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History and the EU — page 3

From the county of 963 through Burgundian, Spanish, Austrian, French and Dutch rule to independence, the wars, and Luxembourg’s place in the European Union. 119 questions in this section; the exam draws 10 of its 40 from here.

61.What happened in Luxembourg City in 1952?
- aThe fortress was dismantled
- bThe euro was introduced
- ✓It was chosen as provisional seat of the first European community
Why: This began its role as one of the EU's capitals.
62.Who was the first to bear the title 'count of Luxembourg'?
- ✓Conrad I (died 1086)
- bErmesinde
- cSiegfried
Why: The county as a territorial principality was the creation of Siegfried's descendants.
63.What was ARBED?
- aA political party
- bA railway company
- ✓The 1911 steel conglomerate that dominated Luxembourg's economy
Why: Aciéries Réunies de Burbach-Eich-Dudelange; merged into Arcelor 2002, ArcelorMittal 2006, HQ in Luxembourg City.
64.Who presented the 1970 plan for economic and monetary union?
- aJoseph Bech
- bJean-Claude Juncker
- ✓Pierre Werner (1913–2002)
Why: The Werner Plan is regarded as the precursor of the euro.
65.When was the Belgian-Luxembourg Economic Union (UEBL) convention signed?
- ✓1921
- b1957
- c1842
Why: It replaced the Zollverein after France turned down the union chosen in the 1919 referendum.
66.What was the 1937 'muzzle law' (Maulkuerfgesetz)?
- aA hunting regulation
- ✓A proposed ban on the Communist party, rejected by referendum
- cA press subsidy law
Why: The order-ban law failed in a referendum — a landmark for civil liberties.
67.Who was Vauban?
- ✓Louis XIV's engineer who besieged (1684) and refortified Luxembourg
- bA Luxembourgish painter
- cA Prussian general
Why: His works made Luxembourg the 'Gibraltar of the North'.
68.When did Grand Duke Jean reign?
- ✓1964–2000
- b2000–2025
- c1919–1964
Why: Son of Charlotte, WWII volunteer in the Irish Guards, abdicated in favour of Henri in 2000.
69.Luxembourg was a founding member of which 1951 community?
- ✓The ECSC (European Coal and Steel Community)
- bThe Zollverein
- cThe United Nations
Why: Precursor of the European Union; Luxembourg City was chosen in 1952 as provisional seat of its institutions.
70.What did the German occupiers impose from 1942?
- ✓Forced conscription of young Luxembourgers into the Wehrmacht
- bFree elections
- cIndependence
Why: Answered by the general strike of September 1942, brutally repressed — plus germanisation and persecution of the Jews.
71.Which Luxembourg-dynasty rulers became Holy Roman Emperors?
- aSiegfried and Ermesinde
- ✓Henry VII, Charles IV, Sigismund
- cWilliam I and II
Why: The House of Luxembourg gave the Empire 3 emperors (and Charles IV elevated the county to a Duchy in 1354).
72.When did Germany invade Luxembourg in the Second World War?
- a1 September 1939
- ✓10 May 1940
- c10 September 1944
Why: The authorities protested but the country was occupied and later annexed de facto.
73.When did Luxembourg City's fortifications become UNESCO World Heritage?
- a1963
- ✓1994
- c2015
Why: Old quarters and fortifications, listed 1994.
74.What happened in Luxembourg during the Belgian Revolution of 1830?
- ✓Luxembourg joined the revolt, but the Prussian-held fortress did not — the capital stayed Dutch
- bLuxembourg became French
- cLuxembourg stayed fully loyal to William I
Why: The country was effectively split in practice until the 1839 Treaty of London settled it.
75.How much of the country did Luxembourg lose in 1839?
- ✓Almost two thirds — the western part became a Belgian province
- bAbout one tenth
- cNothing
Why: The French-speaking western half became the Belgian province of Luxembourg.
76.Who granted Luxembourg its FIRST constitution, and when?
- ✓King-Grand Duke William II, in 1841
- bWilliam I, in 1815
- cAdolphe, in 1890
Why: The 1841 constitution followed Luxembourgish demands for greater autonomy after 1839.
77.What did William III do in 1856?
- aAbdicated
- bGranted universal suffrage
- ✓Dissolved parliament in violation of the constitution — a coup that produced a third constitution
Why: The 1856 'Putsch' rolled back the liberal 1848 text.
78.What was special about the Constitution of 1868?
- ✓A compromise between the 1848 and 1856 texts, it remained in force until 2023
- bIt created the EU
- cIt abolished the monarchy
Why: Much amended over 155 years, it was replaced by the revised Constitution on 1 July 2023.
79.What was the 'Luxembourg Crisis' of 1867?
- ✓A Franco-Prussian dispute over Luxembourg, settled by neutrality and dismantling the fortress
- bA banking collapse
- cA famine
Why: Luxembourg also left the German Confederation.
80.Since when has Luxembourg City been one of the EU's three capitals?
- a1985
- ✓1965, confirmed at the 1992 Edinburgh Summit
- c1952
Why: Alongside Brussels and Strasbourg; it hosted the ECSC headquarters from 1952.
81.When did Luxembourg's counts become overlords of the counts of Vianden?
- ✓After 1269
- bIn 1443
- cIn 963
Why: Before that they were equals; the county of Chiny was largely purchased in the 14th century.
82.Which 1929 law shaped Luxembourg's financial sector?
- aThe banking secrecy ban
- ✓The law on holding companies (July 1929)
- cThe euro law
Why: Holding companies numbered 1,932 by 1968 and 2,780 by 1971.
83.How did Luxembourg handle the 1970s steel crisis?
- ✓A tripartite committee of employers, unions and government averted mass unemployment
- bIt ignored it
- cMass nationalisation
Why: The 'Luxembourg model' of social dialogue.
84.When did the state grant radio and television broadcasting concessions?
- aBoth in 1980
- bBoth in 1945
- ✓Radio in 1929 and television in 1955
Why: The state held the broadcasting monopoly and conceded it — the origin of Radio Luxembourg/RTL.
85.Where did many Luxembourgers emigrate around 1900?
- ✓To America — about 12,500 lived there in 1910
- bTo Spain
- cTo Russia
Why: Emigration slowly declined after 1900 as industry drew people to the mining region instead.
86.Who succeeded William III in the Netherlands and in Luxembourg respectively?
- aCharlotte in both
- ✓Wilhelmina in the Netherlands, Adolphe of Nassau in Luxembourg
- cAdolphe in both
Why: Luxembourg's succession order excluded female succession at the time, ending the personal union in 1890.
87.What did the 1867 Treaty of London require regarding the fortress?
- ✓Its dismantling
- bIts expansion
- cIts transfer to France
Why: Demolition began the same year and opened up the modern city.
88.Which Grand Duchess faced protests and abdicated after WWI?
- ✓Marie-Adélaïde
- bJoséphine-Charlotte
- cCharlotte
Why: Criticised for her stance during the German occupation, she abdicated in 1919 in favour of her sister Charlotte.
89.Who was the first president of the ECSC High Authority?
- aJoseph Bech
- bRobert Schuman
- ✓Jean Monnet
Why: Its seat was in Luxembourg City from 1952.
90.Which countries joined the EEC in the first enlargement (1973)?
- aGreece, Spain, Portugal
- bAustria, Finland, Sweden
- ✓Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom
Why: Then Greece 1981, Spain & Portugal 1986.

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