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Historical Political Events & Scandals Quiz

Historical Political Events & Scandals · Hard

20 questions · Unlimited attempts · Free online practice

Politics is often shaped by defining moments that change governments, influence public opinion, and alter the course of history. Studying historical political events and scandals h...

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All 20 questions in this Historical Political Events & Scandals quiz

The Crdit Mobilier scandal of 1872 involved the manipulation of contracts and the bribery of US Congress members to secure massive profits during the construction of what?
- A. The Hoover Dam
- B. The Washington Monument
- C. The Panama Canal
- D. The First Transcontinental Railroad
In 1933, retired Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler testified that wealthy businessmen were conspiring to create a fascist veterans' organization to overthrow which US President?
- A. Franklin D. Roosevelt
- B. Herbert Hoover
- C. Woodrow Wilson
- D. Harry S. Truman
In 2012, rising Chinese political star Bo Xilai was dramatically purged from the Communist Party and imprisoned for life following his wife's involvement in the murder of whom?
- A. A British businessman
- B. A dissident journalist
- C. A Tibetan monk
- D. A rival party official
The tragic 1889 murder-suicide of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria at a hunting lodge profoundly altered the line of succession for the Habsburg Empire. What is this event known as?
- A. The Sarajevo Assassination
- B. The Mayerling Incident
- C. The Vienna Tragedy
- D. The Habsburg Crisis
The "Keating Five" were a group of five United States Senators investigated in 1989 for intervening on behalf of Charles Keating during a massive financial crisis involving what industry?
- A. Oil and gas exploration
- B. Automotive manufacturing
- C. Savings and loan associations
- D. Commercial airlines
In 2005, the sudden overthrow of President Askar Akayev following flawed parliamentary elections became known as the Tulip Revolution. In which country did this occur?
- A. Tajikistan
- B. Kazakhstan
- C. Turkmenistan
- D. Kyrgyzstan
Which leader coined the term 'Cold War'?
- A. Harry Truman
- B. Winston Churchill
- C. George Kennan
- D. Walter Lippmann
In 1954, a CIA-sponsored coup d'tat codenamed Operation PBSuccess overthrew the democratically elected President Jacobo rbenz in which Latin American country?
- A. Honduras
- B. Nicaragua
- C. Guatemala
- D. El Salvador
The 1995 Srebrenica massacre, recognized as an act of genocide, involved the systematic murder of over 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys by the army of which entity?
- A. Republika Srpska (Bosnian Serbs)
- B. Croatia
- C. Kosovo
- D. Albania
The Whiskey Ring was a major corruption scandal exposed in 1875 involving government agents, politicians, and whiskey distillers who conspired to siphon tax revenues during whose presidency?
- A. Andrew Johnson
- B. Ulysses S. Grant
- C. Abraham Lincoln
- D. Rutherford B. Hayes
The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 brought the US and USSR to the brink of nuclear war. It was peacefully resolved when the US agreed to remove its missiles from which country in exchange for the Soviet withdrawal from Cuba?
- A. West Germany
- B. Turkey
- C. Italy
- D. Greece
In the early 1990s, a massive nationwide judicial investigation into political corruption in Italy led to the demise of the First Republic. What was this investigation called?
- A. Operation Gladio
- B. The Years of Lead
- C. The Sicilian Defense
- D. Mani Pulite
The "Night of the Pencils" refers to a series of kidnappings and forced disappearances of high school students in September 1976 by the military dictatorship of which country?
- A. Argentina
- B. Chile
- C. Spain
- D. Brazil
The "Night of the Long Knives" in 1934 was a series of political extrajudicial executions orchestrated by Adolf Hitler primarily to eliminate the leadership of which paramilitary organization?
- A. The SS
- B. The Gestapo
- C. The SA (Sturmabteilung)
- D. The Wehrmacht
The Westland affair was a 1986 political scandal in the UK concerning the rescue of a failing British company that manufactured what?
- A. Nuclear submarines
- B. Helicopters
- C. Fighter jets
- D. Hovercrafts
In the 1904 Dogger Bank incident, the Russian Baltic Fleet mistakenly fired upon a fleet of fishing trawlers in the North Sea, believing them to be torpedo boats belonging to which country?
- A. Germany
- B. France
- C. United Kingdom
- D. Japan
The Dreyfus affair was a massive political scandal that divided France from 1894 to 1906, involving the false treason conviction of an artillery officer of what background?
- A. Protestant
- B. Huguenot
- C. Jewish
- D. Islamic
On September 11, 1973, a brutal military coup d'tat led by General Augusto Pinochet overthrew the democratically elected socialist government of which leader?
- A. Fidel Castro
- B. Salvador Allende
- C. Juan Pern
- D. Che Guevara
Triggered by a failed coup attempt in 1965, the military and local militias carried out a massive anti-communist purge, killing an estimated 500,000 to one million people in which Asian country?
- A. Malaysia
- B. Philippines
- C. Vietnam
- D. Indonesia
The "Muldergate" or Information Scandal of the 1970s involved the illicit use of state funds to wage a massive international propaganda campaign to defend the apartheid regime of which country?
- A. Rhodesia
- B. Portugal
- C. Spain
- D. South Africa

