World History MCQs

Notes:
A series of Navigation Acts were passed by the British Parliament to control the trade of the American colonies. These Acts insisted that all the goods of both exports and imports should be carried in ships owned by England. Custom collectors were appointed in the colonies to implement the Navigation Acts. But, the American colonies considered these Acts as infringement of their rights. The Molasses Act levied heavy duties on sugar and molasses imported into the American colonies.

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The bankruptcy of French treasury was the starting point of the French Revolution. Louis XVI was faced with a serious financial situation. There was also no alternative but to propose new taxes.

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A large number of soldiers were brought to Versailles and Paris. Necker, the popular minister was also dismissed. On hearing this, the mob of Paris became violent. They attacked the State prison called the Bastille, murdered the guards and freed the prisoners. The fall of the Bastille was regarded in France as a triumph of liberty. The nobles voluntarily surrendered their feudal rights and the privileges on 4th August 1789. Feudalism and serfdom were abolished. The principle of equality was established.

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In the 16th and 17th centuries, the practice of enclosure was denounced by the Church, and legislation was drawn up against it. However, the mechanization of agriculture during the 18th century required large, enclosed fields. This led to a series of government acts, culminating finally in the General Enclosure Act of 1801. By the end of the 19th century the process of enclosure was largely complete.

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In Russia when the workers’ organizations were set up they were dominated by Marx’s ideas on socialism. In 1883, the Russian Social Democratic Party was formed by George Plekhanov, a follower of Marx.

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On December 30, 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics came into being. However, soon the new Soviet state was involved in a civil war. The officers of the army of the fallen Tsar organised an armed rebellion against the Soviet state. Troops of foreign powers—England, France, Japan, the United States and others— joined them. War was fought till 1920. By this time the ‘Red Army’ of the new state was in control of almost all the lands of the old Czarist empire. Indeed, a revolutionary wave lasted until 1923.

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The unemployment problem, poverty and inflation helped the spread of Socialism. The believers in Marxism had a political party called Social Democrats of Italy.

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The financial crisis in Germany forced the Weimar Republic to make an appeal to the allies for the reduction of the amount of reparation. As a result a committee consisting of ten members was formed under the chairmanship of Dawes, an eminent finance specialist of U.S.A. The committee made some amendments to the provision of the Treaty of Versailles. This known as Dawes Plan. The financial burden of Germany was reduced to certain level.

Notes:
China imported large quantities of opium. Opium-eating became a national vice. Therefore, the Chinese government imposed rules to prohibit opium trade. The action of Commissioner Lin Tse hsu led to First Opium War (1839-1842) in which England defeated China. The war came to an end with the Treaty of Nanking.

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At the end of the First World War Japan emerged as a superior military power. Hence, in order to control Japan’s Navy the Washington Naval Conference was held in 1921-22. But this was only a temporary measure.