Test Your Knowledge of World Political History with this Fascinating Quiz

History of World Political Events and Trends:

• Prehistoric societies were based on families living in band societies as hunter-gatherers.

• The development of agriculture led to the emergence of tribal societies and larger settlements with irrigation systems.

• Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, and Ancient Egypt were the first highly organized societies.

• The Mesopotamians innovated governance by writing the first laws.

• The Persian Empire controlled about a third of the world's farm land and a quarter of its population.

• Alexander the Great conquered much of Asia, including Levant, Egypt, and Mesopotamia.

• The Roman Republic became dominant in the Mediterranean Basin after defeating its rivals, including Carthage.

• The Roman Empire included modern-day Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, with a population of about 60 million.

• Migrating peoples exerted pressure on the borders of the Roman Empire in the Migration Period.

• India's Indus Valley civilization was the first highly organized society in the Indian subcontinent.

• The Maurya Empire was established in India by Chandragupta Maurya, who defended against Alexander's invasion.

• The British Empire was the largest empire in history, with a population of about 500 million.

• The Cold War, a geopolitical conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union, shaped world politics from the end of World War II until the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991.Post-Classical Era Summary

• The Kushan Empire fell in 30 CE, and the Gupta Empire was founded by Chandragupta I in 320-335. It expanded for sixty years, similar to the Maurya empire, and fell by 550.

• China's Yellow River allowed for the rise of states such as Wei and Qi. The Shang dynasty around 1600 BCE was replaced by the Zhou dynasty in the Battle of Muye in 1046 BCE.

• The North China Plain was composed of the Chu, Qin, Qi, and Yan states. In 221, the Qin dynasty was established with a population of 40 million. The Han dynasty rose to power in 204 BCE, and the empire fell apart in 220 CE.

• The Olmecs were the first major Indigenous American culture, and the Chavín culture was amongst mainly hunter-gatherers. The Tiwanaku Polity in western Bolivia lasted from around 600 to 1000 AD. The Chimor was the largest kingdom in the Late Intermediate period.

• The Swahili cities of Mogadishu, Mombasa, Zanzibar, Kilwa, and Sofala were connected to kingdoms in the interior. The Ethiopian Empire dominated the Horn of Africa by the 13th and 14th centuries. The Kingdom of Kongo was of regional importance around the same time.

• The Maya civilization developed many city-states linked by a complex trade network. The Postclassic period saw the rise of Chichen Itza in the north, and the fall of Nojpetén, the last Maya city, in 1697.

• The Mongol Empire emerged from the unification of several nomadic tribes in the Mongol homeland under the leadership of Genghis Khan. The empire grew rapidly under his rule and that of his descendants. The Ming dynasty took over the Mongol capital in 1368.

• The Byzantine–Sasanian Wars of 572–591 and 602–628 produced the cumulative effects of a century of almost continuous conflict, leaving both empires crippled. The Quraysh ruled the city of Mecca, and Muhammad spread Islam. The Umayyad Caliphate was replaced by the Abbasid Caliphate in 750.

• The Carolingian Empire was established by Pepin the Short in 751, and Charlemagne turned it into the Carolingian Empire, being crowned Emperor of the Romans in 800 by the Pope. Krum expanded the Bulgarian Empire during the Viking Age.Overview of Major Historical Events from Viking Age to Modern Era

• The Vikings settled in various parts of Europe and North America during the Viking Age, including the British Isles, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, Normandy, and Eastern Europe.

• The First Crusade was proclaimed by Pope Urban II in 1095, leading to the establishment of four Crusader states in the Near East.

• The largest polities in Western Europe after the end of the Carolingian Empire were the Holy Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, Kingdom of France, and the Kingdom of England.

• The Mongol invasion of Europe killed half the population in Eastern Europe from 1237 to 1241, leading to a power vacuum that helped the Teutonic Order, Kingdom of Poland, and Kingdom of Hungary.

• The Ottoman Empire, Safavid Empire, and Mughal Empire were the gunpowder empires that flourished from the 16th to the 18th century in Central Europe, North Africa, and South Asia.

• The Ming dynasty in China saw growth in population and economy, but faced invasions by the Mongols and Jurchen people and rebellions.

• The War of the Spanish Succession lasted from 1702 to 1714, while the War of the Austrian Succession lasted from 1740 to 1748 and the Seven Years' War started in 1756 and ended in 1763.

• The Atlantic Revolutions were a revolutionary wave in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, including the Corsican Revolution, American Revolution, French Revolution, Haitian Revolution, and Latin American Wars of Independence.A Brief History of Political Revolutions and World Wars

• The period of political revolutions began in the mid-18th century and lasted until the mid-19th century, with major upheavals occurring in many countries including the American Revolution, French Revolution, and Haitian Revolution.

• The French Revolutionary Wars lasted from 1792 to 1802 and pitted France against Great Britain, the Holy Roman Empire, Prussia, Russia, and several other monarchies, leading to French domination over much of Europe.

• The Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) were a series of conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies against a fluctuating array of European powers, leading to a brief period of French domination over most of continental Europe.

• Spanish American wars of independence (1808-1833) were primarily fought between opposing groups of colonists and only secondarily against Spanish forces, leading to the creation of several independent states in Latin America.

• The Revolutions of 1830 and 1848 were the most widespread revolutionary waves in European history, including the Belgian Revolution, July Revolution in France, German revolutions, and the Young Ireland rebellion.

• The Berlin Conference of 1884 marked the beginning of the Scramble for Africa, with European powers partitioning the African continent without wars between European nations.

• World War I saw the continent of Europe split into two major opposing alliances, the Allied Powers and the Central Powers, leading to the demise of the Russian Empire and the creation of the Soviet Union.

• The Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I, led to the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire and the domination of the Middle East by Western powers such as Britain and France.

• The Great Depression contributed to the rise of fascist regimes in Germany, Italy, and other European countries, leading to World War II.

• World War II began in 1939 when Nazi Germany invaded Poland and lasted until 1945, resulting in the fall of Nazi Germany and the domination of the globe by the United States and the Soviet Union.

• The United Nations was established after World War II to foster international co-operation and prevent future conflicts, and the victorious great powers became the permanent members of its Security Council.

• The Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers after World War II, leading to the Cold War.

• The political revolutions and world wars of the past have shaped the political, social, and economic structures of the present.