Inter-War Years 1919-1939 - Russia

This is a complicated area to discuss. I think the best approach is taking it country by country and seeing what similarities and differences can be seen throughout different areas. Britain, the US, Russia and Germany along with Italy and Japan faced huge changes after the First World War. This Post will attempt to cover some of the major point for each country to give a basis as to why events took the turn they did. (These are done in no particular order - just how my books are stacked)

RUSSIA

It is important to note that 1917 played host to revolutions in March and October of this year. Although not strictly during the Inter-War period. The first of these revolutions led the way for a Soviet (A council) in Petrograd - the then Capital. This was alongside a Provisional Government set up after the Tsar gave up his throne. The two, the Soviet and the Government tried to get along but this was an uneasy relationship. This eventually led to a fall in the government and so no one centre of power. Hindsight suggests that this was only the start of the revolutionary process. The October Revolution was mostly steered by Bolshevik led workers and peasants, with Lenin being the figurehead.

Historiography of the October Revolution suggests that there are different ways in which this should be viewed. The Soviet View states that this revolution had to take place in order finish the process started in the February Revolution. The liberal school of thought suggest that the Revolution was a coup but it was only successful because the Provisional Government lost all authority. Others suggest that the Revolution was a fight between those in power and workers that was highjacked by the Lenin led Bolsheviks.

Not only were there Revolutions, there was also a civil war!
Simply put, this was between the Reds (The Communists, Bolsheviks) and the Whites (The non-communists). However, the Bolsheviks started fighting peasants and other radical groups. Terror was used by both sides in order to intimidate and savagery was used on both sides. There were foreign powers too - they got involved because of the hate of communism and because they were not paid by Russia for debts.

The Bolsheviks(the Reds) won the War as White leadership was poor and communications were poor between foreign countries involved. The Bolshevik's were willing to compromise and adapt when they needed too which also insured they were on the victorious side.

The impact on Russia after the Civil War was that revolution had been kept. Well that's one view anyway. Another is that the Civil War actually stopped a revolution taking place. In 1918, democracy died in Russia. Lenin stayed in power until 1924, and then Stalin took over (more on that later) with peasants being seen as the enemy to the Bolshevik power.  Secret police had been established and Siberian waste lands became death camps for enemies of the Party.

Walsh-Atkins, P, AS/A-Level 19th and 20th Century European and World History; Exam Revision Notes, (Philip Allan Updates, 2001), pp. 60-61
Key factors in the Bolshevik Victory in the Russian Civil War

• Quality of leadership
• Geographical factors
• Internal lines of communication
• Trotsky and the Red Army
• The flexibility of Lenin,
• Divisions amongst opponents
• The war weariness of the intervening powers
• Russian nationalism
• White incompetence and divisions
• Effective propaganda
• The use of terror
• Autocratic leadership

So...
Lenin was in power between 1917 and 1924. But why and how did Lenin stay in power that long? The Civil War, the Chekah, and the use of terror was able to keep Lenin in power so long. He was swift to get rid of those he considered a threat to his leadership and he was able to keep Communism in the country, leading to the rise of Stalin.


Stalin was able to rise to power by staying under the radar. He was never in a powerful position but he was never underestimated by Lenin. In 1925, he saw Trotsky as a threat and had him taken care of by his growing alliances with other men. He was able to manipulate people in order to get his way. In 1929, he had gotten to the position of dictator of the Soviet Union and had replaced the old guard with his own men whom he had been grooming for several years.  He was able to change the face of the USSR with education, foreign policy and economic policies changing under him. There was a cult of his personality, purges, his Five-Year plan and other such changes that were key features of his reign. He also joined forces with Hitler in the later years of the 1930s.

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This is all very complicated and of course I've tried to offer a simplistic version. I think any short animations or the such like would explain this better. I shall look for some at a later date.
A profile of both Stalin and Lenin would be a good opener to the subject and would allow the discussion of the differences between the leaders.
The Civil War could be done as a story board or some kind of role-play, obviously depending on the students.

20th Century International Relations

The blog from now on will deal about matters relating to International matters, specifically concerning the Cold War.

(I tried to get this on another area but me not knowing a thing about this site has no idea how to do it so bare with it! Hopefully it'll be clear what I'm talking about!)

The Black Death 1348

The following is a timeline of the Black Death as found on the BBC Website.

How the plague spread around the British Isles

Most historians are willing to agree that the Black Death killed between 30-45% of the population between 1348-50.

• 1317: Great Famine in England
• May 1337: Declaration of the Hundred Years War by Edward III.
• June 1348: Black Death arrives at Melcombe Regis (Weymouth)
• Aug 1348: Black Death hits Bristol
• Sept 1348: Black Death reaches London
• Oct 1348: Winchester hit - Edendon's 'Voice in Rama' speech
• Jan 1349: Parliament prorogued on account of the plague.
• Jan-Feb 1349: Plague spreads into E. Anglia and the Midlands.
• April 1349: Plague known in Wales.
• May 1349: Halesowen hit.
• 18th June 1349: Ordinance of Labourers.
• July 1349: Plague definitely hits Ireland.
• Autumn 1349: Plague reaches Durham. Scots invade northern England and bring back plague with them.
• Spring 1350: Massive outbreak of plague in Scotland.
• Sept 1350: First pestilence dies out.
• 9th Feb 1351: Statute of Labourers.
• 1361-64: Second Pestilence: 'The Plague of Children'.
• 1367: Birth of Richard II in Bordeau.
• 1368-69: Third Pestilence
• 1371-75: Fourth Pestilence (variously dated 1371 or 1373-5)
• 1381: The Peasant Revolt

The plague returned in a series of periodic local and national epidemics. The plague only finally stopped at the end of the Seventeenth century.

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It is believed the type of plague that arrived in Britain during 1348 was the bubonic strand which changed to be the pneumonic strand of the disease. It was quick to spread and was not really understood hence the rapid spread of the disease.  


The spreading of the plague was not helped by unsanitary conditions which were prevalent at the time in big cities. This included throwing human waste outside in the street and not keeping their livestock where they should have been kept. Water from the river was also polluted. In these conditions, it is easy to see how the disease spread so quickly and fiercely. 

The plague originated overseas, coming to England by the ships that were trading. The journey is as shown:

Fleas carrying the plague liked the Rats. The Rats liked the ships. The ships came to England. The Rats came off. The Fleas got bored and found new food. 

The Fleas were spreading the bubonic disease which then changed into the Pnuemonic plague. 

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This youtube link I found explains the plague perfectly along with the symptoms and outcomes. 

This Video is just a little fun. 

It is important for students to know that this was a major disaster for the country and that everyone was effected. These videos would be used in line with a discussion about how people caught it and whether there was cure.


Another way that the knowledge can be given to students is through role play. Some one being a rat, a flea etc. 
It might also be a good idea to do some kind of cycle poster to show the process of the spread.