Question 1

Social Darwinists such as Herbert Spencer argued that to ensure the survival of the fittest, the state should abandon laissez-faire and intervene to fix and preserve existing economic and social societal relationships.

Accepted Answer

Social Darwinists believed in laissez-faire economics and opposed state intervention in the economy and society. They believed in a natural hierarchy where the strong survive and the weak perish, and they thought that government action could interrupt this natural process.

Question 2

British rule brought all of the following to India in the late nineteenth century except

Accepted Answer

British rule did not bring political democracy to India in the late nineteenth century. India did not gain independence until 1947.

Question 3

The "open door" policy was to allow more freedom of trade in so-called spheres of influence in

Accepted Answer

The "open door" policy was a series of letters written by U.S. Secretary of State John Hay in 1899–1900 to the Great Powers encouraging them to keep an open door to trade with China and to respect China's territorial integrity. This policy specifically referred to China and its various "spheres of influence" controlled by different imperial powers.

Question 4

Which revolutionary leader helped overthrow the Manchu dynasty of China in 1912?

Accepted Answer

Sun Yat-sen, also known as Sun Zhongshan, was a revolutionary and political leader who played a key role in the overthrow of the Manchu dynasty in China in 1912, leading to the establishment of the Republic of China. Mao Tse-tung, Chou En-lai, and Chiang Kai-shek were all prominent leaders in Chinese history, but they came to power through different means and at different times. Mutsushito, also known as Emperor Meiji, was the emperor of Japan during the Meiji period of modernization and industrialization in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was not involved in the overthrow of the Manchu dynasty in China.

Question 5

The primary antagonists in the Balkans region were

Accepted Answer

The primary antagonists in the Balkans region were the Serbs and Austrians, as Serbia sought to expand its territory and gain independence from Austria-Hungary, which led to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and ultimately sparked the outbreak of World War I.

Question 6

The Bismarckian System had the ultimate result of

Accepted Answer

The Bismarckian System's establishment of alliances and balance of power in Europe ultimately led to the division of Europe into two opposing groups of nations, creating a tense and fragile environment that made war more likely. This was evidenced in the outbreak of World War I, just over twenty years after the system was put in place.

Question 7

Who said, "All this colonial business is a sham, but we need it for the elections."

Accepted Answer

The answer of Who said, "All this colonial business is...

Question 8

The Triple Alliance before 1914 included which of the following countries?

Accepted Answer

The Triple Alliance before 1914 included Germany, Austria, and Italy.

Question 9

The Boxers in China were successful in limiting the influence of the European nations and Japan.

Accepted Answer

The Boxers in China were not successful in limiting the influence of the European nations and Japan. In fact, the Boxer Rebellion was defeated by a coalition of eight foreign countries, including European nations and Japan, resulting in increased foreign control and influence in China.

Question 10

The Meiji Restoration in Japan

Accepted Answer

The Meiji Restoration in Japan adopted many western reforms in political and military organization, including sending many Japanese abroad to be educated in the ways of the west. The political system created was democratic in form but rigidly authoritarian in practice. However, the restoration did not focus on the reestablishment of feudal principles of decentralized government and native Japanese values. The expulsion of all foreigners from the country was not a goal of the restoration. Therefore, the best choice is E, as it includes the accurate statements about the restoration.

Question 11

The continent of Africa was largely spared from the imperial ambitions of the European nations during the period after 1880, as the West focused instead upon the societies and states of Asia.

Accepted Answer

This statement is false. Africa was not spared from European imperialism during the period after 1880, but was actually the main target of European imperial expansion during this time, known as the Scramble for Africa.

Question 12

Pablo Picasso was instrumental in the development of Cubism.

Accepted Answer

Picasso, along with Georges Braque, is considered one of the founders of Cubism and played a crucial role in its development.

Question 13

Friedrich Nietzsche proclaimed that democracy and Christianity together could triumph where great men and science had failed.

Accepted Answer

Friedrich Nietzsche was known for his criticism of democracy and Christianity, and he believed that individualism and the pursuit of power were more important than egalitarianism and compassion. He saw great men and science as the way forward for humanity, rather than these institutions.

Question 14

By the end of the nineteenth century, the United States had become the world's third richest nation and greatest industrial power, behind Great Britain and Imperial Germany.

Accepted Answer

By the end of the nineteenth century, the United States had actually become the world's richest nation and greatest industrial power, surpassing both Great Britain and Imperial Germany.

Question 15

Einstein wrote the equation M=ec²

Accepted Answer

This equation is not a known equation written by Einstein.

Question 16

By the early twentieth century, British liberalism had abandoned laissez-faire in favor of governmental activism and social reform.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. Beginning in the late 19th century, British liberalism began to shift away from the idea of laissez-faire and embraced a more interventionist approach to government and society, emphasizing the need for social and economic reform. This shift was exemplified in the policies of liberal governments such as that of David Lloyd George's Liberal Party, which introduced significant social welfare legislation in the early 1900s.

Question 17

Because of the lasting influence of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, there was little evidence of anti-Semitism in France at the end of the nineteenth century.

Accepted Answer

While there was a sense of tolerance and acceptance towards Jews in France during this time period, there were also instances of anti-Semitism, including the infamous Dreyfus Affair in the 1890s.

Question 18

The Triple Entente before 1914 included which of the following countries?

Accepted Answer

The Triple Entente was a military alliance formed by Great Britain, France, and Russia prior to World War I.

Question 19

The basis of the Bismarckian System was

Accepted Answer

The Bismarckian System was based on isolating France through a series of military alliances, including the Dual Alliance with Austria-Hungary and the Triple Alliance with Italy. This allowed Germany to protect itself from potential French aggression and maintain its dominance on the continent. The other options are not accurate representations of the basis of the Bismarckian System.

Question 20

Post-Impressionist painters such as Cezanne and van Gogh differed from the Impressionists in shifting from an objective reality to a subjective reality, thus abandoning the artist's traditional task of portraying the external world.

Accepted Answer

Post-Impressionists were interested in expressing their own personal emotions and experiences through their art, rather than simply depicting the external world as it appeared to them. This shift towards a subjective reality was a departure from the more objective approach of the Impressionist painters.

Quiz 12: An Age of Modernity, Anxiety, and Imperialism, 1894-1914