Teaching GCSE History: Russia 1905 – 1990

Students find Russia interesting, but difficult. At this age, many are fascinated by the different forms of political organisation this mighty country experienced. We make a significant contribution to citizenship when we take the time to explain aspects of political theory, as no-one else will do it as well.

The lessons here cover the period from the downfall of the Tsar to the 1930s. You will find a history mystery, a way of helping students understand a political cartoon, (even though it is written in German), a role play involving the evaluation of the role of Lenin and an exercise in causation. The lesson in preparation asks students to lay odds on the successor to Lenin. Lessons on the post-Stalin period are also in preparation. Please email for details if you are interested in what’s in the pipeline.

Each lesson here attempts to take a novel stance. You might also like to use the AS lesson on Stalin’s rivalry with Trotsky and even parts of the A2 lesson on Draining the swamp.Reasons for Stalin’s Terror: how historians see it differently.

SMART TASK: Now you see it, now you don’t. A fun starter showing how Lenin and Stalin used the ‘airbrush’

Fascinating starter in which students have to spot and then explain the differences between three pairs of photos of Soviet leaders Lenin and Stalin taken between 1920 and 1930.  Excellent material to promote discussion of manipulation of leaders’ image and the cult of the personality. Read more

Downfall of the Tsar

This lesson, taught to a group of poorly motivated Y10 students followed a description of events leading to the February revolution of 1917. The overarching question was 'Why was the Tsar overthrown in 1917?' , but this lesson focuses on the effect of the First...

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Lenin the Final Verdict

This lesson makes students active participators in the debate over Lenin's contribution to the Russian Revolution.  It comes at the end of the students study of the period 1917-24.  Using a novel approach to the Day of Judgement at the Pearly Gates the lesson invites...

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Interpreting a political cartoon of Stalin

This lesson revolves around a cartoon annotation and inference activity leading to a detailed and authoritative caption. It concludes the unit of work on Stalin's purges and is used as a form of diagnostic assessment. As all the words are in German is it unlikely...

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Why did the Reds win the Russian Civil War? A history mystery to explain why the reds were able to SLUG it out

This lesson encourages students to take their understanding of the events of the Russian Civil War to a new level by 'making their own meaning'. They use history mystery cards which they have to categorise before looking at attempts by historians to group factors. Lower-attaining...

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