Image: The_Beatles_wax_figures,_The_Beatles_Story.jpg: Jennifer Boyer, derivative work: Clusternote
About This Quiz
World War Two ended in 1945 with the absolute victory of the Allies - Britain, America, France, Russia - over the Axis powers of Germany, Japan, and Italy. However, that victory was hard-fought and much of the continent was left in ruins. With communist Russia asserting itself on the eastern borders of the continent, it was only a matter of time before a new order sprung up that led to the Cold War and a frozen or declining quality of life for millions. However at the same time, western Europe became the most prosperous place on Earth, with its defense guaranteed by the friendly superpower of America and its quality of life skyrocketing.
This was a time of peace, plenty, innovation, and prosperity. Democracy appeared very stable, and by the '80s people were talking about "the end of history," as if to suggest that a way of life so obviously superior could never be threatened. By the end of the Cold War, the hubris reached a peak, and was then shattered as Europe began to face a resurgent Russia and a chaotic Middle East. With climate change and war in Africa sending millions of migrants north, the future of the continent is unclear. We know only that it will be different - but doubtless just as exciting. Let's see how well you know the last 70 years!
When was the Berlin Wall built?
1961
The Berlin Wall was built to divide communist East Berlin from the capitalist, liberal west. It has now been down for as long as it was up.
1964
1985
1972
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When was the EU founded?
1957
1993
The European Union didn't come to its fullest expression until the '90s. The European Economic Community, its predecessor, was founded in 1957.
1977
1948
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Which of these is not a founding nation of the European Free Trade Association?
Austria
Denmark
Sweden
France
The founders were Austria, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. This organization was rolled into the EEC and they eventually became the EU.
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Which Geneva Convention took place in 1949?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
The 4th Geneva Convention built on the others to agree the rules of war, including the treatment of civilians and also prisoners of war.
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When did the Second Vatican Council start?
1959
1962
This council updated the Vatican's positions on certain issues and also introduced the idea of mass in English instead of Latin
1971
1983
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In what town were the Beatles formed?
Manchester
Birmingham
Liverpool
Liverpool is the northern town where the Beatles were born, raised and met
Newcastle
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When was Scotland's independence referendum?
1987
1999
2005
2014
Scotland voted in 2014 to stay in the UK, the result that the government was hoping for. In a spectacular own goal, the British government held their ill-fated EU referendum a couple of years later and didn't get the result they wanted - though Scotland still voted as hoped for.
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Why was Britain called the sick man of Europe?
There was a flu epidemic.
There was a bad economy when others were doing better.
Britain's economy did not do well under very extreme Labour government policies in the '70s. The '80s turned this around but the pendulum went too far the other way and laid the groundwork for Black Wednesday.
There was a blight on the crops.
The weather is just really bad there.
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When was CERN founded?
1971
1954
The European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN in French, is a particle physics lab where the world wide web was invented.
1989
1991
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What was the Marshall Plan?
American aid to Western Europe after WW2
The Marshall Plan provided$13bn ($140bn in today's money) to Europe to help rebuild it.
American rebuilding in Eastern Europe after the Cold War
Western European aid to Eastern Europe after the Cold War
A plan for NATO to build bases in Germany
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What was the period of extreme Irish prosperity of the late '90s and early 2000s called?
The Celtic Tiger
The Irish economy grew an amazing 9.4% a year in this time as a result of foreign investment and also elaborate educational investment
The Celtic lion
The Superpowered Shamrock
The Leaping Leprechaun
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What currency was introduced in 1999?
Bitcoin
Cryptocoin
Euro
The euro was introduced in 1999, but some nations stayed out as it involved meeting certain economic standards that better suited some economies than others
Eurodollar
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Which of these is not a part of former Yugoslavia?
Serbia
Slovakia
The Balkan state of Yugoslavia split in the 1990s and some parts of it fell into wars. The area is now peaceful with multiple EU members.
Bosnia
Croatia
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Who won the Eurovision song contest in 1974?
Paul McCartney
Vicky Leandros
Brotherhood of Man
ABBA
ABBA competed for Sweden and took home the trophy for the first time there.
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What year did Britain accidentally invade Spain?
2002
British troops on an exercise near Gibraltar landed a few hundred yards further up the beach than expected, and accidentally invaded Spain. The British government put out a hilarious statement informing the public that, "We are not trying to take Spain."
1986
1972
2008
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What year did Germany NOT win the European Cup?
1972
1976
(West) Germany won in all of these years except for 1976.
1980
1996
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Including the one formed following the March 2018 election, how many governments has Italy had since WW2?
20
102
77
68
Italy's government is incredibly unstable, which is strange as its economy has certainly had good times.
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In which of these fields can you not win a Nobel prize?
Peace
Mathematics
Nobel prizes include physics, literature, chemistry, medicine, peace and economics. Mathematics is left out.
Literature
Economics
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How long did Belgium manage to get by without a government in the early 2010s?
92 days
133 days
589 days
Hung parliaments and divided elections resulted in 589 days without a government! Belgium continued to host the European Parliament though, and it was ultimately resolved very peacefully.
