2014
VCE History
Unit 3:
Russian Revolutions
Russian Revolutions
Contents
Student & Parent Agreement / Contact Detailsp. 2
Resources & Linksp. 3
Important Datesp.4
Weekly Topic Outlinep.5
Revolutions Area of Study & Outcome 1 pp. 6-7
Revolutions Area of Study & Outcome 2 pp. 8-9
Exam Preparation - Do’s & Don’tsp. 10
- Language Ideaspp. 11-13
Area of Study 1
Week 1 Readings & Questionsp.15
Week 2 Readings & Questionsp. 16
Week 3 Readings & Questionsp. 17
- ‘The 1905 Revolution’ by J. Broomanpp. 18-19
- ‘Romanovs & Rasputin’ by K. Sinclairpp. 20-22
Week 4 Readings & Questionsp. 24
- ‘The Tsarist Government in 1914’pp. 25-33
- ‘Russia at War 1914-1917’ by J. Broomanpp. 35-36
Week 5 Readings & Questionsp. 38
- ‘The Revolution of March 1917’ by J. Broomanpp. 39-40
- ‘The Provisional Government’ by J. Broomanpp. 41-42
Week 6 Readings & Questionsp. 43
- ‘Why did the Bolsheviks triumph?’ by R. Pipespp. 44-54
- ‘The 1905 Revolution and its aftermath’ by S. Fitzpatrickpp. 55-59
Week 7 Readings & Questionsp. 60
- ‘Historiography of the Russian Revolution’ by T. Ryanpp.61-69
Area of Study 2
Week 8Readings & Questionsp. 71
- ‘The Bolshevik Revolution of November 1917’ by J. Broomanpp.72-73
Holiday Readings & Questionsp. 74
Week 2Readings & Questionsp. 75
- ‘Crises of the Russian Revolution 1917-1924’ by D. McDonaldpp. 76-82
Week 3Readings & Questionsp. 83
-‘Outcomes of the October Revolution in Russia’ by D. McDonaldpp. 84-90
Week 4Readings & Questionsp. 91
- ‘Leon Trotsky (1879-1940)’ by M. Morcombepp.92-96
- ‘Viktor Chernov’ by A. Woodpp. 97-98
Week 5Readings & Questionsp. 100
- Document Study of Maxim Gorky’s ‘New Life’pp.101-2
- Document Study of the Petropavlovsk Crewpp.103-4
Week 6Readings & Questionsp. 105
- ‘The Proletarian dictatorship’s year: October 1917-October 1918’ by A. Apsitpp. 106-7
- ‘The Bolshevik Perimeter’pp. 108-9
- ‘Long live the vanguard of the revolution, the Red Fleet’ by Lebedevpp.110-11
Week 7Readings & Questionsp. 112
- Read document by Richard Pipesp. 113-4
Week 8Readings & Questionsp. 115
-Read petition to Nicholas IIp. 116-7
Quotable Notablespp. 118
Student & Parent Agreement
Dear Parents,
Please read through the requirements and assessments of student work for History Revolutions Unit 3 & 4 on pages 4-9 with your child. We will be working towards these outcomes in class, but students must also work independently at home to gain a full understanding of this time in history.
When completing a VCE subject, students also need to attend a minimum of 90% of classes. If your child is absent due to illness, please obtain a medical certificate from your doctor to hand in to the Senior School Leader upon return. If your child needs to be away for an extended period of time, you must give advanced notice in writing so alternative work can be supplied.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this unit of work, please do not hesitate to contact me at school.
Thankyou,
VCE Revolutions Teacher
Contact Details
Teacher:
Agreement:
I, ______, have read this unit handbook with my parent/guardian and fully understand the expectations and standard of work I will strive to complete this semester both at school and at home.
______
Student SignatureParent/Guardian SignatureDate
Resources & Links
Required Resources
Richard Malone, Analysing the Russian Revolution, Cambridge 2004.
Class Handbook ‘2014VCE History Unit 3: Russian Revolutions’ (on XUNO)
Further Resources (optional/recommended)
Michael Adcock, Cambridge Checkpoints 2008: VCE History Revolutions, Cambridge 2007.
Sheila Fitzpatrick, The Russian Revolution 1917-1932,Oxford 1985.
Christopher Hill, Lenin and the Russian Revolution, Pelican Books 1971.
V. L. Lenin, The Proletarian Revolution and the Renegade Kautsky, ??
V. L. Lenin, Lenin on War and Peace – Three Articles, ??
Michael Lynch, Reaction & Revolution: Russia 1881-1924, Hodder & Stoughton 1992.
M. Morcombe + M. Fielding, The Spirit of Change: Russia in Revolution, McGraw-Hill 1998.
Alan Moorehead, The Russian Revolution, Panther 1958.
David North, In Defence of the Russian Revolution, 1995.
