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1. The fall of a great empire is a fertile ground for the creation of new states. Which of these kingdoms, which came into being with the fall of the Western Roman Empire, lasted the longest?
2. Charlemagne created a vast empire before his death in 814, going so far as to have himself crowned emperor in Rome. After his death, his sons and grandsons were not able to keep his empire together, and within sixty years Western Europe was as fragmented as it had ever been. The death of which ruler, in 888, marked the end of Charlemagne's Frankish Empire?
3. The early history of Ireland does not contain many instances where the whole island was unified under one native ruler. The exception occurred under this man, who died in battle in 1014.
4. Before the Normans took their turn, the Danes made a concerted effort to conquer England. They were successful enough that, at least during this king's lifetime, the crowns of Denmark and England were united in one person.
5. In 1204, the Fourth Crusade ended with the capture of Constantinople. In the subsequent division of former Byzantine territory, which was NOT one of the states created?
6. Under their great warrior leader, Genghis Khan, the Mongols and their allies conquered much of Asia and Eastern Europe. Even so, their conquest of China was not completed until 1279, and the dynasty proclaimed by Kublai Khan 8 years before would only rule until 1368. What is the name of this short-lived Mongol-Chinese dynasty?
7. The French Revolution, and the rise of Napoleon which followed it, spread chaos and change across Europe. In 1806, Napoleon decided that the Holy Roman Empire was due for liquidation. What organization of German states did he create to replace it (at least in part)?
8. In 1856, American adventurer William Walker led a small private army to Nicaragua in an attempt to create what ambitiously named polity?
9. In 1943, the allies invaded Italy. The Fascist government of Benito Mussolini was overthrown, and Italy officially changed sides. Not willing to let a good puppet go to waste, Hitler had Mussolini kidnapped and made him the ruler of what insignificant client state?
10. During the Cold War, the United States and Soviet Union backed the formation of friendly governments wherever they could. In Afghanistan, the Soviets installed a pro-communist regime in 1978, and invaded the country a year later to keep it in power. After ten years of fighting, the Soviets were forced to withdraw in 1989, leaving their Afghan allies to fight alone. How long did the communist government, which called itself the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, manage to last following the Soviet withdrawl?
Source: Author
bronzewolf22
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bloomsby before going online.
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