701 days
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What year did Elizabeth II become Queen?
1947
1948
1950
1952
The Queen ascended to the throne in 1952 but it took time to organize her coronation, which was in 1953.
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When was Margaret Thatcher Prime Minster of the UK?
1977-1985
1981-1994
1979-1990
Thatcher came to power in 1979 and stayed there until 1990, when she was removed by members of her own party.
1976-1994
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What name was shared by both Irish presidents to hold office in the years 1990 to 2011?
Mary
Ireland had two women, both called Mary, in a row - Mary McAleese and Mary Robinson.
Sean
John
Ignatius
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Which terrorist organization blew up civilian targets in Omagh, Manchester and London during a 25-year period known as the Troubles?
Continuity IRA
The IRA
The IRA bombed targets throughout the UK in order to try and achieve a united Ireland. Sectarian trouble between the Catholic Irish Republic and the Protestant North was resolved with the Good Friday Agreement, which led to peace.
Real IRA
Provisional IRA
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On behalf of what region in Spain did terrorist group ETA agitate for independence before giving up the terrorism game in the wake of the 2004 Madrid train bombings?
Catalonia
Andalusia
Navarre
Basque country
The Basque separatists were, like the IRA, not primarily intent on killing civilians. After the public mood turned against any form of political violence in a much more emphatic way following 9/11, and then the Madrid train bombings, ETA gave up their violent campaign.
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Who was Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998?
Gerhard Schroder
Helmut Kohl
Kohl was Chancellor during the fall of the Berlin Wall, and was very popular for much of this time for his handling of that.
Willy Brandt
Ludwig Erhard
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Who is Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to the present, recently winning re-election and making a grand coalition government?
Gerhard Schroder
Helmut Schmidt
Angela Merkel
Merkel is the great survivor of German politics. Her center-right party is now entering a coalition with a center-left counterpart.
Kurt Georg Kiesinger
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Where did Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic commit genocide in 1998?
Kosovo
Ethnic cleansing was undertaken against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, who were Muslim. Many people were killed until NATO air strikes brought the Serb regime to heel. Mass graves, destruction of mosques and all manner of crimes occurred before this. Kosovo is now at peace and independent.
Bosnia
Croatia
Serbia
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Who became British Prime Minister in 1997 on a neoliberal platform that is generally considered to be politically well-aligned to Bill Clinton's Democrats?
Gordon Brown
Tony Blair
Tony Blair changed Labour from a very socialist party with a literal communist element into a neoliberal and social democratic party. This won him repeat elections, but the nation eventually turned on him and he was booted from power.
John Major
David Cameron
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What did Charles de Gaulle establish in 1958 in France?
An airport, of course
Fifth Republic
De Gaulle was one of the great French fighters in World War Two and refused to stick around to collaborate with the Nazis. He then became president of France and set up its current, modern constitution.
Vichy Republic
Sixth Republic
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Which southern European nation, currently suffering its 10th year of economic trouble, was the 10th member of the EU?
Italy
Greece
Greece was the 10th member into the EU and later joined the euro. Unfortunately, its economy has been in trouble for the best part of 10 years.
Austria
Portugal
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What political and economic model found in the countries enjoying the highest living standards in Europe is a blend of capitalist, socialist and liberal ideas?
Social democracy
Democratic socialism
Neoliberalism
Nordic model
The Nordic model involves a market economy with policies such as universal health care, subsidized child care and education.
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What discovery in the 1960s, the use of which is about to be ended, helped make Norway so prosperous?
Gold
Uranium
Oil
Norway got rich but also got smart, putting the revenue into a fund to benefit all citizens. Norway is now evolving beyond oil and phasing out gas cars, moving to a carbon-free economy.
Diamonds
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What happened at the Roslin Institute in 1996 that changed science forever?
Dolly the sheep was born.
Dolly was the first cloned mammal, and it was a huge controversy as people were not sure if she would be entirely healthy. However, she led a normal life and reproduced.
A vaccine for HPV was found.
The human genome was sequenced.
Wireless internet was invented.
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Who was the first European astronaut to visit the International Space Station?
Umberto Guidoni
The ISS lanuched in 1998 and is funded and maintained by all nations, so it was natural that it would have residents from all its nations. Guidoni hailed from Italy and was the first European on board.
Colin Pilinger
Reinhold Ewald
Claudie Haigneré
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Which Italian Oscar winner's stage adaptation of Dante's Divine Comedy has been seen in person by literally 45% of their home nation's population?
Massimo Troisi
Roberto Benigni
This incredible one-man show consistently sells out stadia and arenas. Benigni won his Oscar for the 1997 movie "Life Is Beautiful", which he directed and starred in. He notably leaped across chairs and bounced his way to the stage, where he quoted Dante.
Marcello Mastroianni
Vittorio de Sica
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You Got:
/35
The_Beatles_wax_figures,_The_Beatles_Story.jpg: Jennifer Boyer, derivative work: Clusternote