February: Site update and more anniversaries
Tuesday 12 February 2019
February update on our new ATL and quiz pages as well as some ideas for commemorating 2019 anniversaries.
Anniversaries
As ever, historical anniversaries mean that the media is re-visiting key individuals and events and providing articles which often throw a new light on the topics that our students are studying.
In the last month there have been many articles on Rosa Luxemburg to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of her murder – these may also be useful for those of you planning exhibitions or assemblies on significant women in history for International Women’s Day which is 8th March (more ideas to follow in the next blog).
Rosa Luxemburg: revolutionary warned of environmental destruction and resurgent far right (The Conversation)
Though best remembered for her role in the doomed German Revolution, Rosa Luxemburg's theories on how capitalism exploits people and nature need hearing today.
Twenty years after the end of the Kosovo War, there is an interesting article here on its significance which might be interesting for students studying Conflict and Intervention for Paper 1
The Small War That Wasn't (Foreign Policy)
Why the Kosovo conflict still matters today.
The Versailles Conference remains in the news and this article by historian Margaret McMillan takes up an interesting TOK theme on the lessons to be learned from events 100 years ago (you need to subscribe to Foreign Affairs, but can get one free article a month)
Warnings From Versailles (Foreign Affairs)
The Paris Peace Conference of 1919 offers lessons a hundred years on.
2019 sees the anniversaries of two major revolutions – Cuba and Iran; the repercussions of both revolutions are still very evident today and so an interesting activity might be to get students to research news articles on these revolutions to see how the anniversaries are being remembered both in their respective countries and in other regions of the world.
Other interesting resources
For those of you in London or visiting London there is an exhibition on the lives and deaths of Tsar Nicholas II and his family and also one on the life of Mandela
The Last Tsar: Blood and Revolution | Science Museum (Science Museum)
Explore the extraordinary lives and deaths of Tsar Nicholas II and his family and uncover the science behind one of the greatest mysteries of the 20th century.
The Offical Mandela Exhibition (Mandela Exhibition)
Nelson Mandela: The Official Exhibition is the global touring exhibition that takes visitors on a personal journey through Mandela's life.
This website Europeana Collections, gathers together stories, photos, artefacts, music... from museums all over Europe.
This page links to a fascination collection of resources on the First World War
1914-1918 (Europeana Collections)
Explore the untold stories and official histories of World War I, and share your family's story, in this unique blend of cultural heritage collections and personal items contributed by European citizens.
There is also a very interesting collection of resources on migration.
Site update
Many thanks again to those of you who responded to our New Year e-mail with suggestions of other topics you would like to see covered on this site. We are reviewing all of your suggestions at the moment and making a plan! We will certainly address the requests for some Early Modern history and have Early Modern Wars on our list - watch this space!
Meanwhile, over the past month we have started two new Topics for Paper 3.
The first is for the Asia region: Topic 10: Nationalism and Independence in India (1919–1964); we hope to have this topic finished in the next month.
Topic 10: Nationalism and independence in India (1919–1964
This topic examines the development of nationalism in India, from the end of the First World War to the achievement of Indian independence. It also examines the development of India to 1964.
The second is for the Africa and the Middle East region: Topic 17: Post-war developments in the Middle East (1945–2000)
Topic 17: Post-war developments in the Middle East (1945–2000)
This topic will explore the various ideas such as nationalism, communalism, modernization and westernization in the Middle East after 1945. It will examine the complex issues of domestic reforms and to...
We have also added two new quizzes: one on Russia 1855 to 1917 and one on the Soviet Union 1953 to 1983. As with all of our quizzes, you can either download the PDF or get students to do the interactive versions on the site.
9. Imperial Russia, revolution and the establishment of the Soviet Union: Quizzes
On this page you will find quizzes on this topic to help students learn key facts. Students can also do these quizzes on the interactive page here. Photo by Evan Dennis on Unsplash
The Soviet Union and post-Soviet Russia: quizzes
On this page you will find quizzes on this topic to help students learn key facts.You can download these quizzes for the students to do. Alternatively students can do the interactive version of the quizzes...
Finally, we have added a graded student essay on Mussolini
8. European states in the interwar years: graded student examples
On this page you will find sample essays on this topic, written by students and graded by examiners. We have also suggested activities that can be done with these essays.