The World in Chaos - World after WWI Quiz

Answer: Blockade of German ports for necessary food and fuel

None of the other three possible answers occurred.

The blockade of northern German ports by the UK began in 1914 and limited imports of food and weaponry through these ports. Many historians consider it to be a crucial element in the Allies' victory. World War I did not end in a clear cut defeat, such as the capture of Berlin or loss of an entire army. The German army generals told Kaiser Wilhelm that they no longer had the troops or weapons to halt the Allies, and rebellions had occurred in some German cities and within the armed forces. The German surrender and abdication of the Kaiser led to the myth, to be exploited later by Hitler, that the German leaders had sold out their troops.

The German surrender was done with the expectation that the eventual peace treaty would be based on Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points. The treaty that was offered to the Germans was much more vindictive and was met with strenuous objections by their delegation. The blockade of German ports was kept in place to pressure the Germans to sign the treaty and to prevent the resumption of hostilities. The effect of the extended (six months or more) blockade is highly debated by historians. Whether the effect was minimal (British) or significant (German) is immaterial as to how it was viewed by the German population.

Answer: Hungary

A great deal of unrest occurred before World War I throughout the world, and much of it centered on relations between businesses and workers. Violent strikes and damages to businesses were met with deadly clashes. Russian Communism proved to be violent, bordering on the anarchy of the French Revolution. Its wholesale killing and goal of political expansion made it a threat to other countries. The threats of Communism and anarchy were major problems throughout Europe and greatly affected its politics and the possibility of internal peace.

Hungary had gone from being an independent kingdom to being part of the Ottoman Empire and finally to a partner in the Empire of Austria-Hungary. After WWI this union dissolved, and Hungary became an independent nation. The treaty demanded that it reduce its army to a minimal size, which led to losing about 70 per cent of its prewar area to neighboring countries during postwar military actions. Anger at these losses along with violence and unrest in the country, led to the government control of Communists led by Bela Kun, who renamed the country to The Hungarian Soviet Republic. A period of repression, known as the Red Terror, followed with the execution of many leaders. Kun's short-lived time in power ended with the capture of Budapest by Romanian troops. The Communist period was followed by an extended period of conservative rule by Admiral Horthy, continuing to the start of World War II.

Kun had been captured by the Russian army during World War I and converted to Communism while a prisoner of war. After losing control of Hungary, he fled to Russia and participated in that country's Red Terror campaign and in a failed Communist uprising in Germany in 1921. He was executed in Russia in 1938 during one of the Stalinist purge for supposedly being a Trotskyite.

Answer: Russia

The American intervention in Russia from 1918 through 1920 is a little-known chapter in U.S. history. Allied forces were sent to Russia in 1917 to keep Allied munitions from falling into German hands while the war was still in progress and to protect Allied soldiers already in Russia.

After the Treaty of Versailles, uneasiness about the violence of Communist rule, the desire to protect economic interests of the Allies, and Japanese desires to create a buffer state in Siberia from their holdings in China changed the objectives of the Allied forces. They then provided limited support for the Russian White Army rebellion.

American troops, numbering about 13,000 men, were stationed in the ports of Archangel and Vladivostok. The American soldiers in Vladivostok were used primarily for guard duty; whereas those in Archangel engaged in some battles on the side of the White Russians. Approximately 300 American soldiers died through battle or weather and medical conditions before the 1920 withdrawal.

Answer: Russia and Finland

Finland had been part of the Kingdom of Sweden until Russia gained control in 1809 as part of the settlement of the Finnish War. The Grand Duchy of Finland was then established as a quasi-independent part of the Russian Empire. When the Bolshevik Revolution occurred, Finland declared itself an independent country without resistance from Lenin and the Russians. Internally a brief, but violent struggle, occurred in 1918 between those supporting independence and those wishing to be part of Communist Russia. However, enmity between the two sides persisted throughout the postwar period.