Roger Pethybridge, Spread of the Russian Revolution Essays 1917, Macmillan 1972.
Richard Pipes, Three Whys of the Russian Revolution, Pimlico 1995.
Richard Pipes, Russia under theOld Regime, Penguin 1982.
Leon Trotsky, The History of the Russian Revolution, Pluto 1977.
Leon Trotsky, My Life, Universal 1960.
Alexander Yakovlev, The Fate of Marxism in Russia, Yale 1993.
Internet Links
VCE Revolutions Study Design
past exams and the examiner’s report on how students performed on them
Alphahistory has information, past exams, example SAC’s, heaps of resources
Marxist Internet Archive
Home of the last Tsar Romanov and Russian History (includes pictures, primary sources, eye witness accounts, etc)
Contains a variety of links to primary sources, e-texts, and interpretative essays on the Revolution itself.
Lectures on Russian Revolutions of 1917.
Internet Modern History Sourcebook – includes all major events of this period of Revolution.
Essay: Lenin and Communism 1917-1924
Great history site, easy to read
Great breakdown of subjects with primary sources, photos etc
Biography Maker
Weblinks to great sites
The Russo-Japanese War Research Society
Primary Documents from WWI
Links to all areas we are studying
Forum for VCE Revolutions – ask questions, get hints off other students studying this subject.
Weekly Topic Outline
Week / Beginning Date / Topic / Assessment DueTerm 4
8 / Nov 17 / Introduction to Unit 3: Revolutions
- AOS1 – Revolutionary ideas, leaders, movements and events – research SAC
- AOS2 – New Society – visual analysis SAC
- Watch “The Russian Revolution in Colour”
- CH 1 – Life in the land of the Tsars p.2-17
- Revise Chapter 1, discussion of social, political, economic factors
9 / Nov 24 /
- Tsar as a leader, implications for people
- CH 2 – Opposition to Tsarism: ideas and leaders p. 22-28
- CH 3 – Opposition to Tsarism: movements p. 33-38
10 / Dec 8 / All Day Monday
- CH 4 – Revolutionary crisis begins p.42-48
PPT –1905 Revolution - CH 5 – Saving Tsarism p.54-59
HOLIDAYS
Term 1
1 / Jan 30 /
- Revise topics from Holiday Homework
- CH 6 – World at War p.62-71
- CH 7 – Thematic Analysis, 1905-1917 p.78-82
2 / Feb 2 /
- CH 8 – The February Revolution p.87-103
- CH 9 – Crisis of dual authority p.106-113
3 / Feb 9 /
- CH 10 – October Revolution p.122-126
- Revision of main events and leaders of AOS 1
4 / Feb 16 /
- CH 11 – Thematic Analysis, 1917 p.133-141
- SWIMMING SPORTS FRIDAY 20th FEB
5 / Feb 23 /
- Practice Historiography Tasks
6 / Mar 2 /
- Final SAC prep
- SAC 1
Chapters 6-11 questions due after SAC completed
7 / Mar 10 / MONDAY LABOUR DAY
AOS 2 – Creating a New Society 1917-24 (CH 12-16)
- CH 12 – consolidating power: the first six months p.148-157
8 / Mar 16 /
- CH 13 – Civil War p.161-175
9 / Mar 23 /
- CH 14 – Critical Year 1921 p.179 – 187
HOL’S / Mar 30 / HOLIDAYS
HOL’S / Apr 6 / Holiday Class – ?
1 / Apr 13 /
- CH 15 – Lenin’s final year and legacy p.193-204
2 / Apr 20 /
- CH 16 – Thematic analysis 1917-24 p.207-212
3 / Apr 27 / Part 4: The Revolution in Retrospect (CH 17-18)
- CH 17 – The end of the story? P.219-221
4 / May 4 /
- CH 18 – Historical Perspectives p.222-235
5 / May 11 /
- CH 18 – Historical Perspectives p.222-235
6 / May 18 /
- Review and Reflect on SAC 1
- Practice SAC 2
7 / May 25 /
- Review Practice SAC 2
- Final Prep for SAC 2
8 / Jun 1 /
- SAC 2
9 / Jun 8 /
- Russia Unit Revision
10 / Jun 15 / MONDAY QUEENS B’DAY LONG WEEKEND
YR 12 GAT
- Start Unit 4: Chinese Revolution
11 / Jun 23 / Chinese Revolution
Introduction to Revolutions
Unit Outcomes
For every Area of Study (AOS) covered, students must achieve a prescribed Outcome. Students will complete one School-assessed Coursework (SAC) task that shows they have achieved each Outcome.
