World History MCQs

Notes:
In 1910, the British colonies vis. Natal and Cape Colony, the Boer States, the Orange Free State and the Transvaal had been brought together as a self-governing state- called the Union of South Africa. Some of these areas were conquered by the British in the WWI, the white population of South Africa was only 20% of the total population. The white people comprised people of British origin and the Boers, who were of Dutch origin. The Nationalist Party (NP) which was mainly the party of the Boers (or Afrikaners) was dominated by ideas of extreme white racism. It remained in power for a long time, because a vast majority simply could not vote. It advocated a policy of racial separation (apartheid) in order to maintain the social and political supremacy of the Whites. So, all the three statements are correct.

Notes:
In June 1940, France surrendered in the WWII. While the northern France was occupied by the German troops, a French government was allowed to retain control over about half of France. This government moved to Vichy, hence it was called the Vichy government and the area under its control was called the ‘Vichy France’. The Vichy France collaborated with the Nazi Germany and in turn, it was allowed to maintain control over its colonies. So, statement 1 is correct. Charles de Gaulle, who had been a colonel in the French army at the time of the German invasion of France, had escaped to Britain after the surrender by the French government. Under the leadership of de Gaulle, now General de Gaulle, the Free France movement was started and a French army was organised in Britain to fight against the Nazi Germany. Charles de Gaulle later went on to become the President of France. So, statement 2 is correct.

Notes:
The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which dismantled the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the communist government. The Emperor was forced to abdicate and replaced by a provisional government during the first revolution of February 1917. In the second revolution, during October, the Provisional Government was replaced with a Bolshevik (Communist) government.

Notes:
In January 1776, Thomas Paine came to America from England and issued a pamphlet “Common Sense”. It attacked the idea of hereditary monarchy and advocated democratic government. More than one lakh copies of this 50 page booklet were distributed throughout the thirteen colonies. It inculcated the fighting spirit among the Americans.

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On 4th July 1776, the American Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress. It was prepared by a committee of five led by Thomas Jefferson who included the ideals of human freedom in it.

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King Leopold of Austria issued the famous Declaration of Pilnitz against the revolutionaries on 27th August 1791. War broke out between the revolutionary government and Austria in 1792.

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Russian Social Democratic Party along with many other socialist groups was united into the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in 1898.

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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:
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.

Notes:
World War II was devastating for Poland, resulting in the death of around 6 million Polish citizens. This tragic loss included both military and civilian lives, with half of the casualties being Polish Jews who perished in the Holocaust. The country’s population and infrastructure suffered immensely due to the war.