Historical Inquiry for 21 st- Century Students ABC-CLIO Schools Workshop Series

Historical Inquiry

for 21st-Century Students

ABC-CLIO SchoolsWorkshop Series

Crossing the Border to Freedom:Crossing the Border to Freedom: The Fall of Communism in Eastern EuropeThe Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe

Texas Council for Social StudiesTexas Council for Social StudiesOctober 19-20, 2007October 19-20, 2007

Brett PiersmaBrett PiersmaSanta Ynez Valley Union High School,Santa Ynez Valley Union High School,

Santa Ynez, CaliforniaSanta Ynez, California

AGENDA FOR THIS SESSION:• Warm-up Activity—Soviet Bloc States • The Case for History and ABC-CLIO’s Historical Inquiry

Process• Dilemma Explanation—By helping one another flee to the

free world, did east European states hasten the fall of communism?– Sample Dilemma

• Border Crossing Map Game• Exploring the ABC-CLIO database and Research Lists• Conclusion

Welcome Participants! Each of you has been placed on a team which represents one of six Eastern European Soviet Bloc states.

Each team has received a Soviet Bloc Role Card as well as 4 Characteristic Cards representing: Communist Leader, Reformer/Dissenter, and 2 Movement/Event cards

Unfortunately, you have received the wrong 4 Characteristic Cards!

Your job is to trade with other groups around the room until you have recovered the 4 proper Characteristic Cards for your specific Soviet Bloc State. If you are unsure which of your cards are correct, check periodically with the game leader or ask around.

Who can be first to accurately identify their State?

Soviet Bloc Role Card:

EAST GERMANY


POLAND


HUNGARY


ROMANIA


CZECHOSLOVAKIA


YUGOSLAVIA

Game Leader Checklist

Country Communist Leader Reformer/DissenterMovement/Event Movement/Event

Yugoslavia Josip Tito Milovan Djilas 2 American Planes 1971 Croatian Shot down Spring

Czechoslovakia: Antonin Novotny Dubcek/Havel Prague Spring Velvet Revolution

Hungary: Janos Kadar Imre Nagy 1956 Uprising Petofi Circle

Poland: Jaruzelski Lech Walesa Gdansk Strike Solidarity

East Germany: Erich Honecker Egon Krenz Leipzig Demonstration Mass Migration

to W. Germany

Romania: Nicolae Ceaucesceu Laszlo Tokes Timisoara Massacre Execution of former Communist leader

The Case for History

“We're deluged by conflicting, fragmented information that tries to steer us in particular directions. We need to raise citizens who ask themselves, 'Is this true? Who's

saying so? What's the nature of the evidence?' Taught this way, history is a training ground for democracy."

Sam Wineburg, Professor of Education at Stanford University and formerly Professor of Cognitive Studies in Education and Adjunct Professor of History

at the University of Washington, Seattle.

What is a Dilemma?

• di– in dilemma comes from a Greek prefix meaning “two”

• A dilemma is a problem offering two (or more) solutions

• A dilemma is a situation in which a choice must be made between alternative courses of action or argument.

A dilemma is NOT…

An unsolved mystery like:

-Who Killed Kennedy? -Did John Wilkes Booth act alone?

A historical question that can be answered definitively:

-Did John Adams increase the size of the navy?

A current issue dilemma such as:

-How can we get rid of poverty? -Should we allow prayer in schools?

What is NOT a Dilemma?

Look at these two pictures. What are several key questions

that would clarify these events?

Write these questions on a separate sheet of paper.

Key Questions

• In what country is this taking place?

• When is this taking place?

• What are they doing?

• Why are they doing it?

• What are the likely results of this action for citizens of this country?

• What are results for citizens of neighboring countries?

• What is Communism?

Here is another important image from the same time. What

are several key questions that would

clarify this image?

Key Questions

• In what country is this taking place?

• Are the people in the picture from that country or another country?

• Why do they feel the need to flee?

• What governmental actions have made this possible?

• What ultimately happened to these people?

Dilemma

By opening borders and allowing freedom of movement, did some east European states

hasten the fall of communism?

