War and Civil Conflict

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AP European History › War and Civil Conflict

Questions 1 - 10
1

The most direct effect of the death of the Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus on the Thirty Years' War was __________.

a retreat of Swedish forces and a strengthening of the Imperial position

a retreat of Imperial forces and a strengthening of the Swedish position

an immediate ceasefire leading directly to the Peace of Westphalia

a route of the Swedish armies by allied Catholic troops

a fortification of Protestant strongholds leading to a weakening of the Holy Roman Empire

Explanation

The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) was a continent-wide conflict that managed to ensnare every great European power of the time, initially with the Catholic Holy Roman Empire facing off against various Protestant states. A major turning point occurred in 1630, when Swedish armies led by King Gustavus Adolphus managed to turn the tide against the Imperial forces. After his death in the Battle of Lützen in 1632, the Protestant side faced serious setbacks against the Catholic armies of the Holy Roman Empire, and the end of the war with the Peace of Westphalia (1648) was largely based around settlements that were a setback from the heights of Sweden's power under Gustavus Adolphus.

2

The Continental System set up by Napoleon was designed to __________.

blockade the British islands and force Britain to surrender

impress American sailors into the French navy

antagonize the Dutch into rebelling against the Spanish

overcome the difficulties of invading Russia

isolate the Italian city-states and prevent them from joining the war

Explanation

Napoleon’s Continental System is an important example of a blockade, or militaristic embargo, during times of war. Napoleon sought to cut off all trade to the British islands and prevent any territory under his control from exchanging goods with the British. The idea was to starve the British into surrender. The system had some effect, but it failed in part because other countries in Europe depended heavily on British imports.

3

The Seven Years' War was fought primarily between __________.

France and Britain

France and Prussia

Britain and Russia

Russia and Prussia

Russia and the Ottomans

Explanation

The Seven Years’ War (more commonly called the French-Indian War in American parlance) was fought from 1756 until 1763 between the French and British Empires. It was fought all over the world, as at this time the colonial possessions of Britain and France were nearly everywhere. The war ended with British victory and in America resulted in the complete loss of French possessions in Canada and the North of modern-day United States. This would have significant consequences, providing the motivation and circumstance for revolution. It also gave the British control of French holdings on the Indian subcontinent.

4

What nations defeated Napoleons France at the Battle of Waterloo?

Britain and Prussia

Austria and Britain

Russia and Austria

Austria and Prussia

Explanation

The British and Prussians met Napoleon in battle at Waterloo, in what is now Belgium. Napoleon attempted to drive the British and Prussian armies away from France in an attempt to knock them out of the war before the Austrian and Russian Armies could come to reinforce them. However, he was not successful in defeating the British and Prussians, and therefore the combined power of the allies was easily able to defeat him and force him into exile once again.

5

Which of the following was NOT a result of the Seven Years' War?

The deportation of the French-Canadian colonists

France had to give up its North American territories

The British national debt doubled

Prussia maintained control of Silesia

France had to remove all of its fortifications in India

Explanation

When France ceded Canada to Britain in 1763, the colonists living there became British subjects. The Quebec Act of 1774 was meant to appease them and win over their loyalty to Britain, not deport them from the country. The incredibly sparse colonial population of Canada at the time necessitated measures to keep subjects in Canada, not expel them.

6

In the Seven Years War Prussia successfully defeated the attacks of what three nations?

Austria . . . France . . . Russia

Spain . . . Netherlands . . . Poland

France . . . Britain . . . Russia

Sweden . . . Denmark . . . Norway

Explanation

In an attempt to retake the Silesia region which they had lost to Prussia in a previous war, Austria recruited Russia and France to join an alliance against Prussia. However, Prussia successfully fought off each nations attempts to invade its territory and at the end of the war Prussia maintained all of its territory.

7

Which of these battles did not take place during the War of the Third Coalition?

Battle of Wagram

Battle of Trafalgar

Battle of Austerlitz

Battle of Ulm

Explanation

The Battle of Wagram took place in the War of the Fifth Coalition, and cemented the idea of total French superiority in the mind of Napoleon thus leading to his decision to invade Russia.

8

Which of the following is the primary reason for the United States' entry into World War II in 1941?

The bombing of Pearl Harbor naval base by the Japanese

The Zimmerman Telegram

The occupation of France, which forced the American leadership to enter the war to save its ally

The sinking of the Lusitania by the Germans

Winston Churchill met with Franklin D. Roosevelt and convinced him to join the war on the side of the allies

Explanation

The main and proximate cause of the American entrance into World War II in 1941 was the bombing of the American naval base at Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. This event sparked outrage in the U.S and resulted in Roosevelt making the decision to enter the war on the side of its allies. Although inspired by Japanese aggression in the Pacific, the entry of the United States into the war is considered a major turning point in the European theatre of World War II.

9

Mirabeau said of which nation "Other states possess an army; ___________ is an army which possesses a state."

Prussia

Germany

Austria

Russia

Explanation

Prussia had amongst the finest military traditions anywhere in Europe. They had such well drilled and experienced troops that they regularly took on nations many times larger than themselves and were victorious.

10

The Deluge of 1655 refers to what events occurring in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth?

Invasions by both Russia and Sweden

Awful flooding that destroyed cities

A major food shortage

Sudden economic decline

Explanation

The Second Northern War saw Russia and Sweden ally with the purpose of defeating the Commonwealth. By the end of 1655 all but a small portion of the nation was occupied by either Sweden or Russia.

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