The Winter War started in 1939, after World War II had started, but before Russia had entered the conflict. Stalin attempted to annex Finland, in part to create a land buffer zone to protect Leningrad, which is a short distance from the Finnish border. Heavy resistance by the Finns stymied the larger Russian force for many months until a peace treaty kept Finnish independence, but forced it to cede some strategically valuable territory to the Russia. An unfortunate consequence is that Finland would later engage in further battles during World War II with the Russians to regain this territory in conjunction with the Nazi armies.

Answer: Albania

Although Italy was part of the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austria-Hungary, it chose to remain neutral at the start of the war. Italian public sentiment opposed supporting the traditional enemy of Austria, and there were hopes of obtaining regions of Austria. Secret negotiations with the Allies convinced, Italy to join their side with the prize of obtaining parts of Alpine Austria and of some coastal areas of Yugoslavia.

Italy was disappointed with the results at Versailles, which limited its expected gain of territory. This was a factor in Italy's attempts after the war to spread its influence and control over neighboring territory; and perhaps this set the course for Mussolini's rise and the union with Germany. As neighboring countries separated by the Adriatic Sea, Italy, and Albania have had close ties. Italy supported Albania's bid to establish itself as an independent nation in 1912. During World War I Italy sent troops to Albania to protect it from Austria Hungary and establish an Italian protectorate there.

The Italian protectorate lasted until 1920 when Albanian nationalists forced an end to the war in what is now called the Vlora War. However, the Italians were able to make Albania a de facto protectorate by way of economic control. In April 1939, before the invasion of Poland, Mussolini sent troops to Albania to gain control over the Government of Albania. After some stubborn resistance, the Albanians were defeated.

Answer: Abraham Lincoln Brigade

The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) was a battle between the Republican side, or the left wing supported by Russia, and the Nationalist side, the right wing supported by Germany. The war was a culmination of a long struggle between liberal and ultra-conservative forces in Spain. Spain had remained neutral during World War I; but had the same issues with poverty and the threat of Communism that faced many other European countries. A series of military coups occurred in the early 1930s in an attempt to ward off the threats of anarchy, labor strife, and Communism.

For a short time from 1931 the Republican government began to reform land management and secularize the country. A more conservative government, elected in 1933, reversed most of these changes. The Republicans returned to power in 1936, but by that time Spain had become polarized politically and was slipping into anarchy. In 1936 a military coup was attempted, led by Francisco Franco. The rebel army and loyalists to the Republican government were relatively evenly matched initially. Both sides increased the size of their armies and weaponry through conscription and foreign volunteers. Russia and Mexico provided the primary international support to the Republican forces. Germany, Italy, and Portugal provided support to the rebels. Most other major countries were officially neutral, although residents of these countries were often volunteers for the side consistent with their political viewpoint.

After a brutal war, forces led by Franco captured Madrid, effectively ending the conflict. A period of reprisals against Republican leaders followed. The cruelty and violence of the National forces (right wing) has been well documented. However, in fairness the Republican forces also engaged in senseless violence, especially with the deliberate murder of clergy and nuns.

Answer: Greece

At the time of World War I there were significant pockets of Greeks living within the Ottoman Empire, as well as Turks living within Greece. In some areas, such as Smyrna, the Greek Christian population was thought to outnumber the local Turkish population. During the early years of World War I Greece was divided into factions supporting both sides and remained neutral until 1917 when it joined the Alliance. One of the deciding factors was promises made by the UK Government for Greece to receive Ottoman Empire territory in Anatolia, or Asia Minor.

In 1919 Greece received permission to invade Turkey at the port of Smyrna, now Izmir. After a series of initial successes, the Greek invasion was thwarted and a peace treaty signed. During the latter stages of WWI and the Greco-Turkish War atrocities against the Greek population had occurred, placing them in a dangerous position. In 1923 both countries signed a treaty to exchange expatriate populations. For Greece that meant integrating a refugee population whose size was more than 25% of the entire country's population.

