World History MCQs

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Britain emerged as the biggest colonial power at the end of the nineteenth century.

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Battles of Wagram, Pyramids and Austerlitz resulted in decisive victories for Napoleon. The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement fought by the British Royal Navy against the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815). The battle was the most decisive British naval victory of the war.

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The Reign of Terror (5 September 1793 – 28 July 1794) was a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of “enemies of the revolution.” Robespierre, a French lawyer and politician, was an important figure during the Reign of Terror, which ended a few months after his arrest and execution in July 1794.

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In 1776 the British forces led by Sir William Howe defeated Washington in the battle of Long Island. However, the army of American colonies commanded by General Gates defeated British troops at Saratoga in October, 1777. The victory at Saratoga marked a turning point in the war. The French troops under Lafayette came to the help of the American colonies.

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The immediate cause was the assassination of Arch Duke Francis Ferdinand who was heir to the Austrian throne. Arch Duke Francis Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated by Serbians in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo when they paid a visit to this city on 28th June 1914. The news of this murder shocked many countries. Austria-Hungary was already sick of Serbia and she decided to take advantage of the new situation to crush her. The murder of their crown prince and his wife resulted in an ultimatum being sent to Serbia for immediate compliance of certain terms. Serbia’s reply did not pacify Austria-Hungary. Hence, Austria-Hungary backed by Germany declared war on Serbia. Russia mobilised her forces in favour of Serbia.

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The Lusitania ship was drowned by a German submarine and consequently many Americans lost their lives. This resulted in the declaration of war against Germany by the U.S.A. In spite of best efforts, Germany could not stand and ultimately she surrendered in November 1919.

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The Marshall Plan, also known as the European Recovery Program, was announced on June 5, 1947 by the then-Secretary of State, George Marshall. The initiative was designed to aid Europe, where economies had been devastated after World War II. The Marshall Plan provided over $13 billion in aid to European countries that had been destroyed during the war.

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In response to the western military pacts, the Soviet Union concluded the Warsaw Pact on 14th May 1955 with her satellite powers. During this phase a number of military pacts were concluded, but the tension between East and West was somewhat reduced.

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After 1960, the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R. had developed equality in nuclear weapons. Thus any nuclear war would lead to co-destruction. This awareness led both the super powers to believe in the inevitability of peaceful co-existence. They were, therefore, prompted to conclude the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963. This treaty was followed by a ‘Hot Line Agreement’ between Washington and Kremlin.

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With the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the collapse of Communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe occurred. The bipolar world became unipolar world. On 31st July 1991, American President George Bush and Soviet leader Michael Gorbachev signed the ‘historic’ START – I Treaty in the Moscow Summit. This marks the end of the Era of Cold War.