World History teaching resources for the high school classroom: lesson plans, worksheets, quizzes and simulation games for KS3, IGCSE, IB and A-Level teachers.
 

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Interactive Exercises

1. Head2Head Interview
Interactive Interview with Josef Stalin
With almost 200 questions in memory, 150 suggested questions and a lesson plan.

2. Collapsible notes
The Rise of Stalin

3. Manic Miner Games
a. Economic Modernisation in the USSR under Stalin
b. The Purges in the USSR under Stalin
c. "High Stalinism": Politics and Culture 1945-53
d. USSR, 1953-1980

4. Interactive Running Dictation
The Great Patriotic War
Designed to help students identify some of the most important events of the period. Instructions included.

5. Wordshoot Quizzes:
a. Economic Modernisation in the USSR under Stalin
b. The Purges in the USSR under Stalin
c. "High Stalinism": Politics and Culture 1945-53
d. USSR, 1953-1980

6. "CannonBall Fun" Quizzes:
a. Economic Modernisation in the USSR under Stalin
b. The Purges in the USSR under Stalin
c. "High Stalinism": Politics and Culture 1945-53
d. USSR, 1953-1980

Worksheets

A. Rise to Power

1. Divisions in the party before 1924
2. Who should succeed Lenin?
3. Lenin's Testament

B. Economic Policies: Agriculture

1. What were Stalin's Economic Objectives? [student worksheet] [teacher copy] [PowerPoint Presentation]
2. Collectivisation: Theory and Practice [student worksheet ] [teacher copy] [PowerPoint Presentation]
3. The Ukrainian Famine: Sources and Questions [student worksheet] [PowerPoint Show]
4. The Ukrainian Famine: Individual Research Task [student worksheet]
5. Collectivisation: How successful was it? [student worksheet] [teacher copy]
6. Collectivisation: Sourcework Test [student worksheet]
7. Agricultural Policies: A comparison of the Tsarist and Stalinist periods [student worksheet] [teacher copy]

C. Economic Policies: Industry

1. Introduction and Overview [student worksheet] [teacher copy] [PowerPoint Presentation]
2. Debate on the causes, course and consequence of the 5-Year Plans [student worksheet]
3. Assessment of the 5-Year Plans [student worksheet] [teacher notes]
4. Industrial Policies: A comparison of the Tsarist and Stalinist periods [student worksheet] [teacher copy]

D. Economic Policies - General

1. Were Agricultural or Industrial Policies more successful? - [student worksheet / lesson plan]

E. The Terror and the Purges

1. Introduction to the Terror - including an investigation of the key characters
2. Causes of the Terror - economic, political, diplomatic
3. Who Killed Kirov? - a sourcework investigation leading to a debate
4. Key Events, 1936-38 - political, economic and military victims
5. The Trials of Kamenev, Zinoviev and Bukharin - transcripts and discussion points
6. Effects of the Purges - on all levels of society
7. End of the Purges - including the assassination of Leon Trotsky
8. Conclusion Grid - to consolidate understanding
9. Factual Test - to consolidate knowledge

External Links

Stalinism as a way of life: An outstanding site - packed with tons of primary documents and image files
Stalin and Industrialisation: Structured investigation from the Learning Curve - visually appealing and accessible.
Orwell on Communist Russia: George Orwell's views from The Road to Wigan Pier
The Great Patriotic War: An excellent range of photos, a timeline, art and much else.

Recommended AudioBook

Stalin: At the Court of the Red Tsar

Recommended DVD / Video Resources

Russia In Revolt [1924] - Outstanding Box Set of contemporary films!
Man With A Movie Camera
The Fall Of The Romanoff Dynasty [1927]
The Russian Revolution
Stalin's Secret Life
Eisenstein: 10 Days that Shook the World / Battleship Potemkin / Strike
Russia: The Missing Years Russian Revolution / Russian Civil War
Communism - The Great Belief Of The 20th Century 1900-1928 / 1929-1939 / 1940-1953 / 1953-1999
Feature Films: Nicholas And Alexandra / Rasputin the Mad Monk / Stalin / Animal Farm