern North Sea. When the order to prepare for the sortie was issued on 29 October, a mutiny broke out aboard the German ships. Despite the operation being cancelled, these, in turn, led to the more serious Kiel mutiny, which was the starting point of the November Revolution and the proclamation of the Weimar Republic.
26. The “Massacre of Kondomari” happened as part of which event?
[A] World War I
[B] Dissolution of the Soviet Union
[C] Fall of the Berlin Wall
[D] World War II
[B] Dissolution of the Soviet Union
[C] Fall of the Berlin Wall
[D] World War II
Correct Answer: D [World War II]
Notes:
The Massacre of Kondomari was an execution of male civilians from the village of Kondomari in Crete, Greece, by an ad hoc firing squad consisting of German paratroopers on 2 June 1941 during World War II. The shooting was the first of a series of reprisals in Crete. It was orchestrated by Generaloberst Kurt Student, in retaliation for the participation of Cretans in the Battle of Crete which had ended with the surrender of the island two days earlier. The massacre was photographed by Franz-Peter Weixler, a German army war propaganda correspondent, whose negatives were discovered 39 years later in the Federal German archives by a Greek journalist.
The Massacre of Kondomari was an execution of male civilians from the village of Kondomari in Crete, Greece, by an ad hoc firing squad consisting of German paratroopers on 2 June 1941 during World War II. The shooting was the first of a series of reprisals in Crete. It was orchestrated by Generaloberst Kurt Student, in retaliation for the participation of Cretans in the Battle of Crete which had ended with the surrender of the island two days earlier. The massacre was photographed by Franz-Peter Weixler, a German army war propaganda correspondent, whose negatives were discovered 39 years later in the Federal German archives by a Greek journalist.
27. Which country’s expression of the Age of Enlightenment is “Diafotismos”?
[A] Italy
[B] Poland
[C] Germany
[D] Greece
[B] Poland
[C] Germany
[D] Greece
Correct Answer: D [Greece]
Notes:
The Modern Greek Enlightenment, also known as “Diafotismos”, “enlightenment,” “illumination”, was the Greek expression of the Age of Enlightenment. The Greek Enlightenment was given impetus by the Greek predominance in trade and education in the Ottoman Empire. Greek merchants financed a large number of young Greeks to study in universities in Italy and the German states. There they were introduced to the ideas of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. It was the wealth of the extensive Greek merchant class that provided the material basis for the intellectual revival that was the prominent feature of Greek life in the half-century and more leading to 1821.
The Modern Greek Enlightenment, also known as “Diafotismos”, “enlightenment,” “illumination”, was the Greek expression of the Age of Enlightenment. The Greek Enlightenment was given impetus by the Greek predominance in trade and education in the Ottoman Empire. Greek merchants financed a large number of young Greeks to study in universities in Italy and the German states. There they were introduced to the ideas of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. It was the wealth of the extensive Greek merchant class that provided the material basis for the intellectual revival that was the prominent feature of Greek life in the half-century and more leading to 1821.
28. From which country Haiti gained independence in 1804?
[A] United Kingdom
[B] France
[C] Spain
[D] Portugal
[B] France
[C] Spain
[D] Portugal
Correct Answer: B [France]
Notes:
Haiti gained independence in 1804 from France. In 1697 France and Spain settled their hostilities on the Hispaniola Island by way of the Treaty of Ryswick of 1697, which divided Hispaniola between them. France received the western third and subsequently named it Saint-Domingue, the French equivalent of Santo Domingo, the Spanish colony on Hispaniola. The French set about creating sugar and coffee plantations, worked by vast numbers of slaves imported from Africa, and Saint-Domingue grew to become their richest colonial possession. Inspired by the French Revolution of 1789 and principles of the rights of man, the French settlers and free people of colour pressed for greater political freedom and more civil rights. The slaves, along with free gens de couleur and allies, continued their fight for independence, led by generals Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Alexandre Petion and Henry Christophe. The rebels finally managed to decisively defeat the French troops at the Battle of Vertières on 18 November 1804, leading the first-ever nation to successfully gain independence through a slave revolt.
Haiti gained independence in 1804 from France. In 1697 France and Spain settled their hostilities on the Hispaniola Island by way of the Treaty of Ryswick of 1697, which divided Hispaniola between them. France received the western third and subsequently named it Saint-Domingue, the French equivalent of Santo Domingo, the Spanish colony on Hispaniola. The French set about creating sugar and coffee plantations, worked by vast numbers of slaves imported from Africa, and Saint-Domingue grew to become their richest colonial possession. Inspired by the French Revolution of 1789 and principles of the rights of man, the French settlers and free people of colour pressed for greater political freedom and more civil rights. The slaves, along with free gens de couleur and allies, continued their fight for independence, led by generals Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Alexandre Petion and Henry Christophe. The rebels finally managed to decisively defeat the French troops at the Battle of Vertières on 18 November 1804, leading the first-ever nation to successfully gain independence through a slave revolt.
29. 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
[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
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.
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.
30. From which country, Iraq gained independence in 1932?
[A] United Kingdom
[B] France
[C] Italy
[D] Netherlands
[B] France
[C] Italy
[D] Netherlands
Correct Answer: A [United Kingdom]
Notes:
Iraq gained independence in 1932 from the United Kingdom. In April 1920 the British Mandate of Mesopotamia was created under the authority of the League of Nations. A British-backed monarchy joining the vilayets into one Kingdom was established in 1921 under Faisal I of Iraq. The Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq gained independence from the UK in 1932.
Iraq gained independence in 1932 from the United Kingdom. In April 1920 the British Mandate of Mesopotamia was created under the authority of the League of Nations. A British-backed monarchy joining the vilayets into one Kingdom was established in 1921 under Faisal I of Iraq. The Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq gained independence from the UK in 1932.