Primary Sources
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Catholic Church in Poland Lesson Plan
Lesson plan for Catholic Church in Poland module….
Declaration of Charter 77
In 1976, the Czech psychedelic rock band, the Plastic People of the Universe, were arrested and tried by the Czech Communist government. The government convicted the band for disturbing the peace, with the band members serving 8 to 18 month sentences. In response to the arrest of the band, a group of Czech artists, writers, and musicians, including Vaclav Havel, circulated a petition for their….
How did Romanians respond in the days that followed?
Bucur describes the response both physically and emotionally by the Romanian people after Ceausescu was removed from power, and subsequently executed on live television in 1989, in Romania.….
What is unique about viewing Ceausescu's last speech?
Bucur describes the power of a visual source when studying 1989. She believes that visually being able to see Ceausescu in front of the crowd on December 21 evokes very strong emotional reactions and enables the viewer to really empathize with the people in the….
How do you help students understand Ceausescu's last speech?
Bucur explains that by contrasting Ceausescu's last speech with prior public speeches made in the same square, students are able to notice the subtle, yet crucial differences that made this moment so incredible in the history of….
What is important about Ceausescu's last speech?
Bucur describes the reaction when watching the video of Ceausescu's last speech and the power of this particular scene.….
What is difficult to understand about the "Common European Home" speech?
Bucur explains how the "Common European Home" speech is difficult for people to understand today because the European Union now exists and everyone has become accustomed to it.….
How do students study 1989 in your classroom?
Bucur explains her strategy of using primary sources in the classroom to help students understand the history of 1989.….
Is there a particular source that is important to study?
Bucur emphasizes the importance of Mikhail Gorbachev's "Common European Home" speech. It demonstrates the changes that had occurred in the Soviet Union since the Brezhnev Doctrine and the issue of security throughout….
What are the crucial moments of 1989?
Bucur stresses the importance of Mikhail Gorbachev's clear, open speeches in 1989 and the role that they played in revolutions throughout the region.….
Is there one moment that stands out in your experience?
Bucur sees the opening of the Hungarian border with Austria as a turning point in the revolutions if 1989. It was a moment where there was an opportunity for people to vote with their feet and to just get….
Were there challenges to researching 1989?
Bucur admits that there were challenges to researching 1989 before the archives and important documents were made public because so much information was kept secret during the Communist rule in Eastern….
How have your ideas changed?
Bucur describes how her ideas have evolved from a purely personal experience in Romania to looking at the larger context of the changes going on throughout the entire region.….
What were your experiences of 1989 in Romania?
Bucur describes her personal memories of 1989 while she was in Romania and the changes that were going on around her.….
How is Solidarity viewed today?
Kenney explains how his view of Solidarity in 1989 has changed as well as the publics view, which has been evident in the past ten years as Lech Walesa and others have been defeated by ex-Communist leaders in the presidential….
How should students interpret the poem?
Kenney explains how he teaches the poem to students by comparing them to sources from the strikes in 1980.….
What is significant about the poem?
Kenney explains how the poem was able to bring him into the atmosphere of the strike as he came to understand it.….
What is remarkable about the poem and the leaflet together?
Kenney describes how these sources made him rethink the role of Solidarity in the 1988 strikes and how the workers' views were left behind once the Communists agreed to negotiate with Solidarity.….
Does this poem help explain the strike?
Kenney reads a poem describing a 1988 strike from a mining town in which the young miners desire to have freedom but feel that they are stuck in a state of unknown.….