The integration of the refugees into Greek society was more successful than expected; however, the Great Depression affected the economy. The postwar period was characterized by struggles between monarchists and anti-monarchist. Eventually Greece would lapse into a dictatorship under Ioannis Metaxas with ultranationalistic tendencies that sought to recapture the glories of Greece.

Answer: USA demanded repayment of wartime loans from Allies.

The USA had remained neutral for most of WWI. This was partly due to its state as a regional power with limited involvement in European affairs. Although it had a natural affinity with the Allied powers, the large number of immigrants from various European countries worked against choosing sides. Two major German blunders pushed the US into the war: the sinking of the passenger ship Lusitania by German submarines and the Zimmerman Note, which promised the return of US southwestern states to Mexico as a reward if it joined the Central Powers.

The United States, as well as many other non-European countries, held the view that WWI was a European conflict that it wished to avoid in the future. This view, along with personal political animosity, led to the failure of the US to sign the League of Nations accord that President Wilson had encouraged. The United States withdrew from any world leadership role during this period of Isolationism. It severely restricted foreign immigration, ending a time of large-scale European immigration that had proven to be so important to its growth. The growing power of its business community caused import tariff to reach their highest levels in history. The US military and cryptological services were drastically cut.

Although US history books portray the US as the White Knight in the peacemaking process at Versailles, some decisions made by the US may have made the Depression and WWII a likely occurrence. The US had paid for its efforts in WWI by inflationary means, rather than taxation. To "pay the piper" the US demanded that Allies repay the loans the US made to them. This was one of the reasons, although not the only one, that crushing indemnities were imposed on the Central Powers. These indemnities, loan repayments, and closing of US markets made postwar economic recovery very difficult.

The US had experienced sharp inflation during WWI; a significant rise in the interest rate after the end of the war triggered a severe stock market decline in 1920-1921. An economic rebound and a period of apparent prosperity during the "Roaring Twenties" allowed Americans to ignore the underlying economic issues resulting from WWI that had led to this collapse and that would eventually lead to the later Depression.

Answer: Poland obtained Gdansk from Germany.

The Polish nation was resurrected in the Treaty of Versailles after a century of being divided between Germany, Russia, and Austria Hungary. The exact boundaries of Poland were ultimately settled by diplomacy and military actions. One faction of the Polish leadership wanted a more compact state that was a homogeneous ethnic mixture, as far as possible. The faction, led by Josef Pilsudski, ultimately won and sought a confederation of independent countries under Polish leadership.

The Treaty of Versailles settled the western border with Germany, granting Poland part of Upper Silesia and making the formerly German city of Danzig, now Gdansk, an independent city state. Note a similar resolution occurred for the city of Trieste to settle an Italian dispute.

The Poles desired a confederation with Lithuania and the Ukraine to the east. The Polish-Soviet War lasted between 1919 and 1921. At first they reached Kyiv, but a Russian counterattack pushed the Polish forces back to Warsaw and threatened the viability of the Polish state. The Poles were able to defeat the Russian army, and eventually the Treaty of Riga in 1921 established borders.

The Baltic states separated themselves from Russia at the time of the Russian Revolution. In 1919 Poland attempted to annex Lithuania, but ultimately failed. Poland soon became an authoritarian government under Pilsudski and his successors. Over 1/3 of the population of the nation were not ethnic Poles; and many felt mistreated by the Government. As an example, agrarian reforms split large landholdings; but they mainly affected land held by non-Polish owners. Civil liberties were restricted and antisemitism grew.

Answer: German colonies in Africa were granted independence.

Many colonial administrators and European settlers volunteered or were conscripted into the armies of the combatants. Some of these had roles that had not been open to African natives. Educated blacks were able to fill those positions, creating feelings of independence and reducing the future reliance on Europeans.

