The Once Powerful and Now Nearly-Forgotten Leaders Quiz

Answer: Iraq

The Kingdom of Iraq was established after the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, and Faisal II was its third ruler. He became king at age 3 after his father died in a car crash, and his uncle served as regent until Faisal reached maturity.

Resentment throughout the country due to the continued role of the UK in the country's affairs, the presence of much poverty in the increasingly wealthy country, and political turmoil throughout the region put Faisal's rule in jeopardy. On July 14, units of the Iraqi army being sent to support Jordan rebelled and captured the young king and executed him and his immediate family.

King Faisal II was the model used by Belgian comic-book writer Hergé for his character Prince Abdullah of Khemed in The Adventures of Tintin.

Answer: Greece

Constantine II was born in 1940 and became king of Greece in 1964. Political unrest in the country led to a military junta in 1967, which restricted Constantine's powers. After an attempted counter-coup in 1967 he was forced to flee the country and remained in exile. In 1974 the Greek people voted to end the monarchy.

Since that time the Government has refused to let him return to Greece except for special occasions, stripped him of Greek citizenship, and revoked his passport. One of the occasions for an approved visit was for the Olympic Games, when he was a member of the Olympic committee. Before becoming king, Constantine had won an Olympic gold medal in sailing.

For many years Constantine lived near London and is a close friend with his cousin Charles, the Prince of Wales. He is also a godfather to Prince William.

Answer: Karl Doenitz

Doenitz was the Supreme Commander of the German navy since 1943 and briefly succeeded Hitler after his death in 1945. He had served as a submarine captain in World War I. His ship was captured by the British; and while in captivity, he formulated the plan for the wolf pack tactics which were used successfully in WWII.

Doenitz was named leader of Germany by Hitler's last will and testament. One week later he ordered General Jodl to surrender to the Allied forces. After the war Doenitz was convicted of war crimes and served ten years in prison.

Answer: King Farouk

King Farouk (1920 - 1965) became king of Egypt in 1936 while he was in England, after his father King Faud died of a heart attack. Farouk was crowned after reaching maturity in 1937. Initially very popular with the people, he was soon enmeshed in political intrigue and a delicate balancing act between Italian and British control of the Mediterranean before WWII.

Farouk was soon enamored of the royal lifestyle, in particular its glamor and opulence. Many have described him as an irresponsible man-child. He had a hedonistic lifestyle with many mistresses and was extremely obese due to overeating. The failed war against Israel, a vast divide between the wealthy and poor in Egypt, and the rise of the Islamic Brotherhood caused widespread discontent within the country until Nasser overthrew him.

Farouk lived in exile in Italy until his death in 1965.

Answer: Alexander Kerensky

The February Revolution of 1917 led to the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II and his house arrest. This resulted in a chaotic system of governance in which the Provisional Government controlled national affairs and local Soviets controlled local government. The Provisional Government was initially led by Prince Georgi Lvov and later by Alexander Kerensky. They continued the disastrous and unpopular participation in World War I.

Eventually strikes and rebellion by the military led to the collapse of the Provisional Government in the October Revolution and the Bolsheviks gained control of the Russian government. Kerensky narrowly escaped afterwards and lived the remainder of his life in exile in Paris and New York.

Russia would sign a treaty to end its part in WWI and be racked by a Civil war between the Reds and White Armies for four years.

Answer: Austria Hungary

Maximilian was the younger brother of Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria. After a distinguished career in the Austrian navy, he accepted an invitation from Napoleon III to become emperor of Mexico.

France, along with England and Spain, had just overthrown the first Mexican Republic, ostensibly to collect foreign debts owed by Mexico. Although Maximilian continued many of the liberal reforms of his predecessor Benito Juarez, he was never popular within the country. He soon lost control of the country after the French withdrew their military support in 1867. Despite many pleas from European leaders and reformers, the Mexican government executed him later that year.

Answer: Hungary

Imre Nagy was a devoted Communist who had been prime minister of Hungary between 1953 until 1955 when he was forced out of power by hard-line Stalinists within the country. At the outbreak of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, he was again elevated to power and supported the rebels. He withdrew from the Warsaw Pact, disbanded the secret police and promised democratic reforms.

When the Russians suppressed the revolution, Nagy fled to the Yugoslav embassy, but was lured out by false promises. He was captured and executed two years later by the Russians.

Answer: Aldo Moro

Aldo Moro was one of the most popular leaders of post-war Italy, holding the office of prime minister from 1963-1968 and 1974-1976. In 1978 Moro was kidnapped by an extremist group, the Red Brigade, who demanded the release of several of its members from prison in exchange for Moro. The Government refused this demand, and after 55 days of captivity Moro was murdered.

Answer: Pope John Paul I

Albino Luciani was elected as pope in 1978 and chose his papal name in honor of his two predecessors John XXIII and Paul VI. Prior to this, he had been named the Patriarch of the Venice diocese, where he established a reputation as a champion of the poor.

Previous statements hinted that he would be more liberal in doctrinal matters, which fuelled conspiracy theories when he was found dead after 33 days in office. However, most observers agree that he had had a heart attack, noting that he had complained of chest pains before retiring to bed and refused to call for a doctor.

Answer: Jean-Bertrand Aristide

Jean-Bertand Aristide, born in 1953, was a Roman Catholic priest who was a leader of the pro-democracy movement in Haiti against Jean-Claude ("Baby Doc") Duvalier and the military junta that followed him. Aristide won the popular election for president in 1990 with 67% of the popular vote and held the office until a military coup deposed him in 1991. He later was president again from 1994-1996 and 2001-2004.

During his political career, Aristide faced opposition from his Salesian religious order for his political activities and eventually left the priesthood in 1994. He spent some time in exile in South Africa before returning to Haiti.