Key Topic 1: The collapse of the Tsarist regime 1917
Lesson plan page 7
Russia in 1917 (1)
Lesson objectives:By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
- identify key features of Russia in c.1900 which might make it difficult to rule
- describe the conditions for the peasantry in Russia in c.1900
- describe the conditions for urban workers in Russia in c.1900.
Starter
Activity 1: students read the section ‘The problems of ruling Russia’ on page 7 and list the particular difficulties that a ruler of Russia might face.
Possible responses: vast size so very difficult to ensure laws were being carried out, and quickly; communications were difficult (poor transportation) which would make it difficult to spread the will of the ruler quickly and effectively; widespread illiteracy would make it hard for the government to make its views known directly to the ordinary people; the poverty of the majority of the population (who were peasantry) would perhaps cause unrest.
Development
Activity 2: students look at Source A. Students consider what surprises them about this photograph given that it was taken in the early 1900s, and what it shows about the condition of the Russian peasantry.
Possible responses: extreme poverty (no shoes; poor clothes and housing); surprising lack of technological equipment; poor roads (mud tracks).
Activity 3: students use the character cards on Worksheet 1a to list the main problems facing a) the peasantry b) the urban workers in Russia c.1900.
Conclusion
Ask students to consider why these groups (urban workers and peasantry) might launch a revolution and the problems which might limit the chances of their revolution being effective.
Possible responses: problems for a peasant revolution would be lack of coordination (due to poor communications and illiteracy), lack of equipment (when encountering inevitable resistance from the army), the deep conservatism and religion of many of the peasantry which would dissuade many from revolution. Problems for a workers’ revolution may include the fact that they formed a relatively small part of Russia’s overall population as well as official suppression of dissent.
Worksheet 1a (page7)
Life in Russia in 1917
Lesson plan pages 8–9
Russia in 1917 (2)
Lesson objectives:By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
- identify who ruled Russia
- describe the 1905 revolution and the Tsar’s reaction
- explain the reasons why people opposed the Tsar’s government.
Starter
Activity 1: students read page 8 from ‘How Russia was ruled’ and use the information to identify the pillars of support for the Tsar. Students annotate Worksheet 1b to identify these pillars of support. Students should also try to explain how each one helped the Tsar to rule.
Possible responses: key pillars of support for the Tsar were: the nobility; the Orthodox Church; the secret police. Students could be asked to identify the army as a further pillar by reading the next section: ‘The 1905 Revolution’.
Development
Activity 2: students read the sections ‘The 1905 Revolution’ and ‘A second chance’ and use the information to draw a flow diagram showing the main events of the revolution and how it was resolved. There should be a maximum of ten stages.
Possible responses: Demonstrations and strikes in 1905 Tsar’s troops fired into the crowd 130 demonstrators killed triggered more demonstrations and strikes St Petersburg soviet was formed soviets took control in some places Nicholas II established a Duma Nicholas made concessions to the people (e.g. political parties and trade unions legalised) Nicholas went back on some of his promises (e.g. changed the voting system to make sure that only people who agreed with him were elected to the Duma).
Activity 3: students read the sections ‘Opposition’ and ‘Back to old ways’ on page 9. Students should write their attitude towards Tsar Nicholas II from the point of view of either a monarchist, constitutionalist or revolutionary, giving examples of reasons why they like/dislike Nicholas II’s rule.
Conclusion
Ask students to identify whether they think another revolution against Nicholas II is likely in the future and if they think it will be a serious revolution, and to give reasons for their views.
Possible responses: another revolution is likely since people will be angry that he has gone back on many of the promises that he made previously. The revolution is likely to be serious because the Tsar’s actions have alienated large groups of people (constitutionalists as well as revolutionaries). The soviets were also developing in popularity and organisation.
© Pearson Education 2009
Key Topic 1: The collapse of the Tsarist regime 1917
Worksheet 1b (pages 8-9)
Who ruled Russia c.1900?
1. Use the information on page 8 to annotate the diagram below to show the key pillars of support that helped the Tsar to rule Russia.2. Annotate the diagram to show how each of the pillars of support helped the Tsar to rule.
© Pearson Education 2009
Key Topic 1: The collapse of the Tsarist regime 1917
Lesson plan pages 10–11
The First World War
Lesson objectives:By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
- describe Russia’s performance in the First World War
- identify the reasons why Russia performed badly
- explain how the war affected Russia.
Starter
Activity 1: explain to students that Russia performed badly in the First World War. Students use the information on page 10 to draw a mind map of the reasons why the Russian army performed badly.
Possible responses: inefficient industry meant lack of equipment; poor transport system affected supplies for the army; poor training for recruits; loss of territory early in the war, especially the large coal mining districts, slowed industrial production further in the rest of the war; Tsar was a poor commander.
