If Two Can Be as One Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall was a physical barrier that separated the two halves of the divided city of Berlin. It was erected in 1961 as a concrete barrier to prevent the people of the city from going from one side to the other and became the physical symbol of the Iron Curtain, the ideological divide between the Western ways and the Soviet philosophies.

The Berlin Wall surrounded all of West Berlin during the Cold War. Seeing as Berlin was in the heart of East Germany, access was limited to the city, and travel was severely restricted, especially if you were going from East to West. However, in November 1989, the wall was brought down, sparking the fires of reunification.

Answer: Yemen

When the British got a mandate over large parts of the Middle East around World War I, the territory of South Yemen (or Aden, as it was known at the time) was given to them. On the other hand, the province of North Yemen had already been a self-governing region of the Ottoman Empire. South Yemen revolted against the British and a strong socialist presence allowed them to declare the country as the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, a socialist state. North Yemen was a kingdom, but remained on friendly terms with its southern neighbour.

In 1990, the two countries decided to unify and declared Sana'a as their capital. It took a year to ratify the constitution, but, since then, Yemen has been a functional and productive country.

Answer: Vermont

The Vermont Republic (known at the time as the State of Vermont) was a short-lived independent republic that existed between the years 1777 and 1791. It was formed in the midst of the American Revolution and was not recognized by any other country other than themselves. They did enter negotiations with the Province of Quebec to join them; however, when they saw that the Americans has prevailed and were sharing most of their border with them, they reneged on their deal with Quebec and instead negotiated with the United States and joined as the fourteenth state.

Nowadays, people from fifty different and diverse states live together under one nation and are stronger together for it.

Answer: Vietnam

North Vietnam broke off from the country of Vietnam in 1945 following World War II and the rise of Hồ Chí Minh, the revolutionary leader of the communist north. They received much support from the Soviet Union and later also by China. South Vietnam, a democratic country, was backed primarily by the United States and its allies. The war between the two sides was seen as inevitable, especially at the height of the Cold War.

In the end, after massive loss of life, especially amongst the Vietnamese, the United States and their allies withdrew from the south leaving the country open to takeover. The fall of Saigon in 1975 was the final straw. The two sides entered the final stages of negotiations and the country reunified in 1976.

Answer: Zanzibar

Tanganyika was an independent republic once it gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1961. It stood for three years before it merged with a neighbouring island republic - the People's Republic of Zanzibar. Zanzibar existed for an even shorter period than Tanganyika did, it stood independent for less than a year.

However, the two formed the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar in 1964. Seeing how that was a mouthful, six months later the country was renamed Tanzania, taking the first three letters of each nation's name and adding the suffix -ia to them.

Answer: Capture of Rome

The Risorgimento (which means 'resurgence') was the process of unification of the independent states on the Italian peninsula into one country. The process took most of the 19th century and started with rebellions in the 1820s and 30s and ended with the 1871 Capture of Rome. Pope Pius XI capitulated to King Victor Emmanuel II and the House of Savoy unified the country. The only remainder of the Papal States was Vatican City, which remains independent to this day.

Italy emerged stronger, and added more territories in 1918 after the end of World War I.

Answer: Switzerland

The region of Switzerland was first settled by the Helvetii, from whence they get their official name "Helvetia". Over the years, the region was ruled by many empires, including (but not limited to) the Romans, the Franks, the Holy Roman Empire, Burgundy, and more. The idea for Switzerland came during the Holy Roman Empire when the cantons in the region (originally just three) decided to enter a confederacy. The modern union came about in 1848 after a short civil war brought about the writing of a constitution.

Since their unification, Switzerland has been a beacon of prosperity and a symbol of neutrality. They came together to form one of the strongest economic powers in the world.

Answer: Federated States of Micronesia

After World War II and the Japanese occupation, the United States were granted a mandate over most of the Pacific islands. While there were many nations in the region, the only thing that tied them together was geographical proximity, and even then, the distances were pretty large. However, four of these nations wrote up a constitution to form their own country in 1979: the nations of Chuuk, Yap, Kosrae, and Pohnpei formed the Federated States of Micronesia while nations like the Marshall Islands and Palau opted out. The FSM became a democratic republic.

The flag of the Federated States of Micronesia has a light blue background with four stars on it. These stars represent the four nations that came together to form the country.

Answer: Upper and Lower

The British settled further upriver along the St. Lawrence River, therefore, their settlements in Canada were called Upper Canada - roughly modern-day Ontario. The French settled further east and lower on the river, and their settlements were known as Lower Canada - roughly modern-day Quebec.

The British created initially two provinces in Canada, making the border between them the Ottawa River. Of course, creating the Dominion of Canada was a much more complicated process, bringing in the Maritime provinces in Eastern Canada and reconciling their needs with those of Western Canadian provinces like British Columbia and Alberta.

Answer: United Kingdom

In 1707, the parliament of Scotland passed an act of union with England. A year prior, the parliament of England passed an act of union with Scotland. This ratified the 1706 Treaty of Union between the two kingdoms. Since the two countries shared the same crown, since King James in 1603, it made sense to unify the two kingdoms instead of leaving them as rival countries. This created the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Ireland joined in 1801 completing the unification of the two islands. Wales, a region that had a unique identity, had already been unified with England in 1542, but was raised at some point to a semi-autonomous status like the other three countries.