AP European History: 1914 to Present 2 — Questions and Answers

Question 1: What was the primary purpose of the League of Nations established after World War I?

To maintain world peace through collective security and diplomacy (Correct answer)
To divide German colonies among the victors
To establish a single European currency
To create a European military alliance

Correct answer: To maintain world peace through collective security and diplomacy

The League of Nations was designed to prevent future wars through collective security, disarmament, and negotiation.

The League of Nations was established in 1920 as part of the Treaty of Versailles, championed by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. It aimed to prevent war through collective security, disarmament, and settling disputes through negotiation. However, it was weakened from the start by the U.S. Senate's refusal to ratify membership, and it failed to prevent aggression by Japan, Italy, and Germany in the 1930s.

Question 2: What was the significance of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (1939)?

A non-aggression treaty between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union (Correct answer)
A military alliance between Germany and Japan
A peace agreement ending the Spanish Civil War
A trade agreement between the USSR and Britain

Correct answer: A non-aggression treaty between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union

The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was a non-aggression agreement that secretly divided Eastern Europe between Germany and the USSR.

The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (August 23, 1939) was a non-aggression treaty between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, shocking the world given their ideological opposition. A secret protocol divided Eastern Europe into spheres of influence, with Poland partitioned between them. The pact freed Hitler to invade Poland on September 1, 1939, triggering World War II, without fear of a two-front war.

Question 3: What was the Marshall Plan (1948)?

An American program providing economic aid to rebuild Western Europe (Correct answer)
A Soviet plan to industrialize Eastern Europe
A British strategy to maintain colonial holdings
A French proposal for European political union

Correct answer: An American program providing economic aid to rebuild Western Europe

The Marshall Plan provided over $13 billion in American economic assistance to help rebuild Western European economies after WWII.

The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program), proposed by U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall in 1947, provided approximately $13.3 billion (about $170 billion in 2023 dollars) to help rebuild Western European economies. It aimed to prevent economic desperation that might lead to communism, modernize industry, and foster European cooperation. The Soviet Union rejected participation and forced its satellites to do the same.

Question 4: What event symbolized the division of Europe during the Cold War?

Construction of the Berlin Wall (Correct answer)
Formation of NATO
Cuban Missile Crisis
Hungarian Revolution

Correct answer: Construction of the Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall, built in 1961, became the most visible symbol of the Iron Curtain dividing communist Eastern Europe from the West.

The Berlin Wall was constructed by East Germany on August 13, 1961, to prevent the mass emigration of East Germans to the West through Berlin. The wall physically divided Berlin for 28 years and became the most powerful symbol of Cold War division. Its fall on November 9, 1989, marked the beginning of the end of communism in Europe and led to German reunification in October 1990.

Question 5: Which treaty established the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1957?

Treaty of Rome (Correct answer)
Treaty of Maastricht
Treaty of Paris
Treaty of Lisbon

Correct answer: Treaty of Rome

The Treaty of Rome established the EEC, creating a common market among six founding member states.

The Treaty of Rome (March 25, 1957) was signed by France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, establishing the European Economic Community. It created a common market with free movement of goods, services, capital, and people. The EEC evolved through subsequent treaties into the European Union, with the Maastricht Treaty (1992) formally creating the EU.

Question 6: What was Mikhail Gorbachev's policy of 'glasnost'?

A policy of openness and transparency in Soviet government (Correct answer)
Economic restructuring of the Soviet economy
Military de-escalation with the West
Expansion of Soviet influence in Eastern Europe

Correct answer: A policy of openness and transparency in Soviet government

Glasnost (openness) increased freedom of speech and press in the Soviet Union, contributing to the eventual collapse of communist regimes.

Glasnost (openness) was a policy introduced by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the mid-1980s that increased transparency in government, relaxed censorship, and allowed greater freedom of information and expression. Paired with perestroika (economic restructuring), glasnost was intended to modernize the Soviet system but ultimately unleashed forces — nationalism, democratic demands, and criticism of the Communist Party — that contributed to the USSR's dissolution in 1991.

AP European History: 1914 to Present 2

What was the primary purpose of the League of Nations established after World War I?