World History MCQs

Notes:
John Wycliffe (1330-1384) from England criticized the Pope for his authority and misdeeds. He translated the Bible into English. He is considered “the Morning Star of the Reformation. Erasmus (1466-1536) attacked the superstitions followed by the clergy in his book In Praise of Folly. It was published in 1509.

Notes:
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed on 3 March 1918 between Russia and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire). It ended Russia’s participation in World War I.

Notes:
Russia’s first major battle in the Great War was a disaster. In the 1914 Battle of Tannenberg, over 120,000 Russian troops were killed, wounded, or captured, while Germany suffered only 20,000 casualties. Whatever nationalistic or patriotic support the Russian government had gained in the early stages of the war had been lost.

Notes:
By the middle of 1918, banks and insurance companies, large industries, mines, water transport and railways were nationalised. Foreign debts were refused and foreign investments were confiscated. A Declaration of the Rights of Peoples was issued conferring the right of self-determination upon all nationalities. A new government, called the Council of People’s Commissars, headed by Lenin was founded. These first acts of the new government began the era of socialism.

Notes:
The end of the Second World War saw the rise of the U.S.A. and U.S.S.R. as Super Powers. The strained relationship between these two countries till the collapse of the U.S.S.R is known as the Cold War. The term ‘Cold War’ was used for the first time by Bernard Baruch. Thereafter this term gained popularity through the journalist Walter Lippman.

Notes:
The U.S.A. had created a military alliance to prevent further spread of communism into Western Europe. A beginning in this direction was made by the signing of the Brussels Treaty in March 1948. Britain, France, Holland, Belgium and Luxemburg signed this treaty promising military collaboration in case of war.

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:
Seven rounds of negotiations occurred under the GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade). The eighth round – known as the Uruguay Round — which began in 1986 and concluded in 1995 established the WTO. The main aim of World Trade Organization is to increase international trade by promoting lower trade barriers and providing a platform for the negotiation of trade.

Notes:
In September 1939, Poland was invaded first by Nazi Germany from the west and then by the Soviet Union from the east, leading to its occupation and division under the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. This event marked the beginning of Poland’s struggle and immense suffering during World War II.

Notes:
Following World War II, Poland found itself within the Soviet sphere of influence, leading to the establishment of a communist state. This period, lasting until 1989, was characterized by Soviet dominance in Polish political affairs, shaping the country’s governance and international relations during the Cold War era.