Royals and Revolutionaries: A Research Project Odyssey

Year 12 students are now working on a research project using two assessments, 2.1 and 2.2, that will be worth eight credits. The focus of the research will be on an important figure involved in the revolutions of 1917 in Russia. Students may research Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, Rasputin, Lenin, or Leon Trotsky.

Students will then report the key historical information about their subject and how they influenced and were influenced by the March Revolution and/ or November Revolution of 1917. Students will write a script of an interview involving their research subject with the purpose of showing their actions and perspectives about these events.

Below are some links relevant to this project.

General historical research links:

There are guidelines and questions that any historian needs to ask in order to conduct a successful research project.

This is a great database and starting place for most historical research.

Russian History sites:

This has dozens of links to primary and secondary sources about Russian history. You may find information about individual figures like Nicholas II, events like the February-March Revolution, or political parties like the Bolsheviks.

Nicholas II and Alexandra and the Romanov dynasty links are here. There are also links to Rasputin's involvement with the Tsaritsa Alexandra here.

There are many secondary and some primary links about Rasputin.

Here a various biographical works and interviews of Lenin.

Here is a positive historical view of Lenin by a British scholar.

This interview with Richard Pipes, one of the leading Russian historians, gives more insight into Lenin's views and actions.

This transcript of a documentary about the Russian Revolution and Lenin's role has some useful information from important historians.

This website collects writing and speeches by Leon Trotsky, as well as numerous accounts of the Russian Revolution.

This is biographical site about Trotsky.