Contemporary World History quiz review questions 1-3

For 1st quiz

During the 2021 military build-up, the Russian government demanded Ukraine not ever be allowed to join this organization. What is this organization

NATO

On 17 March 2023, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova for what war crime?

The unlawful transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian federation

How did the West respond to the Russian invasion of Ukraine?

Imposed economic sanctions on Russia, and gave weapons and money to Ukraine

There are two items that Russia exports which the world is quite dependent on. What are they?

Natural gas and oil.

What is a major charge that is used by Russian propaganda as justification for the Ukrainian war?

To de-nazify Ukraine.

Russia objected to the expansion of NATO further east. But the Ukrainian War led to the expansion of NATO by the addition of 2 more countries in 2023 and 2024. Which are they?

Finland and Sweden

On 25 February 2022, the United Nations (UN) Security Council failed to adopt a draft resolution which would have "deplored, in the strongest terms, the Russian Federation's aggression" on Ukraine. Why did this fail?

Because Russia vetoed it.

Name 4 of the 5 countries in the United Nations (UN) Security Council which have veto power?

US, France, Britain, China, and Russia.

Name 2 countries that supply Russia with weapons for its war with Ukraine.

Iran & North Korea.

Some European countries were and are highly dependent upon being supplied natural gas from Russia? Which European country largely stopped getting any natural gas from Russia

Germany

Prior to 1917, what was the title given to the Russian ruler?

Tsar or Czar

What was a major goal of Russia's ruler Peter the Great?

To modernize or westernize Russia.

What was the name of the intellectual and philosophical movement that occurred in Europe in the 17th and the 18th centuries which influenced the thinking of both Russian rulers Peter the Great and Catherne the Great?

The Enlightenment.

In the 1700s, Russian settlers began to colonize Alaska and explore the area. Which Russian explorer lent his name to the body of water that separates Alaska from that of Siberia?

Vitus Bering

What is the name of the event in 1917 that led to the end of the royalty as rulers of Russia?

The Russian Revolution

What was the name of the country that replaced the rulers of Russia after 1917?

The Soviet Union or USSR

Name the 1st two major rulers of the communist government of Russia.

Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin

After Russia was victorious in World War II, what was the name of the "war" that followed WWII between Russia and the West?

The Cold War

What is the name of the last ruler of the communist government of Russia?

Mikhail Gorbachev

The last leader of communist Russia attempted to reform the communist system. What are the names of the 2 reform attempts? Either the Russian or English names are OK.

Perestroika/restructuring and glasnost/openness

After the collapse of the Russian communist government, who was the first leader of the next Russian government, the Russian Federation?

Boris Yeltsin

What is KGB? Circle the correct answer

A-The Russian office that handles imports/exports

B-The main security agency of the Soviet Union)

C-The initials of the man who heads the Wagner Group in Russia

D-An economic agreement with 5 countries that border with Russia

Answer is b

During the years following the collapse of the communist government, bureaucrats, factory directors, aggressive businessmen and criminal organizations used insider deals, bribery and simple brute force in order to grab lucrative assets such as companies and natural resources. Some of these men became very wealthy. They became known by what term which means "where power rests with a small number of people".

Oligarchs

Who is the current president of the Russian Federation?

Vladimir Putin

The current president of Russia became popular because of his role in dealingwith the Chechen War. Who are the Chechens? Circle the correct answer.

A- A northern Caucasian ethnic group which is located in southern Russia and largely are Sunni Muslims

B- A secret terrorist opposition group to the Russian government

C-People who are members of the Wagner opposition group in Russia

D- A guerilla group who operates out of neighboring Belarus and makes terrorist attacks inside of Russia.

Answer A

Successive Ukrainian governments in the 2000s sought a closer relationship with what organization?

EU or European Union

Where did Ukrainian protests leading to the ouster of the Ukrainian president starting on the night of 21 November 2013 occur?

Maidan Square

Protests and street clashes lead to the ouster of the Ukrainian president in February 2014 whereupon he fled the country. What word did the Russian government use to describe these February events?

A coup

Subsequent to the events in Ukraine in February 2014, Russia sent in troops to occupy 2 areas of Ukraine. What were they?

Crimea and the Donbas region

I divide the Ukrainian war into two phases. How long did phase one of the war, which started in 2014, last until phase two start?

8 years

In May 2019, Ukraine elected a politician and former entertainer who is currently serving as their 6th and current president. What is this person's name?

Volodymyr Zelensky or just Zelensky

Russian President Putin has used 2 historical examples to buttress his intervention and invasion of Ukraine. What are they?

1962 Cuban Missile crisis and the 1999 Serbia-Kosovo war.

Though it is a war, Russia does not use that term to describe the invasion of Ukraine. What is it euphemistically called?

