Decolonization and the Post-Cold War World

Question 1

On September 11, 2001, the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes. What were their targets?

Answer 1

Two planes were to fly directly into the World Trade Center buildings in downtown Manhattan. Both attacks were successful, and the Twin Towers fell that morning.

Two other planes were directed at the Pentagon and the White House. While the Pentagon attack was a success, passengers on the fourth plane, Flight 93, fought back and the plane crashed in Pennsylvania.

9-11 marked the deadliest of attacks by Islamist fundamentalists who had long been angry with the United States.

Question 2

In October 2001, President Bush dispatched U.S. forces to invade which country?

Answer 2

Bush authorized the invasion of Afghanistan, which had provided the training ground for the 9-11 terrorists. Many of the NATO nations contributed troops and material support to the campaign.

Question 3

Who was the African National Congress’ most famous leader?

Answer 3

The African National Congress, a South African political party, was led by Nelson Mandela. Mandela opposed apartheid and was jailed for his beliefs from 1964 to 1990. Under intense diplomatic pressure, the South African government freed Mandela in 1990, and in 1994 apartheid ended followng Mandela’s election as South Africa’s president.

Question 4

What religious figure came to power in Iran in 1979?

Answer 4

In 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini seized power in Iran after Shah Pahlavi was overthrown. Khomeini established a theocracy, strictly governed by the rules of Islam and opposed to the United States, whom Khomeini termed “The Great Satan.”

At the time of Khomeini’s takeover, the United States’ embassy in Tehran was seized, and Americans were held hostage from 1979 until 1981.

Question 5

Under the Breton Woods System, international trade is denominated in what currency?

Answer 5

Under the Breton Woods System, international trade is denominated in dollars. The Breton Woods System was established during World War II to organize the economic recovery of post-War Europe and Asia.

In 1947, the Breton Woods nations (which did not include the Soviet Union or her allies) established a set of rules to govern international trade, known as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

Question 6

The Dayton Accords, signed in 1995, resolved what conflict?

Answer 6

The Dayton Accords put an end to the three-and-a-half year-long war in Bosnia, which arose out of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia following Communism’s collapse in Europe. President Clinton was instrumental in organizing the Accords and serving as mediator. NATO had previously conducted bombing raids to halt the conflict.

Question 7

How did British and French decolonization in Sub-Saharan Africa differ from Belgian and Portuguese decolonization?

Answer 7

Although there were exceptions (e.g. Rhodesia and South Africa), British and French decolonization in Sub-Saharan Africa went relatively smoothly, with a well-planned decolonization movement aimed at minimizing conflict.

The Portuguese fought hard to maintain their colonies and were only removed after vicious, long-running conflicts. Belgian decolonization was poorly executed. After their withdrawal from Rwanda (1962) and the Congo (1960), the region descended into chaos along tribal lines that led to United Nations intervention.

Question 8

What political trend took place in Latin America during the 1980s?

Answer 8

During the 1980s, economic improvements and the end of the Cold War led to increased democratization in Latin America. Argentina had a free election in 1989, In Mexico, the PRI loosened power in 1988, eventually leading to free elections.

Question 9

Who followed Mao as China’s leader in 1976?

Answer 9

After Mao’s death in 1976, Mao’s widow and her allies seized control of the country but were defeated by Deng Xiaoping and his allies.

Deng was more moderate than Mao, placed less emphasis on Communism, and allowed for some limited economic reforms. Nevertheless, Deng was stridently opposed to increased political freedom and China remained under tight Communist control.

Question 10

_____ was the first Arab state to recognize Israel.

Answer 10

Egypt

In a deal brokered by President Jimmy Carter, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt’s Anwar Sadat in exchange for diplomatic recognition. During the 1980s, several other Arab states followed suit. Nevertheless, low-level conflict has continued to simmer in the region.

Question 11

In 2002, the nations of the European Union adopted the _____ as a form of common currency.

