Foreign Wars of the United States Quiz

Answer: Mexican-American War

In 1835, Texas revolted against Mexican rule. After various battles, Mexico launched a campaign in which Mexican President Santa Anna (Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna) led his army into Texas to crush their army. They captured the Alamo, killing almost all of the garrison, although they suffered many casualties. After chasing the rest of the Texas army led by Samuel Houston, Santa Anna was defeated by the Texans, who gave no quarter, yelling their famous cry, "Remember the Alamo!" This revolt ended in 1836 with the defeat and capture of Santa Anna.

When the USA annexed Texas 12 years later, Mexico declared war in 1848. Two years later, American armies captured Mexico City. Soon after, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed. In the treaty, Mexico agreed to relinquish all claim to Texas and other states, including New Mexico.

While the Texans did battle with the Mexicans, the question specifically asked for the name of the war between America and Mexico, so the incorrect answers were wrong because they are not only not commonly used (if at all) terms regarding the Texans' struggle, but also did not mention the USA at all.

Answer: Spain

America had long been interested in Spain's possessions in the Caribbean. Many Americans wanted the country to help the Cubans in their struggle, but the straw that broke the camel's back was the sinking of the USS Maine at Havana. No one knows the true cause, but popular belief in the US, fed by propaganda from the press, decided that Spain was behind the sinking.

The US declared war on April 25. The war ultimately ended with the Treaty of Paris, which gave America control over Cuba, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. In the Philippines, America seized Manila from the Spanish. However, in their intervention in the Philippines, they clashed with the Philippine revolutionaries, which later led to the Philippine-American War.

Answer: Philippine-American War

This war was caused by tension between the US and the Philippine revolutionaries that began during the Spanish-American War, when American armies allied with the revolutionaries to fight the Spanish. When the American Armies captured Manila on August 13, 1898, they refused to allow the Filipinos to enter their own capital, even threatening to fire on them. Relationships were further strained when the Philippine declaration of independence was not acknowledged. In the 1898 Treaty of Paris, the Spanish handed over rule of the Philippines over to the United States, neither party consulting the people of the Philippines.
According to Emilio Aguinaldo, leader of the Philippine insurgents, US Admiral Dewey, who assured him that America had no interest in controlling the Philippines, and Aguinaldo did not need to worry about America taking over the Philippines.

The Philippine-American War began soon after proclamations issued by the US were indignantly received by the Filipinos. On February 4, 1899, American soldiers fired upon a Filipino, causing General Arthur MacArthur to order out the troops. The War ultimately ended with a US victory.
Interestingly enough, General Douglas MacArthur, Arthur MacArthur's son, led the Philippine Campaign during World War II to free the Philippines from the Japanese.

Little by little, the US gave the Filipinos more and more rights, and finally gave them their independence after World War II.

Answer: Assassination of Austrian Archduke Ferdinand

On June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip shot Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie dead. Princip and five other conspirators were a group of Bosnian Serb students who shot the Archduke for political reasons. Underlying causes of the war are widely held be long term political, economic, and military tensions and rivalries between the major European powers of the time.

America did not enter the war until 1917. The sinking of the passenger liner RMS Lusitania, as well as stories about German atrocities and, above all, the German resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare in 1917, swung public opinion in the US against Germany.

The incorrect answers were wrong because: There is no such duke as Archduke Florimund, the name was the name of the prince in the ballet "Swan Lake"; in World War I Winston Churchill was First Lord of the Admiralty from till 1915, when he had to resign because of his disastrous handling of the Gallipoli Campaign. (He didn't become prime minister of the Britain till 1940 and he lived till 1965). At the start of World War I Franz Joseph I was emperor of Austria, and would have been succeeded by Archduke Ferdinand, had he not died. Apart from that, none of these three choices were Austrian archdukes that had been assassinated.

Answer: True

The casualty statistics vary greatly, but approximately 60 million people in the world were killed or died as a result of the war, including civilian deaths. The Soviet Union, with an estimated 25 million dead and China, with at least 10 million dead, suffered the heaviest losses.

