The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States from the end of World War II until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. It was characterized by a competition for global influence, military buildup, and ideological conflict. The following multiple choice questions will test your knowledge of this complex and fascinating era. You can find the answer key below, after the questions.
- When did the Cold War begin?
a) 1945 b) 1950 c) 1960 d) 1970
2. What was the main cause of the Cold War?
a) Economic rivalry b) Ideological differences c) Territorial disputes d) Religious conflicts
3. Who were the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union during most of the Cold War?
a) Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev b) Richard Nixon and Leonid Brezhnev c) John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev d) Harry Truman and Joseph Stalin
4. Which country was not a member of NATO during the Cold War?
a) France b) Canada c) West Germany d) Poland
5. Which country was not a member of the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War?
a) Hungary b) Czechoslovakia c) Romania d) Yugoslavia
6. What was the name of the policy adopted by the United States to contain Soviet expansion during the Cold War?
a) The Marshall Plan b) The New Deal c) The Truman Doctrine d) The Great Society
7. What was the name of the Soviet leader who initiated perestroika and glasnost?
a) Leonid Brezhnev b) Yuri Andropov c) Mikhail Gorbachev d) Boris Yeltsin
8. What was the name of the hotline established between the United States and the Soviet Union to prevent accidental nuclear war?
a) The Red Phone b) The White Phone c) The Hot Line d) The Direct Line
9. Which country experienced a communist revolution during the Cold War?
a) China b) Japan c) South Korea d) Taiwan
10. What was the name of the military alliance formed by China, North Korea, and the Soviet Union during the Cold War?
a) NATO b) SEATO c) CENTO d) Warsaw Pact
11. What was the name of the incident in 1962 that brought the United States and the Soviet Union close to nuclear war?
a) The Cuban Missile Crisis b) The Bay of Pigs Invasion c) The Korean War d) The Berlin Airlift
12. Which president of the United States famously declared: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”?
a) Ronald Reagan b) George H.W. Bush c) Jimmy Carter d) Bill Clinton
13. What was the name of the Soviet satellite launched in 1957 that sparked the Space Race?
a) Apollo b) Sputnik c) Voyager d) Challenger
14. Who was the first man to walk on the moon?
a) Neil Armstrong b) Buzz Aldrin c) Michael Collins d) Yuri Gagarin
15. Which country was not affected by the domino theory during the Cold War?
a) Vietnam b) Laos c) Cambodia d) Thailand
16. Which organization was established by the United States in 1949 to provide military aid to its allies during the Cold War?
a) The World Bank b) The International Monetary Fund c) The United Nations d) The Mutual Defense Assistance Program
17. Which country did the United States invade in 1983 to overthrow a Marxist government?
a) Cuba b) Grenada c) Nicaragua d) El Salvador
18. What was the name of the treaty signed by the United States and the Soviet Union in 1972 to limit nuclear arms?
a) The Helsinki Accords b) The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) c) The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) d) The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM)
19. Which country was not a proxy battleground during the Cold War?
a) Angola b) Afghanistan c) Iran d) Korea
20. What was the name of the spy plane shot down by the Soviet Union in 1960?
a) U-2 b) SR-71 c) Blackbird d) Stealth Bomber
These multiple choice questions will test your knowledge of the Cold War and help you learn more about this fascinating period in world history. You can find the answer key below.
Answers Key for Cold War Multiple Choice Questions
- a) 1945
- b) Ideological differences
- b) Richard Nixon and Leonid Brezhnev
- d) Poland
- d) Yugoslavia
- c) The Truman Doctrine
- c) Mikhail Gorbachev
- c) The Hot Line
- a) China
- d) Warsaw Pact
- a) The Cuban Missile Crisis
- a) Ronald Reagan
- b) Sputnik
- a) Neil Armstrong
- d) Thailand
- d) The Mutual Defense Assistance Program
- b) Grenada
- b) The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT)
- c) Iran
- a) U-2
