World History MCQs

Notes:
The infant Weimar Republic was being made to pay for the sins of the old empire. In the Treaty of Versailles, Weimar Republic was compelled to accept the ‘war guilt’ clause, meaning that it unwillingly accepted that the Germany alone was to be blamed for the WWI. The republic carried the burden of national humiliation and was financially crippled by being forced to pay compensation. Those who supported the Weimar Republic, mainly Socialists, Catholics and Democrats, became easy targets of attack in the conservative nationalist circles. They were mockingly called the ‘November criminals’. This mindset had a major impact on the political developments of the early 1930s, as we will soon see. So, option ‘a’ is the correct answer.

Notes:
When the WWII started, USA announced its neutrality. The American public opinion was favourable to the cause of Britain, but they did not want to join in the war. Britain was allowed to buy arms. Gradually, the US support to the Britain grew. In March 1941, the US Congress passed a law under which the US president was given the right to lend or lease armaments to any country whose defense was vital to the defense of the United States. This was known as the ‘Lend-Lease’ system. Under this, Britain began to receive massive supplies from USA. In November 1941, the ‘Lend-Lease’ system was extended to the Soviet Union also. So, option a is the correct answer.

Notes:

• Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870-1924) was the founder of modern communist Russia. He was the leader of Soviet revolution of October 1917. He liberated the country from the Czars and became Head of its first Communist Government (1917 – 1924).
• On March 7, 1917 workers struck work and attacked Petrograd. Farmers revolted in the villages and the frustrated soldiers of World War I joined the general public to revolt against the Czar.
• Petrograd is now called St. Petersburg.

Notes:
Lenin, who was in exile in Switzerland at the time of the February Revolution, returned to Russia in April. Lenin gave his “April Theses”. This promised people what they wanted.

Notes:
The unpopularity of the Kerensky’s government led to its collapse on 7th November 1917, when a group of soldiers occupied the Winter Palace, the seat of the Kerensky Government. An All-Russian Congress of Soviets met on the same day and assumed full political power. This event which took place on 7 November is known as the October Revolution because of the corresponding date of the old Russian calendar, 25 October.

Notes:
The Treaty of Versailles provided a Covenant for the establishment of an international organisation to maintain peace and security in the world. The founder of this organization was President Woodrow Wilson of USA. It was his idea to create a world organization to maintain peace and prevent future wars. President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points underline the creation of a general association of nations. It was Woodrow Wilson who worked hard during Paris negotiations to bring about the birth of the League of Nations.

Notes:
In 1912 Benito Mussolini started the editing of Avanti!, a socialist journal. He was a bitter opponent of the Church.

Notes:
The Second World War was over. At the end of the war, some 13 million Europeans were killed and 17 million civilians had died as a result of the fighting. All major cities were in ruins. Agriculture was ruined. People of the entire world had to face untold miseries, directly or indirectly. Results of the Second World War:

• In this war, about 15 Million soldiers and 10 million civilians lost their lives.
• An important result of the Second World War was that it brought to an end the colonial Empire of the European countries in Asia and Africa.
• Multi-polar world became bi-polar world.
• The USA and USSR emerged as Super Powers.
• Cold War started as an ideological war between USA and USSR.

Notes:
Mikhail Gorbachev became the President of the Soviet Union in March 1985. He instituted a number of political reforms under the name of “glasnost”.

Notes:
The origin of World Trade Organization could be traced from the Bretton Woods Conference of 1944. In this conference, it was proposed for the creation of an International Trade Organization to establish rules and regulations for trade between countries. It finally succeeded in creating the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).