The United States lost more than 418,000 people, almost all being military deaths. For the US, this figure was higher than in any war except the American Civil War, when more than 600,000 Americans lost their lives.

Answer: Soviet Union and United States

Japan had ruled Korea from 1905-1945, when the USA and the USSR decided to split the country at the 38th parallel and occupy one half each. Over a period of time relations became more and more strained, as the governments in the two states were different, each modeled after the occupying country. Matters became worse when the Cold War began in 1947, primarily between the USA and the USSR, began. Two separate governments were formed in 1948 when negotiations on reunification failed.

The war started when North Korea, which had been occupied by the Soviet Union, attacked South Korea, the United States occupied territory, in 1950. Partly because the Soviet Union refused to take part in the United Nations as a result of issues over China's leadership, war was declared. Headed by the USA, United Nations armies came to the aid of South Korea, while China and the Soviet Union backed North Korea. After three years of fighting, the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed, creating the Demilitarized Zone and separating Korea into two countries at the 38th parallel, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea).

For the incorrect answers: while China and Britain did take part in the war, they were not part of the agreement to split the country, nor did they occupy the Korea before the war.

Answer: Vietnam War

Like the Korean War, the Vietnam War stemmed from other wars - the Cold War and the Indochina Wars. Also like the Korean War, the Vietnam War was mainly a battle within a country. Unlike the Korean War, though, the Vietnam War was part of other wars and was really a civil war where communist North Vietnam fought against non-communist South Vietnam. Both sides were supported by other countries.

The United States entered the war soon after a series of events escalated into out and out warfare, the events including Lyndon B. Johnson sending thousands of troops to Asia. The war lasted from 1955 to 1975, with America participating from around 1965 till South Vietnam lost, and the United States military forces left.

Answer: Afghanistan

The United States and other countries invaded Afghanistan with the intent of nullifying Al-Qaeda, an Islamic group, defined by many countries as a terrorist organization, and dismantling the Taliban. One of the direct triggers of the launch of the operation was the September 11 attacks by Al-Qaeda on two major US cities and their surrounding areas, New York City and Washington D.C. The next month, on October 7, 2001, Afghanistan was entered by troops of the United States, British, French, and Australian armies.

Aided by the Northern Alliance, an Afghan group opposed to the Taliban in Afghanistan, the allies defeated the Taliban. Specially targeting the Al-Qaeda, they were successful in their operation to remove Al-Qaeda founder and then-leader Osama Bin Laden. Bin Laden was killed in May, 2011.

Answer: Iraq

The Iraq War began by an invasion led by the US, then continued on as a rebellion rose against the then newly established government of Iraq. Based on allegations that Iraq was manufacturing weapons of mass destruction, the countries suddenly invaded Iraq on March 20, 2003. In the course of the war, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was executed, and Iraq experienced vast political changes.

The United Kingdom withdrew in 2009, but the war didn't end until 2011, after the United States forces completely left Iraq at the end of 2011.

Answer: Gaddafi

Muammar al-Qaddafi was a Libyan military leader famous for deposing Kind Idris, the previous Libyan ruler, and ruled from 1969 till 2011, despite ruling under the title of "Brother Leader" from 1977 till his death in 2011.

The Libyan Civil War was a struggle between Qaddafi and revolutionaries attempting to bring him down. Due to economic and political problems, unrest spread, until protests began to wax violent in the early months of 2011. The war began near the end of February, 2011. Foreign intervention came on March 19, in the form of a concerted attack by 19 countries, including the United States, which sent naval and aerial forces. Dubbed "Operation Odyssey Dawn", the coalition continued with each country commanding their respective forces, until NATO took over twelve days later.

On October 20, 2011, Gaddafi was found in hiding, and soon after his discovery was killed, although accounts differ as to how he died. The war ended soon after, despite his son and heir not being captured until a month later.

For the incorrect answers: King Idris was ruler of Libya until Qaddafi overthrew him; Abdurrahim El-Keib was Libya's Prime Minister after Qaddafi's regime crumbled; Osama al-Juwaili was appointed commander of Libya's army following the end of the war.