Crossing the Border to Freedom:Crossing the Border to Freedom:

Interactive Map GameInteractive Map Game

Crossing the Border to FreedomInteractive Map Game - Teacher Instructions

Step One—Explain the that the year is 1989 and reform movements are beginning to see positive change all over Eastern Europe. Citizens of each state are eager to capitalize on this progress either by finding a way to get to the West directly, through a neighboring country (via permission from the Embassy), or by establishing freedom and prosperity in their own country. Explain the goal of the game is to get your team across the Iron Curtain and into a free, western nation before members of the other teams do, or achieve independence for your country by accumulating 10,000 Freedom Points. Explain that this game will simulate the events of 1989, but not exactly reflect them. Instead, dice will be rolled and Trivia questions asked to determine the fate of your state and its fight for democratic freedoms.

Step Two—Divide class into 6 teams representing six Soviet Bloc States: Yugoslavia, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, East Germany, and Poland. Project Map of Europe in 1989 on the screen.

Step Three—The team that successfully achieved their Soviet Bloc State Cards first (during the warm up activity) gets to roll first. They will roll the dice and according to their roll chart, either:• Immediately loses turn due to workers’ or students’ protest being crushed.

• Must answer a TRIVIA question about their country in order to earn Freedom Points

• Immediately earns Freedom Points.

• Draws a Politburo Card with a variety of movement possibilities.

GOOD LUCK! LET’S PLAY

END GAME

Dice Rolls:

1—Protests crushed by military. Lose turn.

2—Ethnic unrest causes government to crack down on demonstrations. Re-roll.

3, 4—Student protest succeeds! Government grants concessions. Answer Trivia Question for Freedom Points.

5, 6—Draw a Politburo Card

Trivia Questions!!!Trivia Questions!!!

2000 Freedom Points

3000 Freedom Points

5000 Freedom Points

5000 Freedom Points

Yugoslavia

2000 Freedom Points

What Communist dictator declared

Yugoslavia non-aligned?

Josip Broz Tito

3000 Freedom Points

What was Marshal Josip Tito’s motto and state

political concept?

“Brotherhood and Unity”

5000 Freedom Points

Name three of the countries Yugoslavia splintered into in the

1980s and 1990s.Albania, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia -Herzegovina,

Slovenia, Montenegro, and Macedonia.

5000 Freedom Points

In what year did Josip Tito die.

1980

Dice Rolls:

1--Workers’ Union outlawed and protest crushed by police. Lose turn.

2, 3--Government opens talks with Solidarity. Answer Trivia Question for Freedom Points.

4--Roundtable Accords are signed and concessions are offered to workers after strike. Earn 2,000 Freedom Points!

5, 6--Soviets call head of Polish government for meeting. Draw a Politburo Card


2000 Freedom Points

3000 Freedom Points

5000 Freedom Points

5000 Freedom Points

Poland

2000 Freedom Points

What Soviet agreement to control its Eastern

Bloc states was signed in Poland?

Warsaw Pact

3000 Freedom Points

In what year was the Solidarity Movement

started?

1980

5000 Freedom Points

What was the other name for the Gdansk

Shipyards?Lenin

Shipyards

5000 Freedom Points

Which US President responded to liberalization in Poland with a modest package

of economic benefits?

George H.W. Bush

Dice Rolls:

1--Police shoot man trying to scale Berlin Wall. Lose turn.

2--Large-scale public demonstrations are met with little government force. Earn 2,000 Freedom Points!

3, 4, 5--Honecker meets with Soviets to discuss Perestroika. Answer Trivia Question for Freedom Points.

6--Draw a Politburo Card


2000 Freedom Points

3000 Freedom Points

5000 Freedom Points

5000 Freedom Points

E.Germany

2000 Freedom Points

He said “Mr. Gorbechev, tear down this wall!”

President Ronald Reagan

3000 Freedom Points

What was the official name of East Germany?

German Democratic Republic (GDR)

5000 Freedom Points

On the East German flag there is a symbol at the center of the red stripe. What three groups does the symbol represent?

Working class, Intelligentsia, and

Farmers

5000 Freedom Points

What economic offer did Helmut Kohl of W. Germany

make to citizens of E. Germany in November 1989?

One-for-one exchange from E. German

marks to W. German marks.

Dice Rolls:

1—Public demonstration is broken up with violence. Lose turn.

2, 3—Thousands attend funeral of dissident executed in 1958. Earn 2,000 Freedom Points!