AREA OF STUDY 1
Revolutionary ideas, leaders, movements and events
The period for this area of study is:
• Russian Revolution 1905 to October 1917 (Bloody Sunday to the Bolshevik Revolution)
• Chinese Revolution 1898 to 1949 (100 Days Reform to the Triumph of Mao)
Historians have put forward different theories about the causes of revolution; for example, inadequateresponse to structural change, political divisions, the failure of rising expectations, the loss of authority,the erosion of public confidence in the old order. Questions have been raised such as: Why did socialtensions and ideological conflicts increase in the pre-revolutionary period? Why could social tensionsand ideological conflicts not be contained or constrained within the traditional order? What events orcircumstances eroded confidence in the government or weakened the capacity of the ruling class tomeet challenges to its authority?
OUTCOME 1
Evaluate the role of ideas, leaders, movements and events in the development of the revolution.
This Outcome is worth 50% of your SAC marks completed in both the Russia and China Units.To achieve this outcome you will draw on knowledge and related skills outlined in below.
Key knowledge
This knowledge includes:
• the chronology of key events and factors which contributed to the revolution;
• the causes of tensions and conflicts generated in the old regime that many historians see as
contributing to the revolution; for example, rising and unfulfilled class expectations; fluctuations
in economic activity; failed attempts at economic, social or political reform; perceived social or
economic inequality or lack of political voice; the impact of war or economic crisis that contributed
to revolution such as the socialand economic impact of World War I on Tsarist Russia, and the Boxer Rebellion in China.
• the ideas and ideologies utilised in revolutionary struggle; for example, ideas of liberty, equality,
fraternity, Marxist ideas, nationalism and the rights of freeborn men, Mao Zedong’s ‘Yenan Way’;
• the role of revolutionary individuals and groups in bringing about change; for example, in Russia, Kerensky, Trotsky, Lenin, the Socialist Revolutionaries,Mensheviks and Bolsheviks; in China, Sun Yat Sen, ChiangKai Shek and Mao Zedong, the Guomindang and Communists.
Key skills
These skills include the ability to:
• document the chronological events that contributed to the revolution;
• analyse information about the causes of tension and conflict in the old regime that contributed to
revolution;
• analyse the ideas that were utilised in the revolutionary struggle;
• analyse a range of historical evidence to evaluate the role of revolutionary individuals and groups
in bringing about change;
• synthesise evidence to develop a coherent argument about the role of revolutionary ideas, leaders,
movements and events in the development of the revolution;
• consider a range of historians’ interpretations.
Outcome 1Evaluate the role of ideas, leaders, movements and events in the development of the revolution.
MARKRANGE / DESCRIPTOR: typical performance in each range
41–50 marks / Comprehensive and detailed knowledge of a range of events and factors which developed during the course of the revolution. Identification and comprehensive analysis of causes of tensions and conflicts generated in the old regime that contributed to its breakdown. Critical analysis and evaluation of the importance of ideas, ideologies, individuals and groups in bringing about revolutionary change. Critical analysis and evaluation of evidence that synthesises a range of written and visual sources. Critical analysis and evaluation of historians’ interpretations.
31–40 marks / Very detailed knowledge of a range of events and factors which developed during the course of the revolution. Identification and well-developed analysis of causes of tensions and conflicts generated in the old regime that contributed to its breakdown. Some analysis and evaluation of the importance of ideas, ideologies, individuals and groups in bringing about revolutionary change. Careful analysis and some evaluation of evidence using a range of written and visual sources. Careful analysis and some evaluation of historians’ interpretations.
21–30 marks / Some detailed knowledge of events and factors which developed during the course of the revolution. Some identification and analysis of causes of tensions and conflicts generated in the old regime that contributed to its breakdown. Some attempt to analyse the importance of ideas, ideologies, individuals and groups in bringing about revolutionary change. Some attempt to analyse evidence from a number of written and visual sources. Identification and discussion of historians’ interpretations.
11–20 marks / Some knowledge of events and factors which developed during the course of the revolution. Some identification of causes of tensions and conflicts generated in the old regime that contributed to its breakdown. Some reference to the importance of some ideas, ideologies, individuals and groups in bringing about revolutionary change. Some reference to evidence from written and visual sources. Some reference to historians’ interpretations.
1–10 marks / Limited knowledge of some events and/or factors which developed during the course of the revolution. An attempt to identify causes of tensions and conflicts generated in the old regime that contributed to its breakdown. Limited reference to the importance of one or more ideas, ideologies, individuals and/or groups in bringing about revolutionary change. Limited use of evidence from a limited number of written and/or visual sources. Little or no reference to historians’ interpretations.
AREA OF STUDY 2
Creating a new society
The periods for this area of study are:
• Russian Revolution November 1917 to 1924 (Initial decrees to the death of Lenin);
• Chinese Revolution 1949 to 1976 (Communist Revolution to the death of Mao).