Development
Activity 2: explain to students that the war, which had initially been popular with people in Russia, soon came to be very unpopular. Students read the sections ‘Effects of the war’ and ‘Ready to revolt’ on pages 10–11. Students write a few sentences to explain how a) a male peasant aged 34 b) a male urban factory worker aged 24 might have been affected by the war and why they were angry with the Tsar.
Possible responses: a) a male peasant aged 34: liable for conscription which he would not have wanted; may have had his horses requisitioned from his farm which would have made ploughing work much harder. b) a male urban worker aged 24: liable for conscription; food shortages in the cities as more people went to the cities and transport prioritising troops at the Front meant that food was redirected there; price inflation as demand for the scarce food increased; forced to work long hours to try to maintain war production; rising crime rate in the cities.
Ask students which of the characters was most likely to revolt and why.
Possible responses: the male urban factory worker seems most likely to revolt since he has been most badly affected by the war so he may be driven by desperation; also the revolutionary groups (Bolsheviks and Mensheviks) were most active in the cities, which encouraged people to revolt.
Activity 3: students complete Activity 1 on page 11, which requires students to find supporting evidence for big/key ideas.
Conclusion
Activity 4: students discuss Activity 2 on page 11, which requires students to select which of Sources A–D is the best illustration of Russia’s problems at this time.
Lesson plan pages 12–13
Revolution! (1)
Lesson objectives:By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
- describe the main events of the February 1917 Revolution
- identify why the people revolted against the Tsar
- explain why the Tsar abdicated.
Starter
Activity 1: explain to students that dissatisfaction with life in Russia was growing during the war and the Tsar was becoming increasingly unpopular. In February 1917 this spilled over into revolution. Students use the information on pages 12–13 to sort the cards on Worksheet 1c into chronological order.
Possible responses: A, H, E, C, G, B, D, F.
Development
Activity 2: students draw a timeline of the revolution using the information from the cards as a guideline.
Ask students to identify a point on their timeline at which the revolution turned very serious for the Tsar.
Possible responses: students might identify card G when huge numbers of people turned out on the streets to demonstrate, or (more likely) cards D and F when the soldiers mutinied, since once the Tsar lost control of the army he could never crush the demonstrations (as he had done in 1905).
Activity 3: using the cards on Worksheet 1c and the information on pages 12–13,students make a table like the example below to show the role played by each of the groups identified in the February Revolution and the reasons why they might have revolted against the Tsar.
Possible responses:
Group / Action taken during the revolution / Reasons why they might have supported revolution
Factory workers / Strikes; demonstrations; captured weapons stores and weapons factories / Protesting against workers being sacked from the Putilov Works; anger at the progress of the war; dissatisfaction about hardships in the cities, e.g. hunger, conscription, poor living conditions
Women / Demonstrations; marches; strikes / International Women’s Days; protests against food shortages and poor conditions and pay in factories; protests against the war
Soldiers / Mutinied by refusing to fire on the crowds; joined the demonstrators; captured weapons stores and weapons factories / Not wishing to fire on the crowd (many of them had relatives in the crowd); sympathy with the problems of the crowd; anger at how the Tsar was running the war
Conclusion
Ask students to explain how they think the Duma might choose between the Tsar and revolution, and to explain their answer.
Worksheet 1c (pages 12-13)
Revolution! (1)
Lesson plan pages 14–15
Revolution! (2)
Lesson objectives:By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
- describe the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet
- categorise causes into themes/big factors
- explain the causes of the February Revolution.
Starter
Activity 1: Remind students of the decision they made at the end of the previous lesson about how the Duma might react to the revolution. Explain that the Duma sided with the revolution. Students read the section ‘A new government’ on page 14, and use this information to write a definition of the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet.
Development
Activity 2: students read the list of eight principles that the Provisional Government agreed to try to implement. Students select those that suggest that the ordinary people are being given more power in the new Russia.
Possible responses: 4 (democracy to be introduced); 5 (an elected people’s militia to replace the police organisations); 6 (local government would be elected).
Ask students to identify if any of these principles might worry members of the Provisional Government.
Possible responses: because of Order No. 1, the Petrograd Soviet not the Provisional Government had the ultimate loyalty of the troops, therefore those principles which gave the military particular powers (e.g. 7), might undermine the authority of the Provisional Government if they disagreed with the Petrograd Soviet.
Activity 3: students sort the cards on Worksheet 1d into different categories of explanation for the revolution.
Possible responses: possible categories might include: short-term causes; long-term causes; Tsar’s mistakes; First World War; socio-economic problems; mutiny of the military.
Activity 4: students write a response to the exam question on page 14: Explain why the February Revolution succeeded.
Conclusion
Ask students to vote on a continuum from 0 to 10 to gauge Nicholas II’s responsibility for the revolution (0 = not at all his fault; 10 = entirely his fault) and to justify their view.
