Deck 24: Empires Into Nations: Africa and the Middle East After the Second World War

Question 1

All of the following statements were true of the French-Algerian war except

A) the war lasted over seven years.
B) France sent 500,000 troops to crush the anti-colonial revolt.
C) the French considered Algeria an integral part of France rather than a colony.
D) after the war, most of the French settlers remained in Algeria and became Algerian citizens.

Answer 1

after the war, most of the French settlers remained in Algeria and became Algerian citizens.

Question 2

In Algeria, an Islamic fundamentalist movement emerged

A) because authorities tolerated their teachings as a way to build ties with other Islamic states.
B) because fundamentalists were not allowed to form political parties.
C) in response to a violent extremist movement in the 1990s.
D) in response to a cease-fire and amnesty for the Berber minority.

Answer 2

because authorities tolerated their teachings as a way to build ties with other Islamic states.

Question 3

In Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah introduced "African socialism," which led to all of the following _except

A) little egalitarianism.
B) the accumulation of wealth and power by ruling elites.
C) increasing dependence on foreign loans.
D) economic gains based on expanding exports of cocoa and gold.

Answer 3

economic gains based on expanding exports of cocoa and gold.

Question 4

Between 1960 and the 1990s, Nigeria did not

A) experience civil war or secession.
B) know starvation.
C) experience both economic boom and bust.
D) maintain a commitment to constitutionalism and democracy.

Question 5

Politically, Nigeria, the most populated country in Africa,

A) has experienced frequent military coups.
B) has created one of the most stable democracies in Africa.
C) has failed to ameliorate any of the ethnic tensions which, for example, led to the Biafran civil war between 1967 and 1970.
D) has been ruled since the early nineties by a civilian dictator.

Question 6

After Jomo Kenyatta's death in 1978, Kenya

A) made a rapid and successful transition to democracy under Daniel arap Moi.
B) implemented a new constitution which resolved many of the country's problems.
C) suffered from widespread corruption.
D) survived several crises by taking out loans from international lending agencies.

Question 7

Uganda, once described as the "pearl of Africa," has faced all of the following problems since its independence in 1962 except

A) the death of over 300,000 during the brutal dictatorship of Idi Amin.
B) the ruin of a once prosperous agricultural economy.
C) a devastating epidemic of AIDS.
D) ten years of drought and increasing desertification.

Question 8

All of the following were true of Zimbabwe's experiences after independence except

A) the former colony was ruled at first by a white minority.
B) Mugabe discouraged Africans from seizing white lands.
C) opposition groups defeated Mugabe in elections in 2000.
D) Mugabe lost the support of both the international community and many of his early supporters through his strongman tactics.

Question 9

International pressure was created to end apartheid in South Africa in the 1990s by way of

A) threatened invasions by South Africa's neighbors.
B) the funding and equipping of a South African guerrilla movement by European countries.
C) the imposition of economic sanctions by the United Nations.
D) the monitoring of elections by U.N. observers.

Question 10

The presence of the Afrikaners or Boers in South Africa made the transition toward majority rule more difficult. The Afrikaners were

A) a fierce tribe living inside Natal province who demanded an independent state within South Africa.
B) the descendants of Dutch Calvinists who had immigrated to South Africa in the mid-seventeenth century.
C) the descendants of British immigrants in the eighteenth century.
D) a secret society devoted to white supremacy in South Africa.

Question 11

As a result of South Africa's first democratic nonracial elections in 1994

A) F. W. de Klerk was elected president of a coalition government.
B) Nelson Mandela became president of a government of national unity.
C) Mandela became president of an African National Congress government.
D) the chief of the Zulu people, the largest black African tribe in the country, became president.

Question 12

France granted independence to its fifteen sub-Saharan colonies in 1960, and subsequently, all of the

A) France developed the strongest presence of all western countries on the African continent.
B) France took a strong role in economic development.
C) France became the largest donor of aid to the continent.
D) France was largely successful in preventing the spread of civilian or military dictatorships to its former colonies.

Question 13

After the death of Mobutu, the Democratic Republic of Congo

A) went to war with its neighbors, necessitating an intervention by the UN.
B) elected Patrice Lumumba president.
C) immediately signed peace agreements with its neighbors, Rwanda and Uganda.
D) became a base of operations for the United States in its fight against communism.

Question 14

The former Belgian colonies of Rwanda and Burundi experienced tragic mass killings in 1994, which were caused by

A) political antagonism between the two states.
B) rivalry over control of valuable diamond mines.
C) hatred of white colonial rulers.
D) long-standing tensions in each state between the traditionally dominant Tutsi minority and the Hutu majority.

Question 15

The only struggle involving African independence that led to superpower confrontation was in

A) Mozambique.
B) Angola.
C) Ethiopia.
D) Zaire.

Question 16

In recent years in Sudan,

A) non-Arab blacks in Darfur have been murdered by Arab militias with the complicity of the government.
B) Arabs in Darfur have been murdered by black militias.
C) rebels refused to sign peace agreements with the government.
D) the government has attempted to protect villagers in Darfur from the massacres conducted by rebels.

Question 17

Since the achievement of independence, African countries have mostly

A) succeeded in building working democracies.
B) fallen under the control of military dictators.
C) opted for one-party, civilian dictatorships.
D) become totalitarian states like China or Cuba.

Question 18

African socialism

A) was a response to the exploitation and racism of colonialism.
B) included the nationalization of industries and the collectivization of agriculture.
C) included technical and material support from the Soviet Union and China.
D) entailed all of the choices are correct.