A new political order and a new society was not created easily. Revolutions took many years to
achieve their initial promise of social and political change. Endangered and radicalised by political
dissent, civil war, economic breakdown and wars of foreign intervention, resistance to revolution
assumed different forms impeding the transformation which the revolutionaries had envisioned. In
times of crisis, revolutionary governments often became more authoritarian, instituting more severe
policies of social control.
Historians debate the success of the revolutionary ideas, leaders, groups and governments in achievingtheir ideals by evaluating the nature of the new society as the revolution consolidated. Questions areraised, such as: Has a completely new order been established with a significantly changed rulinggroup and ideology, with new methods of governing and new social institutions? Have the subjectsof the new state acquired greater freedom and an improved standard of living? Has the revolutionbeen successful in establishing a different set of values that fulfilled the ideals of the revolutionaries?
OUTCOME 2
Analyse the challenges facing the emerging new order, and the way in which attempts were made to create a new society, and evaluate the nature of the society created by the revolution.
This Outcome is worth 50% of your SAC marks completed in both the Russia and China Units.To achieve this outcome you will draw on knowledge and related skills outlined in below.
Key knowledge
This knowledge includes:
• the contribution of individuals and groups to the creation of the new society; for example, in China, Mao Zedong; and in Russia, Trotsky and Lenin;
• the cause of difficulties or crises faced by the revolutionary groups or governments as a new state
was consolidated; for example, the Civil War and Foreign Intervention in Russia, the economic problems caused by theGreat Leap Forward and the disunity caused by the Cultural Revolution in China;
• the response of the key revolutionary individuals, groups, governments or parties to the difficulties
that they encountered as the new state was consolidated; for example, the Red Guard in Russia; Civil War, and War Communism in Russia; the ‘Speak Bitterness’Agrarian Reform Law campaign, the Hundred Flowers Campaign and the death of Liu Shaoqiduring the Cultural Revolution in China;
• the compromise of revolutionary ideals; for example, the NEP in Russia and the Red Guard and
‘literature of the wounded’ in China; the radicalisation of policies; the Civil War in Russia, the GreatLeap Forward and the Cultural Revolution in China;
• the changes and continuities that the revolution brought about in the structure of government, the
organisation of society, and its values, and the distribution of wealth and conditions of everyday
life.
Key skills
These skills include the ability to:
• gather evidence of the difficulties faced by revolutionary individuals, groups, governments or
parties in the creation of a new society;
• analyse evidence of the response of the key revolutionary individuals, groups, governments or
parties to the difficulties that they encountered as the new state was consolidated;
• evaluate the degree to which the revolution brought about change from the old regime;
• consider a range of historians’ interpretations.
Outcome 2Analyse the challenges facing the emerging new order, the way in which attempts were made to create a new society, and evaluate the nature of the society created by the revolution.
MARKRANGE / DESCRIPTOR: typical performance in each range
41–50 marks / Complex and sophisticated knowledge of the contribution of ideologies, individuals and groups in the creation of the new society. Comprehensive knowledge and analysis of the challenges faced by revolutionary individuals, groups, governments or parties and their responses. Critical evaluation of the nature of society created by the revolution and the changes and continuities that it brought about. Critical analysis and evaluation of evidence that synthesises a range of written and visual sources to draw conclusions. Critical analysis and evaluation of historians’ interpretations.
31–40 marks / Well-developed knowledge of the contribution of ideologies, individuals and groups in the creation of the new society. Well-developed knowledge and analysis of the challenges faced by revolutionary individuals, groups, governments or parties and their responses. Some evaluation of the nature of society created by the revolution and the changes and continuities that it brought about. Careful analysis and some evaluation of evidence using a range of written and visual sources. Careful analysis and some evaluation of historians’ interpretations.
21–30 marks / Clear knowledge of the contribution of ideologies, individuals and groups in the creation of the new society. Satisfactory knowledge and analysis of the challenges faced by revolutionary individuals, groups, governments or parties and their responses. Some evaluation of the nature of society created by the revolution and the changes and continuities that it brought about. Some attempt is made to analyse evidence from a number of written and visual sources and to identify and discuss historians’ interpretations.
11–20 marks / Some knowledge of the contribution of ideologies, individuals and groups in the creation of the new society. Some knowledge of the challenges faced by revolutionary individuals, groups, governments or parties and their responses. Some understanding of the nature of society created by the revolution and the changes and continuities that it brought about. Some reference to evidence from some written and visual sources. Some reference to historians’ interpretations.
1–10 marks / Limited knowledge of aspects of the contribution of ideologies, individuals and/or groups in the creation of the new society is evident. Limited knowledge of some of the challenges faced by revolutionary individuals, groups, governments or parties and their responses. Limited understanding of the nature of society created by the revolution and the changes and continuities that it brought about. Limited use of evidence from written and/or visual sources. Little or no reference to historians’ interpretations.
Exam Preparation