Answer 11

euro

The European Union, which also consists of some cooperative military and political organizations, adopted the euro in part to facilitate international trade among the nations of Western Europe. In recent years, several former Communist countries have joined the organization.

Question 12

What is the G-8?

Answer 12

The G-8 (Group of Eight) is an informal association of the world’s largest economies, which meet regularly to discuss trade and economics. The G-8 countries are:

1. the United States
2. Russia
3. Germany
4. Great Britain
5. Japan
6. France
7. Italy
8. Canada

Question 13

What did Chairman Mao term his plan to rapidly improve China’s industrial capabilities?

Answer 13

Chairman Mao’s plan was the Great Leap Forward, which he announced in 1958. The Great Leap Forward was a disaster, leading to a famine that killed some 20 million Chinese and doing little to improve the country’s industrial capacity.

Question 14

In 1975, 35 nations, including the United States and the Soviet Union, signed the Helsinki Accords. What did the Accords provide?

Answer 14

The Helsinki Accords formally ratified the European territorial boundaries put in place after World War II. The accords set up “watch committees” to conduct surveillance on human rights violations in the countries that had signed the agreement.

Question 15

Which disease emerged in Africa in the 1980s and has continued to decimate the continent?

Answer 15

In the 1980s, HIV/AIDS emerged in Africa and has caused millions of deaths.

Question 16

Why did India and Pakistan split into two separate countries following Britain’s departure?

Answer 16

When the British left India in 1947, the former colony split along religious lines, with Pakistan being Muslim and India being Hindu.

Gandhi was assassinated in 1947 by a Hindu extremist who opposed his plan for peaceful coexistence between the two states. His successor, Jawaharlal Nehru, sought to emphasize secularism in India’s government.

Tensions between India and Pakistan have remained high since independence.

Question 17

Juan Peron emerged as the leader of what country in 1946?

Answer 17

In 1946, Peron took power in Argentina through the assistance of the Argentine military. Along with his charismatic wife Eva, Peron was popular among Argentina’s lower class.

Overthrown by the military in 1955, Peron fled to Spain but returned in 1973. After his death in 1974, the country was dominated by right-wing militants until 1983.

Question 18

What nations were known as the “Little Tigers”?

Answer 18

South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Singapore were known as the “Little Tigers,” capitalist countries with strong economies that developed in the 1960s and 1970s. The “Great Tiger” was Japan, which became one of the world’s leading economies after World War II.

Question 19

By 1962, how many Middle Eastern and North African states were controlled by the former colonial powers?

Answer 19

None

Driven by decolonization during the 1950s and 1960s, Egypt and North Africa had become independent. Independence was sometimes achieved peacefully (e.g. Jordan) and sometimes with a great degree of violence. France waged a protracted war in Algeria between 1954 to 1962.

Question 20

Who was Colonel Gamal Nasser?

Answer 20

Nasser was an Egyptian leader who dominated Egypt upon its independence in the early 1950s. Dedicated to Arab Nationalism, Nasser took control of the Suez Canal and constructed the Aswan High Dam. Nasser also led Egypt in a series of conflicts with Israel.

Question 21

During the 1960s and 1970s, India was widely recognized as the leader of which group of nations?

Answer 21

India was widely recognized as the leader of the non-aligned nations, which were allied neither to the United States nor the Soviet Union. Non-alignment allowed India and nations such as Indonesia to chart an independent course that preserved good relations with both superpowers.

Question 22

What does OPEC stand for?

Answer 22

OPEC stands for the “Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.” OPEC was founded in 1960 and is predominantly made up of the states of the Middle East.

Oil has been a continual source of conflict in the Middle East. Many Middle Eastern states during the Cold War period were dictatorships, funded primarily from oil export revenues.

Question 23

What was Operation Uphold Democracy?

Answer 23

In 1994, a military coup overthrew Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 940, and U.S. troops were dispatched to Haiti as part of Operation Uphold Democracy to restore the democratically elected Aristide to power.

Question 24

In 1990, Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi Army invaded Kuwait. How did the U.S. respond?

