Soviet Russia in the 1920s and 1930s
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can assess the extent of political and economic change which took place in Soviet Russia in the 1920s and 1930s.
Key learning points
- In 1922, the Soviet Union (USSR) was established as a single party dictatorship.
- Stalin became leader of the USSR after Lenin's death. Stalin used the secret police to purge those who opposed him.
- Stalin attempted to modernise the Soviet economy through collectivisation and rapid industrialisation.
- Collectivisation increased the food supplies secured by the Soviet state but led to lower levels of agricultural output.
- The USSR became the second largest industrial economy in the world but the quality of its output remained poor.
Keywords
Dictatorship - a dictatorship is a country where the leaders have absolute power
Purge - a purge involves getting rid of people who do not agree with you
Gulag - a gulag was part of a system of work prisons set up in the USSR
Industrialisation - the process of developing a country's manufacturing industries is known as industrialisation
Collectivisation - collectivisation was a policy which reorganised Soviet agriculture to work as a system of large, modernised farms
Common misconception
Changes in the leadership of Russia led to complete change in the country's politics.
Both tsarist rule and Communist rule led to severe restrictions on political freedoms, including use of secret police to remove opposition.
Teacher tip
Before students begin the final task, ask them to discuss in pairs the question from different perspectives (i.e. would a normal peasant farmer have the same view as a factory owner? How and why might their views of the extent of change differ?).
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of serious crime
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Write the missing word. A war is a conflict between people from the same country.
Q2.Which of the following actions was taken by the Provisional Government?
Q3.Write the missing word. The Red Terror was led by the ...
Q4.What did the Greens fight for during the Russian Civil War?
Q5.Which example best shows that ordinary Russians were negatively affected by the Russian Civil War?
Q6.Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match up each of the keywords with the correct definitions.
getting rid of people you disagree with, often using force
a country where the ruler has absolute power
when people are sent or kept away from their country
situation where a leader can act as they wish without limits
Russian word for emperor
Q2.Write the missing word. After Lenin's death, the USSR was led by Joseph ...
Q3.What happened to the number of tractors in the USSR as a result of Stalin's economic policies?
Q4.Who was responsible for carrying out the purges in the 1930s?
Q5.Which statement is accurate?
Q6.Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
To help you plan your 9 history lesson on: Soviet Russia in the 1920s and 1930s, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 history lesson on: Soviet Russia in the 1920s and 1930s, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
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