History Odyssey - Modern Times (2) Sample lessons - Pandia Press

Pandia Press
q Read the excerpts from The Manifesto of the
Communist Party.
The entire Communist Manifesto can be read at:
• www.marx.org/archive/marx/works/1848/
communist-manifesto/index.htm.)
In the Manifesto, the French terms bourgeoisie
and proletariat are used repeatedly. Bourgeoisie
(boor-zwha-zee) is used in a negative context,
referring here to the middle/merchant class that
embraces imperialism and exploits capitalism to
make a profit off the backs of the working class
(the proletariat). Proletariat (proh-luh-tair-eeuht)
refers to the poorest working class, which
possesses no capital and no property ownership
and whose only means of survival is through
selling their labor to the bourgeoisie. In Marx’s
interpretation of capitalism, the proletariat
had no means of advancing their situation to
become part of the bourgeoisie.
q After each section of the Manifesto, translate
the meaning in your own words. (The first
section is done for you.) Like many revolutionary
documents, the Manifesto is often redundant
and verbose. This style of writing was commonly
used during revolutions to convey enthusiasm
for the cause, overemphasize ideas, and ensure
that the author effectively communicated his
message. You should be able to translate each
section into one or two concise sentences,
concentrating on the central message. File
the completed worksheet in your Documents,
Legislation, & Government section.
q Make a copy of the Political Doctrine worksheet
and title it Communism. (Do not write on the
original.) Consider the following questions as
you complete the worksheet:
• What is the definition of communism?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of
communism?
• Communism has been described as:
People for the service of the government.
Capitalism has been described as:
Government for the service of the people.
What do these statements mean? Why is
capitalism considered to be the opposite
of communism? What are the differences
Part VI
between these two ideologies?
• How did modern communism begin? Where
did it begin?
• What were the conditions that allowed it to
become popular?
• Who were the communist leaders and how did
they advance or hinder the movement? How
did they differ?
• Has any country ever achieved a true
communist society? Why?
• Is communism in practice today?
You will need to do outside research in order to
complete the worksheet. File the worksheet in your
Documents, Legislation, & Government section.
Helpful Web sites:
• www.factmonster.com/ce6/history/A0813068.html
• www.crf-usa.org/bria/bria19_2a.htm
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Lesson
q Add a connection to your Make the Connection
poster. (Perhaps between the Russian
Revolution and Communism.)
Fascism
GET READY For this lesson you will need:
• KFH
• Worksheet: Political Doctrine
• Worksheet: Make the Connection
q Read KFH pp. 398 – 399.
q Complete a Political Doctrine worksheet
for Fascism. Consider these questions while
completing the worksheet:
• What is the basic premise of fascism?
• What advantages does it offer? What are its
limitations?
• What are the social, political, and economic
goals of fascism?
• How did this doctrine become popular? What
were the conditions that allowed it to take hold?
• How is the success of fascism dependent upon
the charisma of the leader?
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