Many European countries also drafted native Africans for their armies. This led to resentment from having to fight and suffer heavy casualties in wars that had little effect on them. A more subjective change, according to some experts, was that the Africans soldiers were able to see Europeans in a different light, not as the powerful figures that they were in the colonies. Some Africans troops were even tasked with training new European troops, an unheard of switch of roles for them.

The weakened colonial administration and virtual self-government led to calls for greater local power by both white settlers and natives, especially in Kenya and West Africa. The German colonial holdings in Africa were not granted independence, but were transferred to other European and African nations. The UK and France received parts of what are now Cameroon and Togo. Belgium obtained what are now Rwanda and Burundi. The UK also received what is now mainland Tanzania, formerly Tanganyika, from German East Africa. South Africa received German Southwest Africa, now Namibia, and Portugal received a sliver of land incorporated into Mozambique.

Answer: Egypt

Egyptian independence was granted in 1922. South Africa had received its independence prior to World War I. Malta and India had to wait until after World War II. Egypt had fallen to the control of the Ottoman Empire in 1517. Napoleon had briefly conquered the country in 1801, and the Egyptian Muhammad Ali gained control in the aftermath. Although it nominally was still part of the Ottoman Empire, effectively it was independent. However, in 1882 UK forces made it a protectorate, partly to protect the Suez Canal.

At the end of WWI Saad Zaghloul was elected leader of the legislature, but was deported to Malta in 1918. This triggered the Egyptian Revolution of 1919, which started as a general strike to oppose the arrest of Zaghlul and soon involved shooting some protestors. The revolutionaries had temporary control of most of by 1919, but England regained control by brutal suppression of the country. Leaders realized that Egypt couldn't be controlled by constant military means and granted independence in 1922. However, the UK still controlled Sudan as well as Egypt's defense and foreign affairs.

Answer: Manchuria

Many people are not aware that China was considered an ally during World War I. Although its troops did not participate in the fighting, Chinese laborers supported the allies. European sources estimated that 800 Chinese lost their lives as part of the conflict, although Chinese sources believe it to be 10 times higher. The Chinese expected that the result of their participation in the war would be a limit to the Western spheres of influence in China. The fact that this did not happen and some holdings were allotted to Japan was a bitter blow to China. China experienced severe internal conflicts in the postwar period between the National government (Kuomintang), the Chinese Communists, and powerful warlords.

A full scale war between China and Japan for control of Manchuria began in 1937. By 1938 the Japanese had captured Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Wuhan. The fighting seriously depleted the strength of the Chinese Government forces. However, long communication lines made it difficult for the Japanese to control larger rural regions in the north and west, where the guerilla tactics of the Chinese Communist armies were very successful. The results of this conflict shifted the balance of power between the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist army, and may have affected the course of the Chinese Civil War. (The Chinese Communist army had been in a dire position at the time of the Long March, which preceded the Japanese invasion). Eventually the Sino-Japanese War folded into World War II.

Answer: Successfully included racial equality clause in the Treaty of Versailles

Japan honored its prewar alliance with the United Kingdom and entered the war on the side of the Allies. Japan had undergone rapid changes after its recent opening to the West and achieved a stunning victory of Russia in the Russo-Japanese War. It was eager to expand Japanese territory into China and Pacific islands for population growth and obtaining industrial raw material.

The major thrust of the Japanese during WWI were efforts was to capture German colonies in the Pacific, which included the Marshall, Caroline, and Mariana Islands. Later the Japanese Navy helped patrol the Mediterranean Sea. The presence of the Japanese on the side of the Entente also precluded the possibility that Russia would have had to fight on two fronts, against both Germany and Japan.

The Treaty of Versailles awarded control of the Pacific islands Japan had captured, although New Zealand and Australia were awarded German Samoa and German New Guinea. Japan was one of the five major Allies in the negotiation of the Treaty and was awarded a permanent League of Nations seat. However, its attempt to include a racial equality clause in the Treaty was rejected due to the influence of the UK and the US. Many expert think that this rejection was instrumental in Japan becoming bitter with the West.

