Deck 26: Europe and the Changing Modern World

Question 1

German reunification in 1990 hurt the entire European economy because:

A) the other European states experienced increasing difficulty competing with the German economy.
B) cheap German labor from the east caused a European-wide decline in wages.
C) the costs of unification fueled inflation, leading the German Bundesbank to keep interest rates high, which reduced the availability of credit and undermined currencies in the rest of Europe.
D) the costs of unification prevented Germany from buying as many goods from its neighbors as it did in the past.

Answer 1

the costs of unification fueled inflation, leading the German Bundesbank to keep interest rates high, which reduced the availability of credit and undermined currencies in the rest of Europe.

Question 2

By the early 1990s, unemployment in western Europe:

A) did not exist.
B) affected more than 12 percent of the workforce.
C) hit the aging sectors of the population the hardest.
D) All of these are correct.

Answer 2

affected more than 12 percent of the workforce.

Question 3

In 1992, official investigations in Italy revealed political corruption at the highest levels. How did Italy's governing parties avoid such scrutiny and criticism for so long?

A) The governing parties had projected themselves as Italy's defenders against communism.
B) The governing parties had promised to stop the constant flow of refugees and immigrants who were coming into Italy from North Africa and the Middle East.
C) Italians had been willing to overlook the government's corrupt practices because of its involvement in the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
D) Italians had been willing to overlook the government's corrupt practices because of its successes in balancing the budget and lowering crime rates.

Answer 3

The governing parties had projected themselves as Italy's defenders against communism.

Question 4

Which of the following is true of the consequences of immigration in western European countries in the 1990s?

A) Jean-Marie Le Pen's National Front in France urged the government to ensure smoother immigration.
B) France declared that it would grant citizenship to any child born on French soil.
C) Germany offered asylum to non-Europeans who were being persecuted on political grounds.
D) Neo-Fascists in Italy and Neo-Nazis in Germany resorted to racist violence.

Question 5

In the 1990s, Europe struggled with all of the following problems except:

A) an influx of immigrants and refugees.
B) high levels of structural, long-term unemployment.
C) a resurgence of nationalism and ethnic hatred.
D) the collapse of democratic forms of government in several countries.

Question 6

Which of the following reforms were undertaken by Tony Blair and the British Labour Party?

A) The devolution of power in Scotland and Wales
B) The complete reversal of Thatcher's economic reforms
C) The decentralization of Scotland and Wales
D) The abolition of the legislative council governing Ireland

Question 7

In the 2005 election in Germany, _____.

A) a coalition between the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats was formed
B) the Social Democratic Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, replaced Helmut Kohl
C) most of the cabinet ministries went to the Christian Democrats
D) Merkel and her Christian Democratic Party achieved an absolute majority

Question 8

Which countries rejected the proposed EU constitution in 2005?

A) Germany and Italy
B) France and Italy
C) Britain and France
D) France and the Netherlands

Question 9

After the Cold War, space exploration:

A) was no longer considered a priority.
B) was centered around military objectives.
C) was undertaken solely by the United States.
D) was undertaken by several countries.

Question 10

The influential Annales school of historical thinking, developed in France, focuses on:

A) a microscopic examination of the immediate causes of events.
B) long-term elements in historical change, such as population, economy, climate, and natural resources.
C) politics and a careful narrative of events.
D) the role of the ruling classes in directing the course of history.

Question 11

Postmodernism:

A) rejected commercialization and materialism.
B) embraced only popular forms of culture.
C) embraced traditional ideas of structure.
D) mixed old, new, commercial, elite, and popular cultures.

Question 12

Under Pope John Paul II, _____.

A) the Catholic Church allowed a relaxation of its stand on issues such as the rights of divorce and birth control
B) the growing assertiveness of national churches was curbed
C) women were allowed to be ordained as priests
D) the church refused to acknowledge past wrongs such as the mistreatment of Jews

Question 13

The latter part of the twentieth century saw the spread of militant religious fundamentalists, who condemned:

A) modern secularism.
B) the literal reading of the Qur'an.
C) international terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda.
D) the wearing of Islamic head scarves by Muslim girls.

Question 14

The youth movements of the late 1960s:

A) overthrew the French government.
B) led to the emergence of the "New Right," a response to their radicalism.
C) led to the emergence of the "New Left," whose members were critical of the Soviet Union's style of leadership.
D) had no lasting effect on social mores, language, or dress.

Question 15

The women's liberation movement:

A) created greater opportunities for women in the workplace and in politics.
B) focused on basic human rights in developing countries.
C) was greatly advanced by access to new forms of contraceptives.
D) All of these are correct.

Question 16

As the sole superpower after 1991, the United States:

A) often blurred the distinction between unilateralism and international action.
B) became involved in peacekeeping missions for the first time.
C) assembled a military force that could take decisive action regarding Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.
D) often blurred the distinction between unilateralism and international action and assembled a military force that could take decisive action regarding Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.

Question 17

Which of the following is true of the role of the United Nations after the Second World War?

A) It helped prevent powerful sovereign nations from using their own military forces whenever they decided to go to war.
B) It was often praised for its ability to prevent wars and act decisively on global social problems.
C) It granted Japan and Germany positions in the Security Council.
D) It played a major role in postwar peacekeeping in Kosovo.

Question 18

Why were the 1990s an economic and political turning point for western Europe?

Question 19

Discuss the changing role of religion in the world since 1945. How would you account for the recent rise of fundamentalism?

Question 20

Describe the "new economy" that emerged in the 1990s. Define the term "globalization." What are some negative aspects of the two concepts?

Question 21

What were the main trends in the creative arts and the social sciences in the second half of the twentieth century? How did these trends reflect the social, economic, and political realities of the period?

Question 22

What are some of the debates that have shaped the role of the United Nations in international affairs? How has its participation and intervention in the world changed in recent decades?

Question 23

What were the origins of the United States' involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq? How successful has the United States been in attaining its goals? What kinds of developments and events have hindered progress with respect to the war on terror?

Question 24

What major problems did the world face in the 1990s? Which do you consider to be the gravest threat? What possibilities exist for overcoming that problem?

Question 25

What led to Europe's post-Cold War gloom in the early 1990s?

Question 26

Why did unemployment become a serious problem for western Europe in the late twentieth century? How did western European countries attempt to overcome this problem?

Question 27

What was entailed in the "third way" approach endorsed by politicians like Bill Clinton and Tony Blair? How effective were these policies?

Question 28

In what ways did the European Union become further integrated? What obstacles still stood in the way of unification?

Question 29

Why has scientific advance been questioned in the last decades of the twentieth century?

Question 30

Why did religious fundamentalism find fertile ground in the late twentieth century?

Question 31

What were the inspirations and demands of the late twentieth century women's movement?

Question 32

What caused the population explosion in Asia, Africa, and Latin America?