Social Studies

Quiz
Objectives and Standards
• MWH.5.CO: Compare the cultural, economic, and cultural implications
of the Cold War.
• Encourage inquiry into the roots of democratic and communist ideals and
how their influence spread through the modern world after the end of World
War II.
• MWH.5.CE: Analyze significant developments resulting from post-war
decolonization in Asia and Africa in the creation of new countries
during the period of 1945-1975.
• Encourages inquiry into how the effects of decolonization and the subsequent
rebuilding of the once colonized world changed the landscape of economic,
geographic, political, and social affairs.
What is Democracy vs Communism?
• Officially, Democracy and Communism are not comparable whatsoever.
Democracy is a form of government whereas Communism is an economical
system.
• But for the sake of simplicity, it is easier to compare the two rather than delving
into the exact definitions.
• Democracy is characterized by free and fair elections by the people of a country.
• Key examples would be the United States, the United Kingdom, India, and Japan.
• Communism is characterized by a society that is governed by a single party
where elections are not free and fair.
• Key examples would be the Soviet Union, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
(North Korea), and the People’s Republic of China (China).
How does the process of decolonization
occur?
• A country can be decolonized in many ways.
• Most happen either through force or peacefully.
• Countries who were decolonized by force include:
• The United States, Mozambique, and Angola.
• Countries who were decolonized peacefully, or naturally include:
• India, South Africa, and the territory of Hong Kong.
Key elements of Democratic Societies vs
Communist Societies
• Democratic societies as stated previously, largely include free and fair elections.
• Some societies may not be democratic, but they are not communist either. South
Korea until 1987 is a key example of this.
• South Vietnam is also a key example of this.
• Communist societies are usually one-party states. Most communist countries (Cuba,
China, North Korea, Laos, Vietnam, Soviet Union, Hungary, etc.) came as a result of
either an invasion by the Soviet Union or a civil war.
• Some of the countries are not communist following the process of decommunization
in the 1980s-1990s.
• Officially, North Korea is not communist either as they describe themselves as a “Juche” state.
• Like a country turning communist, in some cases decommunization was violent, the
key example of this being the Romanian revolution.
 What happened to Hong Kong in 1997?
A.) British
control ended
violently
B.) United
Kingdom and
China
transferred
sovereignty
C.) Hong Kong
held a
referendum and
decided to be
independent of
both United
Kingdom and
China
 What was the first modern British “colony”
to become an independent country?
A.) United
States
B.) Canada
C.) Palestine
D.) Afghanistan
 How did the Korean War end?

A.) North
Korean victory
B.) South
Korean victory
C.) Ceasefire
 Who was the longest serving leader of the
USSR?
A.) Vladimir
Lenin

B.) Joseph Stalin

C.) Leonid
Brezhnev
 When did the USSR fully dissolve?

A.) 1991

B.) 1990

C.) 1989
 Who was the main figure in Indian
Independence?
A.) Mahatma
Gandhi
B.) Indira
Gandhi
C.) Pranab
Mukherjee
 Who was the first leader of Independent
India?
A.) Narendra
Modi
B.) Jawaharlal
Nehru
C.) Indira
Gandhi
 Who was the first leader of Independent
South Africa?
A.) Charles
Robberts Swart
B.) Queen
Elizabeth II
C.) Nelson
Mandela