Teaching the Russian Revolution 1917

Knowledge and Pedagogy Rebooted

This page makes available materials resulting from a joint event for KS4/5 teachers in November 2022 with the University of Manchester, the Historical Association and the Study Group of the Russian Revolution. 

Beginning with the February Revolution, which deposed the 300-year old Romanov dynasty, and leading to the October Revolution, which brought Lenin’s Bolsheviks to power, the year 1917 is pivotal to modern historians. The revolutions of this year, and their lasting consequences, are a common focus for schools and 6th Form colleges across the country and feature heavily in KS4 and KS5 curricula.
The materials provide up-to-date research and innovative pedagogy for teaching the Russian Revolution by leading academics in the field as well as History teachers actively teaching in this area.

Slides & Materials Download

Recordings of the Talks

Due to the poor sound quality of the videos, we will be adding subtitles over the coming weeks and will be releasing the videos as and when they are ready.   

The Russian Revolution 1917 - An Extremely Brief Introduction

Dr Alistair Dickins, Cheadle Hulme High School  - provides a brief overview of the 1917 events. 

You can toggle subtitles off and on by clicking on the CC icon in the video player. 

Power point title slide reading The Russian Revolution 1917 - and extremely brief introduction Play

The Politics of the Russian Revolution, 1917

Dr Lara Douds, Assistant Professor in Russian History, University of Northumbria   

Dr. Douds, a leading scholar of Russian Revolutionary and Soviet politics, examines how different groups competed and cooperated to seize power and shape the politics of Russia in 1917. Moving beyond the Bolshevik/Liberal divide, she demonstrates how different political groups developed alliances and enmities during this year, leading towards not just the October Revolution, but also national independence and other more specific aims.

A Revolution of the People

Professor Chris Read, Emeritus Professor, University of Warwick  

Professor Read, a widely published author on revolutionary movements and society in Russia, looks at the kaleidoscope of social movements that animated the Russian Revolution. The traditional focus of historians has tended to be on the ‘high politics’ of Petrograd. However, recent historiography has focused increasingly on the experiences of Russians in the provinces, countryside, and non-Russian areas. Professor Read’s talk examines many of these previously overlooked groups, from workers, soldiers, and peasants to soldiers’ wives, nationalities, prisoners of war, and the unemployed.

Visualising Revolution

Dr Rachel Platonov, Senior Lecturer in Russian Studies, University of Manchester 

Dr. Platonov, a leading authority on Russian culture and the arts, discusses the visual representation of the Russian Revolution, including posters and art. Providing an insight into how the revolution was seen through the eyes of people at the time, posters and images from 1917 make for valuable classroom teaching materials. Dr. Platonov highlights how revolution was expressed through visual culture, revealing how this can be used in a classroom setting.