The Russian Civil War, 1918-21
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the course of events and impacts of the Russian Civil War.
Key learning points
- There was a civil war in Russia between 1918 and 1921.
- The Russian Civil War mainly involved fighting between the Reds and the Whites.
- Other groups such as national minorities (the Greens) and foreign powers also fought the Reds in the Russian Civil War.
- Methods such as War Communism and the Red Terror helped the Reds to win the Civil War.
- War Communism and the Red Terror led to the deaths of many ordinary Russians.
Keywords
Civil war - a civil war is a conflict between people from the same country
Minorities - minorities are small groups of people within a country who differ from the main population in race, religion, culture or language
Requisitioning - requisitioning is an act which involves officials taking something from others
Common misconception
People only died in the Russian Civil War as a direct result of the fighting.
Millions of ordinary Russians died as a result of methods like the Red Terror and War Communism used by the Reds during the war.
Teacher tip
During learning cycle 3, ask students why the Reds may not have been concerned that ordinary Russians were killed during the Red Terror. You can prompt students by asking them how it could help Bolshevik control if ordinary people were also affected.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
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.How many revolutions occurred in Russia in 1917?
Q2.Who was the leader of the Bolshevik Party?
Q3.Write the missing word. The Bolsheviks had little impact on the February Revolution because many of its leaders were in ...
Q4.Write the missing word. In 1918, the Bolsheviks agreed to sign the of Brest-Litovsk.
Q5.Which statement is most accurate?
Q6.Which statement is most accurate?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match up each keyword with its correct definition.
a conflict between people from the same country
small groups within a country who differ from the majority
an act which involves officials taking something from others
Q2.Match up each group which fought in the Russian Civil War with its correct description.
Britain, France, the USA and Japan
national minorities from the Russian Empire
Bolsheviks and their supporters
Russian opponents of Bolsheviks
Q3.Which of the following led to the deaths of 7 000 000 Russians?
Q4.Why did the Reds requisition grain during the Civil War?
Q5.Who were the Cheka?
Q6.Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
To help you plan your 9 history lesson on: The Russian Civil War, 1918-21, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 history lesson on: The Russian Civil War, 1918-21, 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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