In Units 3 and 4 Revolutions students investigate the significant historical causes and consequences of political revolution. Revolutions represent great ruptures in time and are a major turning point in the collapse and destruction of an existing political order which results in extensive change to society. Revolutions are caused by the interplay of events, ideas, individuals and popular movements, and the interplay between the political, social, cultural, economic and environmental conditions. Their consequences have a profound effect on the political and social structures of the post-revolutionary society. Revolution is a dramatically accelerated process whereby the new regime attempts to create political, social, cultural and economic change and transformation based on the regime’s ideology.
Change in a post-revolutionary society is not guaranteed or inevitable and continuities can remain from the pre-revolutionary society. The implementation of revolutionary ideology was often challenged internally by civil war and externally by foreign threats. These challenges can result in a compromise of revolutionary ideals and extreme measures of violence, oppression and terror.
In these units students construct an argument about the past using historical sources (primary sources and historical interpretations) as evidence to analyse the complexity and multiplicity of the causes and consequences of revolution, and to evaluate the extent to which the revolution brought change to the lives of people. Students analyse the different perspectives and experiences of people who lived through dramatic revolutionary moments, and how society changed and/or remained the same. Students use historical interpretations to evaluate the causes and consequences of revolution and the extent of change instigated by the new regime.
Entry - There are no prerequisites for entry to Unit 3.
What were the significant causes of revolution?
How did the actions of popular movements and particular individuals contribute to triggering a revolution?
To what extent did social tensions and ideological conflicts contribute to the outbreak of revolution?
In this area of study students focus on the long-term causes and short-term triggers of revolution. They evaluate how revolutionary outbreaks were caused by the interplay of significant events, ideologies, individuals and popular movements, and how these were directly or indirectly influenced by the political, social, economic, cultural and environmental conditions of the time.
Students analyse significant events and evaluate how particular conditions profoundly influenced and contributed to the outbreak of revolution. They consider triggers such as in France the calling of the Estates-General. Revolutionary ideologies emerged in opposition to the existing and dominant order, such as Marxism-Leninism in Russia. These ideologies were utilised by individuals and popular movements to justify revolutionary action and change. In the French Revolution, students analyse the degree to which the influence of Enlightenment ideas were instrumental in promoting change in French society. In Russia, they consider to what extent Marxist ideas challenged Tsarist Autocracy.
Revolutions can be caused by the motivations and the intended and unintended actions of individuals who have shaped and influenced the course of revolution. Individuals including Louis XVI and Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès in France, and Tsar Nicholas II and Vladimir Lenin in Russia had a significant impact on the course of revolution. Popular movements showed that collective action could be transformed into revolutionary forces that could contribute to or hinder revolution as they sought to destroy the old order and/or established order.
Students evaluate historical sources about the causes of revolution and explain why differing emphases are placed on the role of events, ideas, individuals and popular movements.
The key knowledge for this area of study in Units 3 and 4 comes from the following timeframes:
The French Revolution (1774–4 August 1789)
The Russian Revolution (1896– 26 October 1917)
What were the consequences of revolution?
How did the new regime consolidate its power?
What were the experiences of those who lived through the revolution?
To what extent was society changed and revolutionary ideas achieved or compromised?
In this area of study students focus on the consequences of the revolution and evaluate the extent to which the consequences of the revolution maintained continuity and/or brought about change to society. The success of the revolution was not guaranteed or inevitable. Students analyse the significant challenges that confronted the new regime after the initial outbreak of revolution. They evaluate the success and outcomes of the new regime’s responses to these challenges, and the extent to which the revolution resulted in dramatic and wide-reaching political, social, cultural and economic change, progress or decline.
As new political regimes attempted to consolidate power, post-revolutionary regimes were often challenged by those who opposed change. They may have unleashed civil war and counter-revolutions, making the survival and consolidation of the revolution the principle concern of the revolutionary state. Challenges such as the creation of the Civil War in Russia had profound consequences for the revolutionaries trying to establish a new order. Revolutionary ideologies were sometimes modified and compromised as the leaders became more authoritarian and responded to opposition with violence. In some cases there were policies of terror and repression, and the initiation of policies of social control as a strategy to maintain power. This was seen in The Terror in France.
Individuals such as Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky in Russia attempted to create significant changes to the system of government and the fabric of society. These revolutionary leaders could not predict some of the consequences of their social, political, economic and cultural actions. This often resulted in opposition, unforeseen reactions and unintended consequences. In analysing the past, students examine the historical perspectives of those who lived in the post-revolutionary society and their experiences of everyday conditions of life that were affected by the revolution, such as the peasants and workers in Russia.
Students evaluate historical sources about the success and outcomes of the revolution, the new regime’s consolidation of power, the degree to which they achieved and/or compromised their revolutionary ideology, and the extent of continuity and change in the society.
The revolution selected for Area of Study 2 in Unit 3 and Unit 4 must be the same revolution that was chosen for Area of Study 1 in Unit 3 and Unit 4. The key knowledge for this area of study in Units 3 and 4 comes from the following timeframes:
The French Revolution (5 August 1789–1795)
The Russian Revolution (26 October 1917–1927)
School-assessed Coursework for Unit 3 will contribute 25 per cent to the study score.
School-assessed Coursework for Unit 4 will contribute 25 per cent to the study score.
The examination will contribute 50 per cent.
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Students will require to purchase two text books from the Booklist, one for the Russian Revolution and one for the French Revolution.