The Japanese economy benefited from the war since it needed to expand its industrial base to meet its needs after European supplies decreased. In fact, Japan became a major supplier and creditor during the war. However, the Japanese military became much more aggressive after the war and gained control of the government in 1936. It fought a series of wars in China and Indochina, leading to the UK, the USA, and Netherlands freezing Japanese assets, and Japan withdrawing from the League of Nations.

Answer: Port of Aden was captured by Egypt

The European powers has been engaged in battles with the Ottoman Empire and other Islamic nations for over 1000 years and were determined to eliminate a future threat by dismantling it into smaller nations under the Treaty of Sevres in 1920, and reducing the military power. The treaty gave large segments of modern-day Turkey to Greece and Armenia. Kemal Ataturk led Turkish forces to gain control of the government and regain territory in a series of wars.

The treaty attempted to create a state of Kurdistan under control of the UK under its Mandate of Mesopotamia. Two attempts were made to establish a state, but in each case the leaders rebelled against UK authority and were suppressed by the them. The treaty also established a Kingdom of Hejaz under King Hussein in the western part of Arabia and a Sultanate of Nejd in the central part. Hussein had supported the Pan Arabian Revolt, which was fostered by T. E. Lawrence against the Ottoman Empire; and he was rewarded for it. However, he refused to sign the Treaty of Versailles due to the promise of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, foreign control of Lebanon and Syria, and the failure of the UK to give him control of a larger area. The UK gave him an ultimatum to agree with the terms and then supported Ibn Saud of Nejd when he refused. Ibn Saud defeated Hussein and eventually united Hejaz and Nejd into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A consummate politician, he realized that staying loyal to the British wishes was a necessary short-term step.

The "Young Turks" and the Turkish government reduced the number of Christian Armenians, Greeks, and Syrians during and after World War I by forced deportations and executions. This changed both the demographics and tolerance of Turkey and probably contributed to later disputes between Greeks and Turks in Cyprus.

Aden was a key port city in what is now Yemen that was used to refuel ships traveling to India by way of the Suez Canal. The UK refused to release it and maintained it as a crown colony until 1964, when it became part of South Yemen. The UK was also given control of Palestine. The Balfour Declarations had advocated the established of a Jewish nation, along with a separate nation of Palestine.

The dismantling of the Ottoman Empire led to inevitable problems. Much of the area had been controlled by powerful tribal leaders with no history of nationhood or well-defined borders. The failings of ambitious local leaders was matched by the desire of European powers to take advantage of the chaotic situation and newly-discovered oil. Promises, often conflicting ones, had been given to the local leaders that could not be met. There was strong resentment against foreign and Jewish presence in an area that had grown increasingly intolerant.

Answer: Excess of marriageable age women to men in the UK

The 1921 census in England counted 1207 females for every 1000 males in the age bracket 25-34. This age bracket was 18-27 at the start of the war. Later studies claimed that only 50% of these women had married or remarried (for the widows) and that only 35% had married while still in child-bearing years. The term "Two Million Surplus" was the number of women versus men in this age bracket, although the actual number was about 1.7 million. The Two Million Surplus signaled a coming change in the First World Culture, but it did not have the negative and violent effect that other disruptive changes in this quiz had.

The obvious result is that the UK and other European countries were slow to rebound population-wise. This undoubtedly affecting the ability to govern far-flung colonies, one of the many reasons that the colonial empires would end later. The most important effect was the role of women in society. Although we think of "Rosie the Riveter" and the role of women during World War II, the same dynamics occurred during World War I. The loss of so many men to death and injury during the war made it possible for many women to remain in the workforce, and the presence of a large number of unmarried women made it necessary. It could be coincidental, but barriers to women's suffrage were eliminated in most European countries at the end of the War or shortly thereafter.