Upheaval in Russia

1. Set Focus
Pose this essential question to guide discussion: How do autocratic leaders maintain popular support? What leads to the fall of an authoritarian government?

2. List Vocabulary
Share with students some of the challenging vocabulary words in this article. Encourage them to use context to infer meanings as they read.

• opposition leader (p. 12)
• police state (p. 13)
• denounced (p. 13)
• autocratic (p. 13)
• dissent (p. 14)
• consolidated (p. 14)

3. Engage
Have students share what they know about Russian President Vladimir Putin. Then have students describe what they think life in Russia is like under Putin.

4. Read 
Have students read the article, marking the text to note key ideas or questions.

5. Discuss
Distribute or project Up Close: Upheaval in Russia, a close-reading activity for students to work on in small groups. (Note: The questions on the PDF also appear in this lesson, below, with possible responses.) Follow up with a class discussion. If you’re short on time, have each group tackle one or two of the questions. Collect students’ work or have each group report its findings to the class.

• What is the central idea of the article? How do the title of the article and the opening image hint at the central idea? (Central idea, visual analysis)
  (The central idea of the article is that Russian President Vladimir Putin may be losing his autocratic control over the country. In the title, the word upheaval—which means a huge change that comes on suddenly and often involves a lot of turmoil or conflict—hints at the idea that Putin may be losing his control. The image of protesters clashing with police, which is a form of standing up to Putin, also hints at the central idea.) 

• What connection does the author make between Russia’s long history of autocratic leaders and Putin’s rise to power? (Compare & contrast, development of ideas)
  (The author recounts Russia’s long history of autocratic leaders, from czars to communist dictators, to explain why democracy lasted only briefly in Russia after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Russia had little experience with democracy, so the mayhem of the transition period and the economic collapse left many Russians disillusioned with democracy, and they embraced Putin as the new strongman in charge, officially electing him in 2000.)

• According to the author, what factors have led to the current state of unrest in Russia? (Cause & effect, key details)
  (Economic decline, caused partly by international sanctions and partly by lower oil prices, is one factor. Another factor is the discovery that Putin has been secretly building himself a lavish palace on the Black Sea while ordinary Russians struggle to survive. A third factor is the arrest of Aleksei Navalny, an opposition leader.)

• In the first section of the article, Lyudmila Mikhailovna describes the government in Russia as “a police state.” What does that mean? Which details in the article provide clues to the meaning? (Word meaning, cite text evidence)
  (A police state is a government that maintains control by using the police, as well as the military, to suppress opposition and control the population. Details that provide clues to the meaning of the term include “the arrest of opposition leader Aleksei Navalny,” the existence of a “secret police,” the likelihood that the secret police were behind the attempted killing of Navalny, and police cracking down- on peaceful protesters—likely based on orders from Putin.)

• Aleksei Navalny is an opposition leader in Russia. What does that mean? What can you infer about his political beliefs based on this label? (Make inferences)
  (An opposition leader is the leader of a political party not in power that opposes the policies of the current leader of a country. Based on Navalny’s role as an opposition leader, you can infer he is against the corruption that pervades police and judicial systems in Russia and is in favor of a more transparent system of government.)

• Navalny has called for Russians to keep fighting against Putin’s regime by saying “You cannot lock up the whole country.” Do you think this is an effective message of inspiration? Why or why not?(Evaluate claims) 
  (Students’ responses will vary, but they should support their ideas with evidence from the text. Students may note that Russians might fear being locked up, like Navalny, for dissenting, so this message could inspire courage.)

6. Writing Prompt
Why do some people follow authoritarian leaders? Conduct research, using both primary and secondary sources, to answer the question. Then write a one-page summary of your findings.

7. Video
Watch the video about Russian teens and Putin. What does it add to your understanding?

8. Classroom Debate
Should the U.S. impose new economic sanctions on Russia to put pressure on Putin?

9. Quiz & Skills
Use the quiz to assess students’ comprehension and Organizing Ideas to review outlining skills.