World History MCQs

Notes:
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was fought from 13 March to 7 May 1954 in Dien Bien Phu, a city of Vietnam in the then French Indochina region. It was a climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War which was fought between the French Unions French Far East Expeditionary Corps and Viet Minh communist revolutionaries. This war leads to the decisive Viet Minh victory.

Notes:
Germany was the location of the “Beer Hall Putsch”. 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 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:
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:
Iran was the location of the Shah and People Revolution. The White Revolution or the Shah and People Revolution was a far-reaching series of reforms in Iran launched in 1963 by the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, which lasted until 1979. He reformed the program which was built specially to weaken those classes that supported the traditional system. It consisted of several elements, including land reform, sale of some state-owned factories to finance the land reform, construction of an expanded road, rail, and air network, a number of dam and irrigation projects, the eradication of diseases such as malaria, the encouragement and support of industrial growth, enfranchisement of women, nationalization of forests and pastures, formation of literacy and health corps for rural isolated areas, and the institution of profit-sharing schemes for workers in the industry.

Notes:
Iran crisis of 1946 is also known as the “Azerbaijan Crisis”. The Iran crisis of 1946, also known as the Azerbaijan Crisis, was one of the first crises of the Cold War, sparked by the refusal of Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union to relinquish occupied Iranian territory, despite repeated assurances. The end of World War II should have resulted at the end of the Allied joint occupation of Iran. Instead, Pro-Soviet Iranians proclaimed the separatist Azerbaijan People’s Government[5] and the Kurdish separatist Republic of Mahabad. The United States pressure on the Soviet Union to withdraw is the earliest evidence of success with the new strategy of Truman Doctrine and containment.

Notes:
The United States attacked the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki of Japan. Hiroshima was attacked on 6 August 1945 and Nagasaki was attacked on 9 August 1945.

Notes:
The Constitution of 1791 vested the power to make laws in the National Assembly, which was indirectly elected.In the summer of 1792 the Jacobins planned an insurrection.On the morning of August 10 they stormed the Palace of the Tuileries, massacred the king’s guards and held the king himself as hostage for several hours. Elections were held. From now on all men of 21 years and above, regardless of wealth, got the right to vote. The newly elected assembly was called the Convention. On 21 September 1792 it abolished the monarchy and declared France a republic.The period from 1793 to 1794 is referred to as the Reign of Terror. Robespierre pursued his policies so relentlessly that even his supporters began to demand moderation. Finally, he was convicted by a court in July 1794, arrested and on the next day sent to the guillotine. With the fall of Jacobins, a new constitution was introduced which denied the vote to non-propertied sections of society. It provided for two elected legislative councils. These then appointed a Directory, an executive made up of five members. However, the Directors often clashed with the legislative councils, who then sought to dismiss them. The political instability of the Directory paved way for the rise of a military dictator, Napoleon Bonaparte. So, correct chronology is 1-2-3-4.

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.

Notes:
Subjugation of China began with the opium wars in 1840s and 1850s. One after the other, European powers began to make inroads into Chinese politics and economy. Up to the 1890s, European Powers were preparing for partition of China into their respective spheres of influences. With their own spheres, respective European powers were to be free to exploit the economic and human resources at the exclusion of other European powers. The USA felt that it would be left out of the lucrative trade of China in such a situation. It, therefore, declared what is known as the ‘Open Door Policy’, which meant that no country should be discriminated against in China by other countries, including in areas in which they claimed as their spheres of influence. So, option ‘a’ is the correct answer.