Answer 24

The Iraqi Army was the world’s fourth largest army. With the full support of the United Nations, the U.S. assembled 35 allies into a military force based in the Arabian Peninsula. After warning the Iraqis to withdraw, the U.S. led a massive ground war, dubbed Desert Storm, which destroyed the Iraqi military in less than 100 hours.

Question 25

The United States granted independence to the _____ in 1946.

Answer 25

Philippines ## Footnote The United States had seized the Philippines from Spain in 1898 and promised the country independence during the 1930s. The intervention of World War II and the Japanese occupation of the islands delayed the independence plan, but in 1946 the Philippines was granted independence.

Question 26

Who seized control of Chile in 1973?

Answer 26

With the assistance of the United States, Augusto Pinochet seized power in Chile in 1973, deposing the country's democratically elected Marxist government. Pinochet was strongly right-wing and kept power through strong control of Chile's military.

Question 27

What organization emerged to contest the establishment of the state of Israel?

Answer 27

The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), led by Yasser Arafat, emerged to challenge the establishment of Israel as a Jewish state. In 1948, the United Nations had established Israel with the goal of a joint Palestinian/Jewish state. The Palestinians rejected the United Nations' plan and allied with several Arab states that launched attacks against Israel. Israel survived the onslaught, and the Palestinians were displaced. In 1964, the PLO was established to provide some semblance of leadership to the Palestinians.

Question 28

In 1966, Chairman Mao commenced the _____ \_\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_\_, which attempted to remake the Chinese society along pure Communist lines.

Answer 28

Proletarian Cultural Revolution ## Footnote The Proletarian Cultural Revolution saw the jailing and execution of anyone deemed not to adhere to revolutionary Communist ideals. The only acceptable source of political behavior was Chairman Mao's *Little Red Book*.

Question 29

How did Rhodesian and South African decolonization differ from the experience of other Sub-Saharan British colonies?

Answer 29

In both Rhodesia and South Africa, whites seized power and declared independence from Britain. Rhodesia became Zimbabwe once native control was established in 1980. In South Africa, a policy of extreme segregation known as apartheid kept the country separate along racial lines.

Question 30

How did many observers view the large student protest in Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 1989?

Answer 30

Coupled with events in Europe, it seemed as if worldwide Communism was on the decline. In China at least, rumors of Communism's decline were greatly exaggerated and Communist forces crushed the protest. The iconic image of the Tiananmen Square uprising is of a man standing alone, facing a long line of tanks rolling towards him.

Question 31

Based in New York City, the _____ \_\_\_\_\_ provides an international forum for the world's nations.

Answer 31

United Nations ## Footnote The United Nations has many functions such as the preservation of cultural heritage, but exists primarily to keep peace between the world's nations.

Question 32

Which Southeast Asian colony did the French attempt to keep during the 1950s?

Answer 32

In the 1950s, France attempted to retain control of Vietnam, but were defeated by Vietnamese communists under Ho Chi Minh. Following the French defeat, the country was divided and the United States intervened on South Vietnam's behalf in a long-running conflict that lasted until the 1970s. The country fell to the communists in 1975.

Question 33

What are WMDs?

Answer 33

WMD stands for weapons of mass destruction. Saddam Hussein, the president of Iraq, had publicly stated that he possessed WMDs, which the United States used to justify a 2003 attack on the country without the United Nation's backing.

Question 34

By marrying hypertext to the Internet, Tim Berners-Lee gave birth to the ____ \_\_\_\_ _____ in 1989.

Answer 34

World Wide Web (the www preceding an Internet address) ## Footnote The first web page was created in 1991. By 1995, the entire World Wide Web barely exceeded 3.5 gigabytes in space, making the task of the earliest search engines, such as WebCrawler, straightforward.

Question 35

What does "WTO" stand for?

Answer 35

WTO stands for the World Trade Organization. Over 100 of the world's countries belong to the World Trade Organization, which is dedicated to increasing economic integration and facilitating international trade.