A "special military operation".

How many member states or countries are currently in the EU?

27

The EU was founded in 1952 by how many member states?

six

True or False - The EU Customs Union imposes a common external tariff on all goods entering the union.

True.

What is the name of the organization which is the primary arm of the EU, and which negotiates for and on behalf of the Union as a whole in international trade deals, rather than each member state negotiating individually?

European Commission

What is the name of the intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade with 166 members representing over 98% of global trade and GDP

World Trade Organization

The European single market, also known as the European common market, seeks to guarantee the free movement of what 4 things.

goods, services, capital, and people.

Name one of the five things that the EU single market attempts to achieve or enhance.

Increase competition, Labor specialization, Allocate resources efficiently, economies of scale, and economic integration.

For the very first time, which country left the European single market on 31 December 2020.

United Kingdom or Great Britain or England - all just name one country

For 27 countries in the Schengen Area, what did the Schengen Agreement accomplish?

Abolished all passport and border controls for travel at their mutual levels

Who is the current head of the European Commission?

Ursula von der Leyen or Von der Leyen

20 out of 27 member states of the EU have adopted a new primary currency. What is the name of this currency?

The Euro

In 1994, the first President of Kazakhstan suggested the idea of creating a regional trade bloc that was supported in 2011 by then-Prime Minister of Russia, Vladimir Putin. What is the name of this competing regional trade bloc

Eurasian Economic Union

How many member states or countries are currently in NATO?

32

What does the acronym NATO stand for?

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

NATO is a collective security system that serves as a deterrent to aggression. What country, although not specified by NATO, is thought to be the aggressor.

Russia

Name the last 2 newest members of NATO who joined just in 2023 & 2024.

Sweden and Finland

The Soviet Union created a competing defensive alliance in 1955 to counter NATO. What was its name?

The Warsaw Pact

Name any two of the four interventions in which NATO participated.

Bosnia/Herzegovina, Kosovo, Libya, Afghanistan

Member states of NATO pay for and maintain their own troops and equipment. What is the percentage goal GDP that each member state is supposed to meet as payment for their part?

2%

Match four of these acronyms by writing in the letter of the match

A - ROC

B - PRC

C - CCP

D - PLA

E - KMT

Mainland Chinese Government

China’s Army

Party of the Nationalists

Taiwan

Communist Party of China

Matching letter in order

B

D

E

A

C

True or false - - The Beijing mainland government remains hostile to any formal declaration of Taiwan independence and maintains its claim over Taiwan

True

Tsai Ing-wen was elected as Taiwan’s president in 2016. Circle the last name of the President A or B

A - Tsai

B - Ing-wen

A is correct

Which party is seen as the more pro-independence party of Taiwan? Circle it.

DPP or Democratic Progressive Party

KMT or Kuomintang

DPP is correct

Which of the two does the United States officially recognize- -Taiwan or Mainland China?

Mainland China

The United States policy towards Taiwan does not make clear that it is obligated to come to Taiwan’s defense in a war with China. What is the name of this Policy?

Strategic Ambiguity

A Taiwan company is the leading global producer of the world’s most advanced chips or semiconductors. What is the name of this company?

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company or TSMC

China lost control of the island of Taiwan from 1895 to 1945 to what other country?

Japan

China has grown bolder and its tolerance for risk has increased as it militarized the South China Sea where it has placed bases on small islands, whose control is disputed by other countries in the area. Name the two countries who dispute China’s claims.

Philippines and Vietnam

China had a border dispute with a violent incident which resulted in the deaths of some Chinese soldiers as well as soldiers of which other country?

India

Which country is a member of the United Nations? China or Taiwan?

China

By what name was Taiwan known previously in the West, when it was given this name in the 1950s by Portuguese sailors

Formosa

Traditionally, western or English language books have used the terms BC and AD to denote dates, such as something in Roman times occurred in 54AD or 44BC. What terms are the newer method of dating that replaces BC and AD

Before Common Equivalent (BCE) and Common Equivalent (CE)

What is the name of the largest ethnic group of people native to China

Han

In the Chinese Civil war which ended on the mainland in 1949 who were the main opposing leaders of the Communists and the Nationalists?

Mao and Chiang

Initially the United States showed no interest in supporting the Nationalists in its final stand in Taiwan. What war in 1950 changed that for the United States, which provoked President Truman to send in the US Navy to protect Taiwan?

Korean War

What United States president viewed better relations with Beijing as a way to help get itself out of the Vietnam War, and his administration moved to replace Taiwan with China in the UN in 1971?

President Nixon

True or False. Taiwan had a female president of its country.

True

What is the name of the first president of the Chinese Republic when it replaced China’s last dynasty in 1911

Sun Yat-sen