20th-Century History in the 1970s Quiz

Answer: Gamal Abdel Nasser

The popularity of Gamal Abdel Nasser (1918-1970) rose after he nationalized the Suez Canal. After the defeat by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War, he resigned but was restored shortly due to mass support from the people. He was succeeded by Anwar Sadat after his death.

Answer: Uganda

Milton Obote was not in the country when he was toppled by Idi Amin, who shortly declared himself as the president and the chief of the armed forces. He became a dictator and started to carry out genocides against the Lango and Acholi tribe in 1972. In the same year, he ordered 60,000 Asians, mainly Indians and Pakistanis, to leave the country, creating an economic crisis.

His downfall was caused by invading Tanzania in 1978, which led to a counter offensive by Tanzania in 1979. He fled the country and lived in exile in Saudi Arabia until his death in August 2003.

Answer: September

On 5th September 1972, eight Palestinian terrorists broke into the Olympic Village killing two Israeli members instantly. The terrorists held the other nine members to negotiate for the release of 200 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. The German police failed in their operation to save the hostages. Five terrorists and one German police officer were killed in the incident.

Answer: Yom Kippur War

The Yom Kippur War (aka the Ramadan War) was fought from 6th to 25th October 1973. The war was started by Egypt and Syria to recover the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights, which were lost to Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War. Although taken by surprise, Israel repelled the attack and manage to cross into the Suez Canal.

In 1978, a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel was signed at Camp David brokered by President Jimmy Carter.

Answer: Portugal

The Estado Novo (aka the Second Portuguese Republic) was established as a corporatist state in 1933. After WWII, countries under Portuguese colonial rule were declaring independence. The regime was heavily criticized for being too conservative. By 1974, although Portugal had achieved rapid growth, it was still ranked as the lowest per capita in Western Europe. On 25th April 1974, the Carnation Revolution organized by the Armed Forces Movement overthrew the regime.

Answer: Cambodia

The Cambodian Civil War was fought over eight years from 17th January 1968 to 17th April 1975. The Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot and supported by North Vietnam and the Vietcong defeated the government forces led by Lon Nol. After the communist state was established, Pol Pot authorized a genocide of nearly 2 million people from 1975 to 1979.

Answer: Deng Xiaoping became the main leader

The three key leaders of the Chinese Communist Party passed away in the same year: Premier Zhou Enlai in January, 2nd Chairman Marshal Zhu De in July and Chairman Mao in September. The Cultural Revolution ended with the downfall of the Gang of Four led by Mao's wife Jiang Qing, Zhang Chungqiao, Yao Wenyuan and Wang Hongwen. Surprisingly, Mao nominated a relatively unknown Hua Guofeng as his successor.

He was gradually forced out of power by more influential party leaders between December 1978 and June 1981, and eventually retreated from politics. Deng Xiaoping became the paramount leader from 1978 to 1989.

Answer: Personal computer

The three companies which started the mass production of personal computers in 1977 were Apple with the Apple II, Tandy Radio Shack with the TRS-80 and Commodore Business Machines with the Personal Electronic Transactor.

Answer: China

After the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution, Deng Xiaoping realized that China had to undergo economic reforms to rebuild the country. After gaining power in 1978, he led the Chinese Communist Party to announce the plan for economic reforms on 18th December 1978 during the "Boluan Fanzheng" period. "Boluan Fanzheng" means "to eliminate chaos and return to normal". During that year, Deng visited three countries in Southeast Asia: Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

Answer: The start of the Iran-Iraq War

The Iran-Iraq conflict started in September 1980. In 1979, the last Persian Shah was overthrown by the Islamic Revolution in Iran. He died in exile in Egypt in 1980. After losing the war to Tanzania, Idi Amin escaped to Saudi Arabia and lived in exile, where he died in 2003.

The Three Mile Island nuclear accident occurred on 28th March in Pennsylvania. Margaret Thatcher became the first female British prime minister that year. In the same year, the Soviet Union attacked Afghanistan.