Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What is a revolution? How might revolution be different from other forms of political change? What factors might influence political reform? What social and cultural factors often play into revolution? What are some of the successful and unsuccessful examples of revolution in history?

Teaching Suggestion: The Family Romanov describes the political climate and factors surrounding the fall of the imperial family in Russia. It may be beneficial for students to read the article suggested or a similar resource describing the political climate of Russia at the turn of the century and the causes of revolution in history to discuss factors that often lead to political reform.

• This article describes Russia’s political and cultural climate in the early 20th century.
• This article explains what revolution is and the various causes of revolution.

2. What might be the benefits and pitfalls of an imperial government? Why might people who suffer under imperialism find ideologies such as Marxism appealing? What impact might poor working conditions and wages have on the lack of support for imperialism? What might some consider to be the pitfalls of capitalist societies? What might be the drawbacks of Marxism?