World History Quiz

World War I

Pandemic and Calendar

• A deadly influenza pandemic spread worldwide, killing 20 million people.
• Russia's calendar is 13 days behind the Western European calendar.

Leaders and Governments

• Alexander Kerensky was the leader of the provisional government who failed to deal with land reforms.
• President Woodrow Wilson of the US compromised on several issues at the Paris peace conference to achieve the League of Nations.
• Arthur Zimmermann was the German foreign minister who authorized proposals to Mexico.

War Events

• The British liner Lusitania was torpedoed by a German submarine in May 1915, killing almost 1200 passengers, including 128 Americans.
• The Allies tried to regain access to the Dardanelles in the Battle of Gallipoli.
• Germany gave Austria a "blank check" after the assassination of Archduke Francis.

World War I Dates

• World War I began on July 28, 1914, and ended on November 11, 1918.

Russian Politics

• The Cheka was the secret police force, similar to the tsar's.
• Gregory Rasputin was an illiterate peasant and self-proclaimed "holy man" who advised Alexandra during Nicholas' absence.
• Lenin called for an elite group to lead the revolution and set up a "dictatorship of the proletariat" in Russia.
• The Bolsheviks' slogan was "Peace, Land, and Bread".

Key Figures

• Georges Clemenceau was the French leader who wanted to weaken Germany.
• Gavrilo Princip was the conspirator who assassinated Archduke Francis and his wife in Sarajevo.
• Colonel T.E. Lawrence was later known as Lawrence of Arabia.

War Strategies

• The war on the Western Front turned into a stalemate after the First Battle of the Marne.
• Propaganda was used to influence public opinion as part of total war.

Test your knowledge of significant historical events and figures of the early 20th century, including pandemics, wars, and world leaders.