Lesson 6: Страна и сталинизм

Lesson Description:

If this is the first time you are using a RAILS lesson, we recommend that you take a look at the page About the lessons to make sure that you understand how some features of the lessons work.

This is the sixth lesson in a series of nine based on films by Marina Goldovskaya. It is also the first of four lessons based on clips from the documentary film «Дети Ивана Кузьмича». The lesson consists of four parts: История, Детство, Террор and Заключение.

You can find the Помощник and Словарь at the end of the lesson for easy reference, but they are also available in the lesson in places where you are most likely to need them.

What You Will Learn:

You will learn how Soviet society of the 1920s was transformed into a totalitarian state in the 1930s; about Lenin’s Political Testament and his opinion of the leaders of the country, including Stalin; about the enthusiasm and major achievements of the Soviet people of the time; about the era of the Great Terror; about communal apartments; and about the Patriarch Ponds neighborhood in Moscow. You will also work with rhetorical questions in Russian.

Learning Tips:

This lesson has rich cultural content. Be sure to use your background knowledge about Russian history and society. You may use additional reference materials, but keep in mind that there is a lot of commentary both in the activities themselves and in the Помощник.

This lesson is based on the film «Дети Ивана Кузьмича». Use of excerpts from the films Solovky Power and Children of Ivan Kuzmich in the RAILS lessons is courtesy of Goldfilms.

	Number of pages: 16
	Estimated completion time: 1 hour, 30 minutes