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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

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 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 1961, the newly independent Republic of the Congo fell into a severe geopolitical crisis following the assassination of which democratically elected leader?
- A. Mobutu Sese Seko
- B. Kwame Nkrumah
- C. Jomo Kenyatta
- D. Patrice Lumumba
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
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
What was the 'Rwandan Genocide' death toll approximately?
- A. 500000
- B. 100000
- C. 2 million
- D. 800000
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
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 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 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
The Fashoda Incident of 1898 was the climax of imperial territorial disputes in East Africa, bringing which two European powers to the brink of war before they reached a diplomatic resolution?
- A. Germany and Italy
- B. Britain and France
- C. Spain and Portugal
- D. Belgium and the Netherlands
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
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 "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
During the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis, President Boris Yeltsin controversially ordered the military to use tanks to fire upon and storm which building?
- A. The Winter Palace
- B. The Kremlin
- C. The Lubyanka
- D. The Russian White House (Parliament)
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
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
What was the 'Dreyfus Affair' in France?
- A. A coup attempt
- B. A colonial scandal
- C. A financial scandal
- D. A wrongful treason conviction of a Jewish officer exposing antisemitism
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
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

Historical Political Events & Scandals Quiz

Historical Political Events & Scandals · Hard

Time is up! Quiz Complete!

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

In 1961, the newly independent Republic of the Congo fell into a severe geopolitical crisis following the assassination of which democratically elected leader?

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?

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?

What was the 'Rwandan Genocide' death toll approximately?

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?

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 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 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?

The Fashoda Incident of 1898 was the climax of imperial territorial disputes in East Africa, bringing which two European powers to the brink of war before they reached a diplomatic resolution?

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?

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 "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?

During the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis, President Boris Yeltsin controversially ordered the military to use tanks to fire upon and storm which building?

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

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?

What was the 'Dreyfus Affair' in France?

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?

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?