Worksheet 1d (pages 14-15)
Revolution! (2)
Lesson plan pages 16–17
The Provisional Government
Lesson objectives:By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
- identify the problems facing the Provisional Government
- describe the weaknesses of the Provisional Government
- evaluate the extent of success of the Provisional Government by April 1917.
Starter
Activity 1: students list some of the problems that the Provisional Government might have faced when they took power in February 1917.
Possible responses: what to do about the First World War; lots of socio-economic problems to solve (high food prices, shortages of food, terrible living and working conditions); arranging elections for a constituent assembly; dealing with the Petrograd Soviet (which potentially had the power to undermine the Provisional Government).
Development
Activity 2: students annotate the table on Worksheet 1e to match up the problems facing the Provisional Government with the reasons why the Provisional Government would find it hard to solve some of these problems.
Possible responses: A=6; B=1,2,4; C=2,3; D=3,5.
Activity 3: students read pages 16–17 and write a letter from a worker in the Petrograd Soviet to the Provisional Government expressing disappointment and criticism of the Provisional Government’s work.
Possible responses: the Petrograd Soviet would have been critical of the decision to continue fighting the war (especially given the continued problems of supply which effectively doomed the Russian army); the failure to introduce any redistribution of land to the peasantry would have been criticised; although pleased that an 8 hour day was introduced, it would have felt that this was not enough to help workers; in general it was felt that the Provisional Government was not working fast enough or was not prepared to introduce sufficiently radical changes.
Conclusion
Ask students to consider why the Provisional Government might have felt worried by the Petrograd Soviet.
Possible responses: the Petrograd Soviet was more radical in its views than the Provisional Government; the Petrograd Soviet had the loyalty of the army (due to order No. 1), so if the disagreements with the Provisional Government got serious, the Petrograd Soviet could always use the army to put itself in power.
Worksheet 1e (pages 16-17)
The Provisional Government
Match up in the table below the problem facing the Provisional Government and the reasons why some of these problems would be particularly difficult for the Provisional Government to solve. You may use some of the reasons for more than one problem.Problem facing the Provisional Government / Why the problem might be difficult to solve for the Provisional Government
A. Taking Russia out of the First World War
B. Redistributing property more equally (especially land for the peasants)
C. Improving conditions for workers in towns and cities
D. Solving the food shortages / 1. The Provisional Government did not have control over all regions of Russia, especially rural areas.
2. The Provisional Government was made up of mainly middle-class men, and they did not want to lose the support of the rich businessmen and landlords in Russia.
3. The Provisional Government did not have much money (Russia was already in debt which was made much worse by the war).
4. The Provisional Government saw itself as temporary and thought it should wait until elections had been held before they passed any major laws to reform Russia.
5. The problems of poor transportation in Russia and inefficient farming would take time to solve.
6. The Germans would probably impose harsh terms following a Russian surrender.
Lesson plan pages 18–19
Bolshevik power grows (1)
Lesson objectives:By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
- describe the main principles of communism
- explain reasons for the growth in support for the Bolsheviks
- describe the July Days.
Starter
Activity 1: remind students of the huge inequalities of life between rich and poor in Russia in the early twentieth century, and how the government was doing little to address this. Introduce the idea of communism as a political system that was seen as a possible solution to this problem. Students read Worksheet 1f, which outlines the Marxist process of transition to communism, and answer the following questions: 1. Identify the main features of communist society; 2. How was communism to be achieved? (through proletariat revolution); 3. At which stage of the process was Russia in the early twentieth century? (between feudalism and capitalism – for this reason Marx would not have seen Russia as an ideal country for a communist revolution); 4. Do you think communism would work in practice? Give reasons.
Development
Activity 2: students read the sections ‘Lenin returns’ and ‘Bolshevik support grows’ and Source B. From the point of view of a poor factory worker in Petrograd, choose four of Lenin’s policies that would have appealed most and explain why.
Activity 3: students use the information on page 19 to write a definition of ‘Red Guards’. They can then compare the definition in the glossary with their own.
Activity 4: students read the section ‘The “July Days”’ and explain why the July Days failed.
Possible responses: not enough people supported it; it was not very carefully organised; the Provisional Government sent in troops who fired on the demonstrators.
Conclusion
Ask students to consider what lessons the Bolshevik leaders might have learned from the failure of the July Days uprising if they were going to stage another, most successful, revolution later.
Possible responses: the need for more supporters; the need to get the sympathy of the army (so that they would refuse to fire on the demonstrators); the need for a better-organised uprising.
But explain to students that with the main Bolshevik leaders either imprisoned or in exile, it was increasingly unlikely that they would be able to launch an effective future uprising.
Worksheet 1f (pages 18-19)