Historical Political Events & Scandals Quiz

Historical Political Events & Scandals · Hard

Time is up! Quiz Complete!

The Crdit Mobilier scandal of 1872 involved the manipulation of contracts and the bribery of US Congress members to secure massive profits during the construction of what?

In 1933, retired Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler testified that wealthy businessmen were conspiring to create a fascist veterans' organization to overthrow which US President?

In 2012, rising Chinese political star Bo Xilai was dramatically purged from the Communist Party and imprisoned for life following his wife's involvement in the murder of whom?

The tragic 1889 murder-suicide of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria at a hunting lodge profoundly altered the line of succession for the Habsburg Empire. What is this event known as?

The "Keating Five" were a group of five United States Senators investigated in 1989 for intervening on behalf of Charles Keating during a massive financial crisis involving what industry?

In 2005, the sudden overthrow of President Askar Akayev following flawed parliamentary elections became known as the Tulip Revolution. In which country did this occur?

Which leader coined the term 'Cold War'?

In 1954, a CIA-sponsored coup d'tat codenamed Operation PBSuccess overthrew the democratically elected President Jacobo rbenz in which Latin American country?

The 1995 Srebrenica massacre, recognized as an act of genocide, involved the systematic murder of over 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys by the army of which entity?

The Whiskey Ring was a major corruption scandal exposed in 1875 involving government agents, politicians, and whiskey distillers who conspired to siphon tax revenues during whose presidency?

The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 brought the US and USSR to the brink of nuclear war. It was peacefully resolved when the US agreed to remove its missiles from which country in exchange for the Soviet withdrawal from Cuba?

In the early 1990s, a massive nationwide judicial investigation into political corruption in Italy led to the demise of the First Republic. What was this investigation called?

The "Night of the Pencils" refers to a series of kidnappings and forced disappearances of high school students in September 1976 by the military dictatorship of which country?

The "Night of the Long Knives" in 1934 was a series of political extrajudicial executions orchestrated by Adolf Hitler primarily to eliminate the leadership of which paramilitary organization?

The Westland affair was a 1986 political scandal in the UK concerning the rescue of a failing British company that manufactured what?

In the 1904 Dogger Bank incident, the Russian Baltic Fleet mistakenly fired upon a fleet of fishing trawlers in the North Sea, believing them to be torpedo boats belonging to which country?

The Dreyfus affair was a massive political scandal that divided France from 1894 to 1906, involving the false treason conviction of an artillery officer of what background?

On September 11, 1973, a brutal military coup d'tat led by General Augusto Pinochet overthrew the democratically elected socialist government of which leader?

Triggered by a failed coup attempt in 1965, the military and local militias carried out a massive anti-communist purge, killing an estimated 500,000 to one million people in which Asian country?

The "Muldergate" or Information Scandal of the 1970s involved the illicit use of state funds to wage a massive international propaganda campaign to defend the apartheid regime of which country?