Question 19

Although many Islamic countries are also Arab, many are not, such as

A) Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.
B) Iran, Pakistan, and Indonesia.
C) Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria.
D) Sudan, Egypt, and Libya.

Question 20

Zionism is

A) a sect of Judaism.
B) a movement committed to the establishment of a Jewish homeland.
C) a doctrine which contends that Israel is the natural ruler of the Middle East.
D) a belief in the imminent return of the messiah.

Question 21

The PLO

A) became a member of the Arab League.
B) was recognized as a government in exile for Palestinian Arabs.
C) was led by Yasir Arafat.
D) all of the choices are correct.

Question 22

Arab-Israeli peace negotiations, deadlocked for more than a decade, were dramatically reopened in
a role in that turn of events except

A) the end of the Cold War.
B) the pressure of the intifada, a sustained Palestinian uprising in Israel-occupied lands.
C) the return of the Israeli Labor party to power in 1992.
D) the secret, skillful mediating efforts of American diplomacy.

Question 23

The sources of tension between Iran and Iraq prior to the outbreak of war in 1980 included

A) the persecution of Shiite Muslims in Iraq.
B) a long-standing border dispute between the two states.
C) Iraq's secularism and abandonment of Islamic principles.
D) all of the choices are correct.

Question 24

After the Iranian leader Khomeini's death,

A) radical fundamentalists consolidated their power in Iran, implementing ever stricter and more fundamentalist laws and customs.
B) moderates sought to reestablish ties to the outside world.
C) leadership of the government disintegrated.
D) power reverted entirely to western-educated political leaders.

Question 25

Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990 for all of the following reasons except

A) after the long and expensive war with Iran, (1980-1988), Iraq's economy was troubled.
B) Saddam Hussein was unable to persuade Kuwait and other oil-producing states to curb production and raise oil prices.
C)as the leader of a mostly Sunni Muslim country, Saddam believed that Shiite Kuwait was a threat to . his power because of its links to Iran.
D) Iraq had some territorial claims to Kuwait preceding the Ottoman empire and the British protectorate over Kuwait.

Question 26

Development strategies in poorer nations

A) led to economic growth and progress in health and education.
B) did not change the relative global economic position of most poorer nations.
C) transformed the poorer nations into serious competitors in the global market.
D) A and B

Question 27

The IMF has been criticized for

A) failing to even meet the agenda set by its original mission.
B) ignoring social needs and emphasizing austerity measures.
C) restricting itself to currency and other short-time financial crises.
D) failing to intervene in development policies.

Question 28

Ending colonialism was easier for some colonial powers than others. Analyze the policies of such European states as Britain, France, Belgium, and Portugal as they withdrew from political control in Africa and Asia. What were the consequences of these different approaches for new nations?

Question 29

Why did African socialism fail to deliver its promise of greater equality? Consider specific examples in your response.

Question 30

For decades, one of the world's most intractable problems was apartheid in South Africa. Yet suddenly in 1994, South Africa made a relatively peaceful transition to full democracy. Explain the reasons
for the development of apartheid and then its end, together with the end of white political rule, by 1994.

Question 31

Where has the UN intervened in recent decades? How successful have those interventions been in restoring peace?

Question 32

What are some of the gravest problems facing African countries today? What are some of the different theories that explain those problems? How do you think that these nations might be able to overcome some of these issues?

Question 33

Trace the origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict and then the peace process. Why has peace in the region proved so elusive?

Question 34

Do you believe Islam and a modern democratic society are compatible? Why or why not? Discuss specific historical examples in your response.

Question 35

Beginning with the Iranian revolution of 1979, there has been an Islamic revival throughout the Middle East and in Islamic countries in North Africa and Asia. Why has this revival taken place?

Question 36

How do you account for widespread poverty in the Third World today? Why has poverty proved so difficult to overcome?

Question 37

What models of development are available to Third World countries? What model do you think most likely to end poverty in Third World countries?

Question 38

What impact did large populations of white settlers have upon the decolonization process in certain countries?

Question 39

Compare Nkrumah, Kenyatta, and Nyerere. Which African leader accomplished the most? The least?

Question 40

Why did a new intifada break out in 2000?

Question 41

How have women been affected by the Islamic religious revival?

Question 42

What distinguishes the Arab world from the Islamic world? Give several examples of nations belonging to each in your response.

Question 43

What kinds of cultural changes have occurred in the Islamic Middle East in recent decades? What has been the impact of those changes on prospects for increased democracy and stability in the region?

Question 44

Why were the 1960s considered the "development decade"?

Question 45

Why have both the World Bank and the IMF become targets of criticism over the course of the past decade? How have these institutions responded to these criticisms?

Question 46

Compare the map above with the map of Africa at the height of European imperialism on page 659. Which regions gained independence first? Which ones gained independence later? What do those patterns reflect about Africa's former colonizers?

Question 47

Consider the geographic location of Israel. Why has the Israeli state provoked suspicion and hostility from the Arab states?

Question 48

How have the boundaries of Israel shifted since 1948?

Question 49

What have been the most contested areas in the region known both as Israel and Palestine? How have conflicts over these areas drawn the surrounding nations into the dispute between the Palestinians and the Israelis?

Question 50

Why do the western powers continue to consider the Persian Gulf and the Middle East a strategically important region?

Question 51

Examine the pipelines in the Middle East. Why did the western powers send naval forces to the Persian Gulf in 1980-1988 and again in 1991?