Contemporary History quizzes

20th and 21st centuries, Cold War, modern world

Contemporary history gathers the events that shaped the world we live in: the Cold War and the arms race, the Cuban Missile Crisis, decolonisation, European integration, the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the collapse of the USSR and the upheavals of the early twenty-first century. Names such as Kennedy, Khrushchev, Gandhi and Gorbachev come up often.

These Contemporary History quizzes encourage you to place each event in context and to see how the twentieth century still echoes in today's news. Playing costs nothing: each game is played across five difficulty levels, very easy through expert, and every answer is followed by an explanation.

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Related themes

Antiquity Middle Ages Modern History World Wars History of France Revolutions and Independence

Frequently asked questions about Contemporary History

What was the Cold War?

The Cold War was the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union and their allies, running from shortly after the Second World War, around 1947, until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. It is called cold because the two superpowers never fought each other directly.

When did the Berlin Wall fall?

The Berlin Wall fell on the night of 9 November 1989, when East Germany opened its borders to the West. Built in August 1961, it had divided East and West Berlin. Germany was reunified less than a year later, on 3 October 1990.

When and why was the United Nations founded?

The United Nations was founded in 1945, at the end of the Second World War. Its charter was signed in San Francisco in June and came into force on 24 October 1945. It aims to maintain international peace and security and to encourage cooperation between states.