4, 5—Hungary begins to dismantle border with Austria. Answer Trivia Question for Freedom Points.

6—Draw a Politburo Card


2000 Freedom Points

3000 Freedom Points

5000 Freedom Points

5000 Freedom Points

Hungary

2000 Freedom Points

What Hungarian dissident was executed

by hanging in 1958 after a failed revolt, and later

reburied with honor?Imre Nagy

3000 Freedom Points

From what radio station did Imre Nagy broadcast

his final plea for help from the West?

Free Kossuth Radio

5000 Freedom Points

1956

In what year did Janos Kadar become the General Secretary

of the Communist Party in Hungary?

5000 Freedom Points

Imre Pozsgay

When Janos Kadar stepped down as General Secretary of the Communist Party in 1988,

what reformist Communist leader took his place?

Dice Rolls:

1—Peaceful student demonstration severely beaten back by police. Lose turn.

2, 3—Crowd of 250,000 forms to protest police brutality. Earn 2,000 Freedom Points!

4—Opposition party is formed. Answer Trivia Question for Freedom Points!

5, 6—Communist government agrees to consider giving up its political monopoly. Draw a Politburo Card


2000 Freedom Points

3000 Freedom Points

5000 Freedom Points

5000 Freedom Points

Czechoslovakia

2000 Freedom Points

Before becoming president in 1990, he

was a reformist leader, a writer, and dramatist?

Vaclav Havel

3000 Freedom Points

What political party organization did Vaclav Havel form and lead in

1989?

The Civic Forum

5000 Freedom Points

Alexander Dubcek

He announced “Socialism with a human face”, a systematic

reform of Communism in Czechoslovakia?

5000 Freedom Points

Leonid Brezhnev

He was the Russian General Secretary of the

Communist Party in charge of Prague Spring.

Dice Rolls:

1, 2—Army opens fire on demonstrators killing thousands. Lose turn.

3—Ceausescu ignores chanting crowd calling for an end to the Communist Party. Re-roll.

4, 5—Army turns against Communist Government. Answer Trivia Question for Freedom Points.

6—Draw a Politburo Card


2000 Freedom Points

3000 Freedom Points

5000 Freedom Points

5000 Freedom Points

Romania

2000 Freedom Points

What method was used to execute Nicolae

Ceausescu?

Firing squad

3000 Freedom Points

Over what issue did the Timisoara Protest break

out in 1989?

Freedom of religion/the eviction

of a pastor

5000 Freedom Points

What were the primary subjects of Ceaucescu’s public

message before 100,000 Romanians in December 1989?

Condemning the Timisoara Revolt and praising the

achievements of socialism

5000 Freedom Points

By what two radio stations did Romanians learn of the

events surrounding the Timisoara Massacre?

Radio Free Europe and Voice of America

Debrief Map Game

1. Which country had the most difficult time achieving freedom in our simulation?

2. Did this reflect what really took place in 1989?

3. What did you learn about the geography of Eastern Europe?

Learning to Use the

ABC-CLIO Schools Databases

• American History

• World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras

• World History: The Modern Era

• World Geography

• State Geography

• American Government

• United States at War: Understanding Conflict and Society

• Issues: Understanding Controversy and Society

8 Award-Winning Titles

Winner of More

Than 45 National

Awards

Winner of More

Than 45 National

Awards

Unparalleled Depth of Content

• 130,000 entries

• 14,000 biographies

• 37,000 images and audio & video clips

• 13,000 documents and maps

• Hundreds of curriculum-correlated topic explorations that help

students understand core concepts

• All content written by top scholars and editors in the field

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• Save valuable research time, offering the right information in a carefully assembled, curriculum-oriented framework

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• Aligned to state and national standards and textbook units

• Make a difference!

The Solution for Students, Teachers, and Librarians

Home Page

Front page news items relate current events to

history

High interest features to engage students

Multiple search options

Easy site navigation

Lessons: In-Depth ExplorationIntroduction – introducing terms, concepts, & themes

Illustration -- visual presentation of the concept the overall theme.

People -- Intriguing factual stories about key people

Reference -- including images, news items, and organizations, etc.

Activity -- A critical-thinking activity to encourage close examination of the topic.

Quiz -- Quick self-check so students can test their knowledge.

