Tuesday, September 30

You are writing your dictatorships unit multiple choice exam today. For the next two days, we will be working on essay writing followed by an in-class essay assignment. Keep in mind though, that you need to read pages 263-275 in your text to prepare for the next unit on economics (For Tuesday, October 7).

Monday, September 29

You will finish watching “The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union” which has about ten minutes of viewing time left. The rest of the class is to be used to study and prep for tomorrow’s multiple choice exam on dictatorships. You also need to keep abreast of the elections happening and would do well to take some time to look at the issues/platforms and candidates.

Friday, September 26

Today, you will have a number of handouts in your portfolio. Be sure to pull them out. You will have one on how to successfully answer Multiple Choice exams, one on what will be in the exams and, attached to this one, a number of reading quizzes that you can do for practice (but not for marks so you can discuss it with others).
Today, you will finish watching "The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union".

Thursday, September 25

We will finish up our notes on Fascism with Mussolini. You are to be sure to focus on getting all of your readings completed (reading actively) with a special focus on Nazi Germany fascism (we touched on this already but not at the needed depth of the text). We will also begin watching "The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union".

Wednesday, September 24

Make sure you check your portfolio when you come in as there is a page with a few notes on Leninism that I want you to read and attach to your Marxist notes (It just briefly states how Lenin altered Marx's views to suit his own purpose).
Today we will look at the steps necessary to maintain a dictatorship (note skeleton provided) and the political system of the USSR (including Glastnost) (note skeleton provided). If there is time, we will move on to the characteristics of fascism.
Keep up with your readings, even if they don't fit the lectures. The bottom line is that the lectures should round out the readings, not preclude them.

Tuesday, September 23

Today, we will finish off the notes from Friday on Marxism (and dictatorship introduction). I have not finished marking your essays, but have created a new marking rubrics which should make the process of understanding what you are doing (and how I am marking) much easier. In addition, I have put a "Dictatorship" point form overview booklet in your portfolios to help you with this unit. Keep in mind that what you learn here will be reinforced when we move on to more specific examples in the second half of this course.
If we have time, we will move on to discussing "The Political System of the Former USSR"

Friday, September 19

Today we are starting our unit on Dictatorships. I handed out a reading outline for you as well as key questions for this unit. It is up to you to prepare for class by doing the readings and questions stated on that outline.
We discussed Autocracy in depth today and examined ways that dictatorships begin, as well as some of the views that support the "Great Man" theory. If you didn't read the reading for this class, you will have a busy weekend.

Read pages 156-168 (you were to have done this for today) and the handout on Dictatorships that was in your folder.
Answer questions 1,2 and 14 on page 169
Do definitions on pages 169-170
Do questions 1a, b, and c, 4, 5a, 7a and b, 8 a, b, c, and d, and 10a and b. Also, do the first part of question one on page 171 (just make a list, number it and determine the three strongest for and against authoritarianism)

You are also to read the handout on the Government of the former USSR (also in your folder)