The Magna Carta was signed in which year?
Answer: 1215
King John of England signed the Magna Carta in 1215, limiting royal power and establishing early principles of due process and legal rights. Source
Political History: Questions & Answers
Revolutions, treaties, independence movements and the ideas that shaped governments.
Quick answers
Which document, adopted in 1789, laid out fundamental rights during the French Revolution?
Answer: The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was adopted by France's National Constituent Assembly in August 1789, defining individual and collective rights. Source
I led India to independence through nonviolent civil disobedience. I am often called "Mahatma." Who am I?
Answer: Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, known as Mahatma Gandhi, led India's independence movement through nonviolent resistance against British rule. Source
What Happened? In 1789, French citizens stormed a fortress-prison in Paris that had become a symbol of royal tyranny, sparking the French Revolution.
Answer: The Storming of the Bastille
The storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789 became a defining moment marking the start of the French Revolution. Source
Where Did It Happen? The Declaration of Independence was adopted in this American city in July 1776.
Answer: Philadelphia
The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia on 4 July 1776. Source
When Did It Happen? In what year did the United States Constitution go into effect?
Answer: 1789
The U.S. Constitution went into effect in 1789 after ratification by the required number of states, establishing the federal government. Source
Which Came First? Which of these revolutionary events happened earlier?
Answer: The American Declaration of Independence
The American Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, thirteen years before the French Revolution began in 1789. Source
Which country held the first modern democratic elections generally traced to ancient Athens?
Answer: Athens (Greece)
Ancient Athens is widely credited with developing an early form of democracy in the 6th century BCE under reformers such as Cleisthenes. Source
Which US president completed the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, roughly doubling the size of the United States?
Answer: Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson agreed to buy the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803 for about 15 million dollars, roughly doubling the size of the young United States. Source
In which year did Pakistan become an independent country?
Answer: 1947
Pakistan became independent on 14 August 1947, when British India was partitioned into the two dominions of Pakistan and India. Source
Which Italian thinker wrote The Prince, a famous work on political power?
Answer: Niccolo Machiavelli
Niccolo Machiavelli wrote The Prince around 1513. It was published after his death in 1532 and became a landmark of political thought. Source
Which event of 1517 is traditionally seen as the start of the Protestant Reformation?
Answer: Martin Luther's Ninety-five Theses
Martin Luther's Ninety-five Theses, criticising the sale of indulgences, are traditionally dated to 31 October 1517 and sparked the Protestant Reformation. Source
What name is given to the long rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II, which never became a direct war between them?
Answer: The Cold War
The Cold War (c. 1947-1991) was a struggle for global influence fought through alliances, an arms race, the space race and proxy wars rather than direct fighting. Source
I was born in Karachi in 1876. I led the All-India Muslim League. I became the first Governor-General of Pakistan in 1947. Who am I?
Answer: Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Muhammad Ali Jinnah, born in Karachi in 1876, led the Pakistan movement and became the first Governor-General of Pakistan on 14 August 1947. Source
What Happened? In 1963 more than 200,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his I Have a Dream speech. The event demanded civil rights and jobs.
Answer: The March on Washington
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place on 28 August 1963 and helped build support for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Source
What Happened? In 1947 British India was divided into two independent countries. Millions of people migrated across the new borders. Pakistan and India were created.
Answer: Partition of India
The Partition of India in August 1947 created Pakistan and India. It caused one of the largest mass migrations in history. Source
When Did It Happen? In what year did the Cuban Missile Crisis take place?
Answer: 1962
In October 1962 the United States and the Soviet Union came close to nuclear war over Soviet missiles in Cuba. It is often seen as the closest moment of the Cold War. Source
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