Discussion Questions -- to generate in-depth conversations

Research

Do a quick search by text

Refine your search by selecting type of resource

Combine with search by topic/time period

Research Lists

Notes, Handouts, and Support Materials for Presenter

Getting to know you warm-up game:

Notes for presenter

1. Before your presentation, cut out all Soviet Bloc Role Cards and Characteristic Cards (Government, Leader, Movements) included in the slides below.

2. To each of the 6 larger Soviet Bloc Role Cards, paper clip the following:

1 Communist Leader card

1 Reformer/Dissenter card

2 different Movement/Event cards

3. Make sure that none of the Soviet Bloc Role Cards receive any correct Characteristic Cards.

4. Divide the whole group into 6 separate teams of 1, 2 or 3 people.

5. Present each team with one packet of 5 cards (Role, Government, Leader and 2 Movements cards)

6. Now tell the group that they have received the wrong 4 cards and their job is to trade with other groups in the room until they have found the proper cards for their Soviet Bloc State.

7. Invite the groups to check frequently with to see if they have the right cards. You can tell them which cards are right and which are wrong. Use the “game leader checklist” as a quick guide.

8. Provide prizes for the team members that find their four proper cards first.

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Reformer/Dissenter:

LASZLO TOKESReformer/Dissenter:

ALEXANDER DUBCEK

Reformer/Dissenter:

EGON KRENZ

Reformer/Dissenter:

MILOVAN DJILAS

Reformer/Dissenter:

LECH WALESAReformer/Dissenter:

IMRE NAGY

Movement/Event:

PRAGUE SPRING

Movement/Event:VELVET

REVOLUTION

Movement/Event:

LEIPZIG PROTEST

Movement/Event:MASS MIGRATION

TO WEST GERMANY

Movement/Event:

PETOFI CIRCLE

Movement/Event:1956

UPRISING

Movement/Event:

SOLIDARITY

Movement/Event:GDANSK SHIPYARD

STRIKE

Movement/Event:TIMISOARA MASSACRE

Movement/Event:TRIAL AND EXECUTION OF

FORMER COMMUNIST LEADER

Movement/Event:TWO AMERICAN PLANES SHOT

DOWN

Movement/Event:CROATIAN SPRING

1971

Gorbechev rises to power in the

Soviet Union. You earn 1000

Freedom Points.

Gorbechev announces policy of Glasnost, openness,

to the world.You earn 1000

Freedom Points.

Your country allows free movement. Move across one border, but not across the Iron

Curtain.


Curtain.

Gorbechev announces policy of Perestroika, restructuring, to the

world. You earn 1000 Freedom Points.


Curtain.

Embassy refuses to grant you asylum.

Return to your country and lose 2,000 Freedom

Points.

Hungary begins to dismantle its border with Austria. Move across one

border. If you are Hungary or are in

Hungary, earn 2,000 Freedom Points.

East Germany opens new border crossings to the West. Move across one

border. If you are E. Germany or are in E. Germany, earn 2,000

Freedom Points.


Curtain.



Points.



Points.

East German police shoot man trying to scale the Berlin Wall. Lose 1,000

Freedom Points. If you are E. Germany or are in E.

Germany, lose 2,000 Freedom Points.

Hungary opens its borders with Austria.

Move across one border. (If you are Hungary or are in Hungary, earn

2,000 Freedom Points.

East Germany opens new border crossings to the West. Move across one

border. (If you are E. Germany or are in E. Germany, earn 2,000

Freedom Points.)

Solidarity movement is legalized in Poland. If

you are Poland or are in Poland, earn 2,000 Freedom Points.

Embassy grants you permission to

emigrate. Cross one border.



East German police shoot man trying to scale the Berlin Wall. If you are in E. Germany, lose 2,000

Freedom Points.

Hungary allows freedom of movement. If you are in Hungary, cross border

with Austria. YOU WIN!!! If not, move

across one border.

Romanian demonstration is

brutally crushed. If you are in Romania, lose

2,000 Freedom Points.





Hungary allows freedom of movement. If you are in Hungary, cross border

with Austria. YOU WIN!!! If not, move

across one border.

Gorbechev announces policy of Glasnost, openness,

to the world.You earn 1000

Freedom Points.


Soviet Union. You earn 1000.







Documents

Historical Inquiry for 21 st- Century Students ABC-CLIO Schools Workshop Series