Stalin Quiz and Introduction to China

Agenda 9/29:

1. Students took a quiz on Stalin.
2. Students began reading about Mao Zedong's rise to power in the Pearson text.
3. Students defined key terms and answered reading questions [below].

Reading Questions for Pearson Chapter 5, Section 1 (pgs. 143-156):

• What was Mao’s background and why is it significant?
• What was happening in China between the fall of the Qing dynasty and 1928?
• The CPC and the GMD fought both as allies, in a “marriage of convenience” and as enemies. Identify reasons for and explain the shifting relationship from the 1920s until the Communist victory in 1949.

• Make a t-chart. Title it “GMD weaknesses | CPC Strengths”. Complete the chart considering events from the Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War.

HOMEWORK:

Finish Reading Pearson 5.1. Come in prepared to discuss the reading questions.

China: Century of Revolution

Stalin: Review

Agenda 9/24:

1. Students gave their presentations about major themes in Stalin's Russia.
2. Students watched a video and listened to a song covering Soviet history.
3. Students finished watching the film, Stalin Declassified.

HOMEWORK:
Bring Pearson. QUIZ - Stalin - Tuesday 9/29

Soviet History Song:

Stalin Declassified:

Stalin: Review and Presentations

Students worked in pairs or individually to make a short presentation about one element of Stalin's rule. Students share their work in group folders.

Period 2
Period 3

Students selected one of the follow areas for their presentations:

• Origins of single-party states: conditions which produce single-party state
• Origins of single-party states: emergence of leader: aims, ideology, support, methods: force, legal
• Establishment of single-party states: form of government, ideology (left and right wing)
• Establishment of single-party states: totalitarianism, treatment of opposition
• Rule of Single Party states: political, economic, and social policies
• Rule of Single Party states: role of education, the arts, the media, and propaganda
• Rule of Single Party states: status of women, treatment of minorities, and religious groups

HOMEWORK: 

Study for the QUIZ - Tuesday - 9/29

Stalin: The Great Terror

Agenda 9/21:

1. Students read an excerpt about the Great Terror.
2. Students lead a discussion about the excerpt, focusing on several questions [below].
3. Students listened to a podcast about Stalin's reign, and took visual notes on this piece of paper.
4. Students began watch a film, Stalin Declassified.

Discussion Questions:

• How were the purges justified by the regime?
• Who/what threatened the regime? Why were they purged?Identify specific groups/people.
• Why would (did) people confess to crimes they didn’t commit?
• Who was Kirov? What happened to him?
• Pick out a quote, connect the quote to one of the question.
• “Stalin committed the purges to keep the USSR strong.” Agree or disagree?

Click here for notes from the discussion.

HOMEWORK:

QUIZ - Stalin - Prepare these prompts

Great Terror Creative Interpretation - DUE - Friday 9/25

Stalin Declassified:

QUIZ: Stalin

There will be a quiz Tuesday, September 29th. You will be expected to answer two of the following questions at random. You should prepare by reviewing your readings, notes, and handouts from class. You will be expected to reference your knowledge of key terms, ideas, people, and events.

• What was the historical context of Stalin’s struggle for power? What were the key stages of the power struggle?
• What were the main features of collectivization and the Five-Year Plans?
• How did the Great Purge, 1936–39, help establish Stalin’s power?
• Explain Stalin’s domestic policies regarding two social groups. Women, Religion, Arts and Culture, or Education.
• Explain why Stalin was able to defeat his main opponents and succeed in the power struggle by 1929.
• Assess the successes and failures of Stalin’s domestic policies.
• Assess the impacts of Stalin’s social and cultural policies up to 1941.

Stalin's Consolidation of Power

Agenda 9/15:

1. Students reviewed the structure of the soviet government, consulting the diagrams they drew in their notebooks last class.
2. I further explained how Stalin gained power through accusing members of the Politburo of factionalism and having opponents be replaced by supporters.
3. Students read a series of documents about the 5 year plans, summarizing successes and failures and investigating the statement: Stalin intentionally killed millions of Ukrainians through starvation.
4. At the end of the period, students began making two sided posters (propaganda/historical fact).

HOMEWORK:

Bring Pearson to class

Rise of Stalin

Today students finished the presentation about the Russian Revolution. They then began learning about how power transferred from Vladimir Lenin to Joseph Stalin. Students began reading chapter 4 of the Pearson text. Students watch a clip detailing Stalin's takeover from Lenin.

HOMEWORK:

Answer these questions as you read Chapter 4, section 2 in the Pearson text. You will be expected to share your findings next class. BRING PEARSON EVERYDAY.

1. What were the 5 year plans? What effect did they have upon society in the Soviet Union?
2. How did Stalin carry out the Five Year plans?
3. Describe Stalin’s social policies. Include these elements: Women, Religion, Arts and Culture, and  Education.
4. Explain Stalin’s aims

Lenin vs. History:

The Russian Revolution

Students continued learn about events of the Russian Revolution up until 1917. Students then participated in a simulation representing differing options for the future of Russia in 1917. Students who were not present should familiarize themselves with these perspectives. After, I concluded the lecture.

Stalin's Rise to Power: The Russian Revolution

I began a presentation about the origins of the Russian Revolution. Students took notes.

Authoritarian and Single Party States: Themes

Students selected a country and did some basic research, focusing on the major themes for the unit on single-party and authoritarian states:

• Conditions that produced authoritarian and single party states 
• Emergence of leaders: aims, ideology, support 
• Totalitarianism: the aim and the extent to which it was achieved 
• Establishment of authoritarian and single-party states Methods: force, legal/illegal
• Form of government, (left-and right-wing) ideology 
• Nature, extent and treatment of opposition

Students made posters and compared and contrasted different countries using these themes. I directed students to the first 10 pages in the Pearson text to get them familiarized with the unit.