Background+to+the+Cold+War+The+Russian+Revolution,+Stalin,+and+World+War+II



The Bolshevik Revolution & the Rise of the Totalitarian State That you are reading __Animal Farm__ right now is really a great thing. We will take different look at the Russian Revolution (Bolshevik Revolution) by comparing and contrasting it to the French Revolution. Certainly they share a lot in common, and some striking differences. One acronym you should always remember when discussing dictatorships is F.I.P.S. It stands for Force, Indoctrination, Propaganda, and Scapism. We have detailed these in the lecture and notes above. Please **read pp. 389-400** of your text. The assignment follows. To be started in class on Tuesday, May 12, 2009:

__**Lesson 2 & 3**__ This is where you will be challenged in your comprehension of communism as political and economic ideology. Consider previous lessons (see interwar years) on Dictatorships (power point) for more information on communism. One your own, then with a partner, and then as a class complete the following worksheet. This and the next exercise are critical for your preparation for your essay exam next week. The exercise that follows //"Roots of the Cold War",// will provide you with two distinct perspectives on the start of the Cold War. Those perspectives are the traditionalist perspective (pro-West), and the revisionist perspective (pro-USSR). Completing this exercise will help you comprehend that at the very least both the West and the Sovient Union share in creating an environment of tension and fear leading up to the conflict called the Cold War.
 * 1) Roots of the Cold War: [[file:Roots of the Cold War.doc]]
 * 2) Traditionalist perspective versus the Revisionist perspective: [[file:Cold War Traditionalist v Revisionist.doc]]