(I)GCSE - The Soviet Union and Eastern Europe

A wide-ranging collection of 8 purposeful lessons covering the troubles the Soviet Union faced in Eastern Europe until it eventually collapsed. They include PowerPoints and supportive materials. These lessons enable all students to maximise their potential by raising key questions and presenting focused thought-provoking exercises. They will also enable students to develop a range of essential skills.

1. Asserting and Maintaining Control – A step away from history and a chance for students to be dictators! At least for one lesson. This fun exercise is designed to underpin understanding of authoritarianism.
2. Hungary, Berlin + Czechoslovakia – Exercises that underpin what these crises had in common and what was unique about each crisis.
3. Unions and Parties – Another step away from history, and another interesting and fun series of exercises. to underpin your students understanding of trade unions and political parties.
4. Solidarity – Was it a trade union, a movement or a political party? This exercise is designed to help your students decide.
5. Gorby - A really interesting set of group exercises, writing essays, but doing so by making use of Gorbachev’s speech on Christmas Day, 1991 which formally announced that the Soviet Union had dissolved
6. Conclusions – Three perspectives for your class to work on.
7. Why at this time? - An exercise that serves to look back at some of the crises in this topic and, at the same time, think about another type of source question.
8. Something to think about – A final exercise, with supportive material, in which students face the problems Gorbachev faced.