Which new states emerged in Europe after World War I from collapsed empires?

• A. Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia.
• B. Germany and Austria consolidated power.
• C. Spain and Portugal gained territories.
• D. Sweden and Norway expanded.

Answer: (A)

After World War I, the old imperial map of Europe broke apart as peoples sought self-determination, leading to the creation of new nation-states. The Austro-Hungarian Empire disintegrated, and its diverse regions were reorganized into countries that reflected national identities. Poland re-emerged as an independent nation in 1918 after decades of partitions, reclaiming its sovereignty and borders with access to the sea in the Baltic region. Czechoslovakia was formed by uniting Czech lands (Bohemia and Moravia) with Slovakia under a single state to accommodate different groups within one political framework. Yugoslavia came into being as a South Slavic state that brought together Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, and other groups under one kingdom, drawing on territories that had been part of the Austro-Hungarian realm and nearby Serbia.

The other options don’t fit this pattern: the postwar period did not see Germany and Austria simply consolidating power into new dominant states; rather, their status shifted toward loss of territory and defeat. Spain and Portugal did not gain new independent states, and Sweden and Norway did not expand in Europe in this era.