PrepGo

AP European History Practice Quiz: Europe During the Interwar Period

Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026

Test your understanding with short quizzes. This quiz has 9 questions to check your progress.

Question 1 of 9

According to the provided text, which factor directly enabled fascist states to rearm and expand their territory during the interwar period?

All Questions (9)

According to the provided text, which factor directly enabled fascist states to rearm and expand their territory during the interwar period?

A) A strong military alliance between the United States and Great Britain.

B) The economic collapse of the Soviet Union.

C) American isolationism and European fears of another major war.

D) The widespread adoption of communist ideologies in Western Europe.

Correct Answer: C

The text explicitly states that 'French and British fears of another war, American isolationism... allowed fascist states to rearm and expand their territory.'

The text identifies which of the following ideological combinations as a primary cause of World War II?

A) Liberalism, democracy, and capitalism.

B) Fascism, extreme nationalism, and racist ideologies.

C) Communism, authoritarianism, and internationalism.

D) Isolationism, pacifism, and appeasement.

Correct Answer: B

The passage states, 'In the interwar period, fascism, extreme nationalism, racist ideologies, and the failure of appeasement resulted in the catastrophe of World War II.' This option lists the key ideologies mentioned.

What was the consequence of the 'deep distrust between Western democratic, capitalist nations and the authoritarian, communist Soviet Union'?

A) It led to a preemptive war between the West and the Soviet Union.

B) It strengthened the policy of appeasement by uniting them against a common enemy.

C) It contributed to an environment where fascist states could expand without a unified opposition.

D) It forced the United States to abandon its policy of isolationism.

Correct Answer: C

The text lists this distrust as one of the factors that 'allowed fascist states to rearm and expand their territory,' implying that the lack of cooperation between these powers created a power vacuum that fascists exploited.

The 'failure of appeasement' is cited as a cause that resulted in which outcome?

A) The economic recovery of Western Europe.

B) An alliance between France and the Soviet Union.

C) The catastrophe of World War II.

D) The strengthening of American isolationism.

Correct Answer: C

The provided content explicitly states that 'the failure of appeasement resulted in the catastrophe of World War II.'

Based on the text, the political and ideological factors leading to World War II presented a grave challenge to what?

A) The global capitalist system.

B) The territorial integrity of the Soviet Union.

C) The isolationist policy of the United States.

D) European civilization.

Correct Answer: D

The final sentence of the provided content concludes that the causes of World War II presented 'a grave challenge to European civilization.'

Which of the following best explains the relationship between the attitudes of France and Britain and the actions of fascist states?

A) Their aggressive military posture provoked fascist states into rearming for self-defense.

B) Their fear of another war led to policies that inadvertently allowed fascist aggression to go unchecked.

C) Their strong alliance with the Soviet Union effectively contained fascist expansion from the start.

D) Their economic support for fascist states was intended to build a buffer against communism.

Correct Answer: B

The text states that 'French and British fears of another war... allowed fascist states to rearm and expand their territory.' This implies that their fear-based policies, a hallmark of appeasement, failed to check aggression.

The content suggests that the path to World War II was paved by the actions and inactions of multiple types of governments. Which groups are explicitly mentioned as contributing to the situation?

A) Fascist states, colonial empires, and nascent socialist republics.

B) Western democratic nations, the communist Soviet Union, and fascist states.

C) The United States, Latin American dictatorships, and European monarchies.

D) Fascist states and the remnants of the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires.

Correct Answer: B

The text mentions the roles of 'fascist states,' 'Western democratic, capitalist nations' (like France, Britain, and the US), and the 'communist Soviet Union' in the events leading to the war.

All of the following are identified in the text as factors that allowed fascist states to expand EXCEPT:

A) The isolationist stance of the United States.

B) A lack of trust between capitalist democracies and the Soviet Union.

C) A collective security agreement between Britain, France, and the Soviet Union.

D) The reluctance of France and Britain to enter another major conflict.

Correct Answer: C

The text explicitly mentions American isolationism, distrust between the West and the USSR, and French/British fears of war as enabling factors. It indicates that the distrust *prevented* effective cooperation, making a collective security agreement the opposite of what occurred.

The text describes the interwar period as being characterized by the failure of which policy in the face of rising fascism?

A) Mercantilism

B) Appeasement

C) Collective bargaining

D) Containment

Correct Answer: B

The passage directly links the 'failure of appeasement' with fascism, extreme nationalism, and racist ideologies as a cause of World War II. The French and British fears of war are the root of the appeasement policy.