How significant was World War One as a cause of the Russian Revolution of October 1917? Student Worksheet | Teacher Notes | Quiz This podcast episode covers a central part of the IGCSE coursework assignment (“How significant was World War One for Russia?”).

How did World War One precipitate the Russian Revolution of February 1917? Student Worksheet | Teacher Notes | Quiz This podcast covers a central part of the IGCSE coursework assignment (“How significant was World War One for Russia?”).

How stable was the Tsarist regime in Russia on the eve of World War One? Student Worksheet | Teacher Notes | Quiz This podcast covers a central part of the IGCSE coursework assignment (“How significant was World War One for Russia?”).

The Weimar Republic: End of unit self-marking factual test This is a great way to test knowledge at the end of the topic. Each student in the class is given 30 randomly selected questions from a database in mutliple-choice format. At the end of the exercise, the teacher can access all the scores at once…

Border Disputes – Factual Test A 20-question factual test, complete with teacher answer key, to accompany the scheme of work on the League of Nations.

The clash of Serb Nationalism with Austrian Imperialism | Completed Teacher Notes The tension between Austria and Serbia is explained through a focus on the Bosnian Crisis of 1908 and the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913. Teacher notes have now been added to this lesson resource.

Flashpoint: Berlin – Events 1948-1960 This lesson provides an overview of the Berlin Blockade, structured questions around a video documentary covering the period, and a cartoon sourcework question. Part of the scheme of work on Soviet Control of Eastern Europe at ActiveHistory.

To what extent was the Soviet intervention in Hungary in 1956 Justifiable? Why did the West not react more strongly? A thorough analysis of the Hungarian Revolution, complete with sourcework questions to develop skills for Paper 2. Part of the scheme of work on Soviet control of Eastern Europe during the Cold War at ActiveHistory.

Germany, Italy and the Spanish Civil War | Teacher Slideshow A detailed workpack broken into three key sections, with structured questions and sourcework tasks:What was the Spanish Civil War?Why did Germany get involved in the Spanish Civil War?What did Germany Contribute to the Spanish Civil War?

I have uploaded a lot of new materials for my studies of the Origins of World War Two in the 1930s, meaning that I have now created several dedicated sections of the website to keep the topic manageable: The Great Depression Manchuria / Abyssinia Hitler’s Foreign Policy Appeasement Appeasement: Depth Study

Sourcework Questions and Model Answers 1. Study Sources A and B. How far do these two sources agree? Explain your answer using the sources.2. Study Sources B and C. How far does Source C make Chamberlain’s attitude in Source B surprising?

Five Key Sources: Was Hitler a Gambler, or a Planner? To investigate further this key question, students examine five central sources: Mein Kampf, The Four Year Plan, the Hossbach Memorandum, Code Green, and Goering’s testimony at the Nuremberg War Trials.

Roleplay: The Manchurian Crisis | Rolecards This roleplay exercise is a great way to get students thinking about the possible courses of action open to the League. Students are given an essential briefing about the Manchurian Dispute, and are then organised into five groups representing different countries. Each country is given a role card outlining what course…

Conclusions: How similar were the Manchurian and Abyssinian Crises? | Teacher Model Answers Students are provided with a writing frame which helps them compare and contrast the causes, course and consequences of the two crises.

Visual Essay-Writing Exercise: The Manchurian and Abyssinian Crises | Manchuria Cartoons | Abyssinia Cartoons Break the class into two groups. One will focus on the first crisis, one on the second. They should then construct an essay about the causes, course and consequences of their allocated crisis using the cartoons about Manchuria or Abyssinia as appropriate.

This new simulation is designed to help students form an opinion as to whether Hitler was a gambler or a planner in foreign affairs, and how far his foreign policy objectives could be justified. It comes complete with work pack, media clips, and a ‘save game’ feature. Part of the International Relations in the 1930s…

Online Presentation: What were the essential causes of World War One? This short presentation is designed to provide students with an essential overview of the main causes of the war in a single lesson. I don’t teach this in any more detail at this stage as the causes of the war are a key part…

A new fling the teacher quiz to follow on from the brand-new interactive simulation on ActiveHistory.

New IGCSE History Hub on ActiveHistory! I’ve finally got round to putting together a new landing page for IGCSE History students and teachers on ActiveHistory. It contains direct links to scores of schemes of work for the most popular IGCSE options and much else besides. Let me know if you have any suggestions for improvements!

Did the actions of the PLO advance or undermine the Palestinian cause, 1970-1976? | Teacher notes Students are put into two groups – Arabs and Israelis – to debate whether the actions of the PLO in the period 1970-1976 (Black September, Munich Olympics, Arafat of the UN, Operation Entebbe) advanced or undermined the Palestinian cause….

The Arab-Israeli War of 1948 What territorial changes took place as a result of the 1948 war? Students are given an overview of the main events, and two ‘before and after’ maps to draw some initial conclusions from. Part of the new IGCSE Paper 1 Scheme of Work on the Arab-Israeli Conflict

Civil War in Palestine, 1947-1948 The UN General Assembly (and the Jewish leadership in Palestine) voted to accept the UNSCOP partition plan in November 1947. The Arabs though rejected it. The outcome of this conflict was the first wave of Palestinian refugees, which remains one of the central problems in the region today. Students investigate…

UNSCOP and the United Nations Partition Plan 1947 roleplay part 2: Task for the “Arabs” and “Jews” “UNSCOP reported back in September 1947 proposing that Palestine should be divided into two separate states, with economic unity. In this exercise, you will draw up your own partition plan, and compare it to that decided upon by…

UNSCOP and the United Nations Partition Plan 1947 roleplay part 1: How should Palestine be divided between Arabs and Jews? | Accompanying Maps In February 1947, UNSCOP (the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine) was set up to work out a solution for the future of Palestine. As the violence escalated, the committee considered 6 possible solutions….

Why did Britain give up its Mandate in Palestine? End of topic factual test: 20 questions on the British mandate in Palestine | Teacher Version A factual test drawing toge the key events so far studied, in the form of a ‘fill the gaps’ timeline. Part of the new IGCSE Paper 1 Scheme of Work on the…