In which year did the Berlin Wall fall?
Answer : 1989
The Berlin Wall fell on 9 November 1989.
Questions and answers: Contemporary History
Revise Contemporary History: here is a selection of questions of every level, with the answer and an explanation. To test yourself without seeing the answers, play the quizzes.
Play the Contemporary History quizzesVery easy
Who was the first man to walk on the Moon in 1969?
Answer : Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission.
Which country launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, in 1957?
Answer : USSR
Sputnik 1 was launched by the Soviet Union in October 1957.
Which skyscraper complex was destroyed in the attacks of 11 September 2001?
Answer : World Trade Center
The twin towers of the World Trade Center collapsed in New York.
Who was the first Black president of the United States?
Answer : Barack Obama
Barack Obama was elected in 2008 and took office in 2009.
Which South African leader, released in 1990, became president in 1994?
Answer : Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela was the first South African president elected after the end of apartheid.
Which international organization was founded in 1945 to maintain world peace?
Answer : UN
The United Nations was created in 1945 after the Second World War.
Which global pandemic began at the end of 2019?
Answer : COVID-19
COVID-19 emerged at the end of 2019 and spread worldwide in 2020.
Easy
Which common currency was put into circulation in 2002 in several European countries?
Answer : The euro
Euro banknotes and coins appeared on 1 January 2002.
Which Soviet leader launched perestroika and glasnost?
Answer : Mikhail Gorbachev
Gorbachev came to power in 1985 and launched deep reforms.
In which year was the Soviet Union dissolved?
Answer : 1991
The USSR ceased to exist in December 1991.
Which leader took power in Cuba in 1959 after the revolution?
Answer : Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro overthrew Batista's regime and led Cuba for decades.
On which Beijing square were the 1989 protests suppressed?
Answer : Tiananmen
The Tiananmen Square protests were crushed in June 1989.
Which leader proclaimed the People's Republic of China in 1949?
Answer : Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic on 1 October 1949.
Which war, from 1955 to 1975, saw heavy American involvement in Southeast Asia?
Answer : The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War ended in 1975 with the fall of Saigon.
Which 1957 treaty founded the European Economic Community?
Answer : Treaty of Rome
The Treaty of Rome was signed on 25 March 1957 by six countries.
Medium
Which Egyptian president signed the Camp David Accords in 1978 with Menachem Begin?
Answer : Anwar Sadat
Sadat and Begin shared the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize for these accords.
In which year did the Islamic Revolution overthrow the Shah of Iran?
Answer : 1979
The Shah left Iran in January 1979 and Khomeini returned in February.
Which military alliance of communist European countries was created in 1955 in response to NATO?
Answer : Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact united the USSR and its allies until 1991.
In which year did the Six-Day War take place?
Answer : 1967
Israel fought Egypt, Jordan and Syria in June 1967.
Which country experienced a coup led by Augusto Pinochet in 1973?
Answer : Chile
Pinochet overthrew President Salvador Allende on 11 September 1973.
Which French president resigned in 1969 after losing a referendum?
Answer : Charles de Gaulle
De Gaulle left office in April 1969 after his referendum was rejected.
Which political scandal led to Richard Nixon's resignation in 1974?
Answer : Watergate
Nixon resigned on 9 August 1974 because of the Watergate scandal.
Which leader of the Solidarity trade union became president of Poland in 1990?
Answer : Lech Wałęsa
Wałęsa won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 before becoming president.
Hard
Which 1955 conference brought together Asian and African countries and foreshadowed the Non-Aligned Movement?
Answer : Bandung
The Bandung Conference in Indonesia asserted the voice of the Third World.
In which year was the Helsinki Final Act signed?
Answer : 1975
The 1975 Helsinki Final Act dealt with security and human rights in Europe.
Which Soviet leader denounced Stalin's crimes in a secret report in 1956?
Answer : Nikita Khrushchev
Khrushchev delivered this report at the 20th Congress of the Communist Party.
Which country became independent in 1962 following the Evian Accords?
Answer : Algeria
Algeria proclaimed its independence on 5 July 1962.
Which country experienced a popular uprising in 1956 crushed by Soviet tanks?
Answer : Hungary
The Budapest uprising was suppressed in November 1956.
In which year was the Prague Spring crushed by Warsaw Pact troops?
Answer : 1968
The invasion of Czechoslovakia took place on the night of 20-21 August 1968.
Which country nationalized the Suez Canal in 1956, causing an international crisis?
Answer : Egypt
Nasser nationalized the canal, prompting a Franco-British and Israeli intervention.
Which Chinese leader launched the policy of reform and opening-up from 1978?
Answer : Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping opened China to a market economy while keeping one-party rule.
Expert
Which 1972 treaty, signed by Nixon and Brezhnev, limited anti-ballistic missile systems?
Answer : ABM Treaty
The ABM Treaty was signed in Moscow in May 1972.
Which communist European country broke with Stalin in 1948 under Tito's leadership?
Answer : Yugoslavia
The 1948 Tito-Stalin split made Yugoslavia an independent communist state.
What is the CIA-backed landing attempt by Cuban exiles in April 1961 called?
Answer : Bay of Pigs
The Bay of Pigs landing failed within days against Castro's forces.
Who was First Secretary of the Czechoslovak Communist Party at the start of the Prague Spring?
Answer : Alexander Dubček
Dubček replaced Novotný in January 1968 and promoted socialism with a human face.
Which 1974 revolution ended the Estado Novo dictatorship in Portugal?
Answer : Carnation Revolution
The 25 April 1974 revolution was led by military officers and restored democracy.
In which city was the 1986 Reagan-Gorbachev summit held that nearly led to total nuclear disarmament?
Answer : Reykjavik
The Reykjavik summit in Iceland ended without a deal but paved the way for the INF Treaty.
Which 1987 treaty eliminated an entire category of nuclear missiles in Europe?
Answer : INF Treaty
The INF Treaty, signed by Reagan and Gorbachev, banned intermediate-range missiles.
Which leader proclaimed Ghana's independence in 1957?
Answer : Kwame Nkrumah
Ghana was the first sub-Saharan African colony to gain independence.
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