Teacher Resources
Steps in the research process
Brief Research Module:
20th Century Authoritarianism
and Propaganda
Brief Research Module:
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Scenario
After World War I, widespread disillusionment with government, uninspired leadership, and chaotic economic conditions fueled political changes that resulted in the establishment of a number of authoritarian governments: communist Soviet Union, fascist Italy and Spain, and national socialist Germany, as well as others such as Japan, Hungary and Portugal. These new regimes attempted to assert total control over the lives of their citizens.
| "All within the state, none outside the state, none against the state." |
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Benito Mussolini, dictator of Italy , 1922-1943 |
Task and Product
As a class, brainstorm different types of propaganda (ex. radio spots, school books, rallies) that a political group might use to persuade others to adopt their cause. Then discuss the different purposes that these propaganda can serve:
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With the above in mind, you and a partner will research the propaganda for one of these countries, covering the period fromWorld War I through World War II:
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You will use your research results to create either a scrapbook, video commercial, or a poster that depicts examples of political propaganda from your appointed country. Each example must be represented by a visual (even a radio broadcast can be depicted graphically) that is accompanied by a caption; all captions should include an explanation of how the example relates to a purpose as well as how the elements used in the propaganda item work to convey the message.
Assessment
Scoring tool for a scrapbook.
Scoring tool for group work.
Question
Essential Question:
How did political groups use propaganda to gain and maintain control of various countries in the first half of the twentieth century?
Gather
Print & Nonprint Resources
Check your library catalog for pertinent materials.
Also, see if your library has some related reference resources.
Internet Websites
Type your topic in the search box below:
Avoid plagiarism; properly quote, paraphrase, and summarize. Be sure to cite all your sources! Check the MLA guidelines and examples for citing resources; however, your school may use a different format.
Organize
(sort, sift, analyze, synthesize, evaluate)
Check point! It is time to assess your progress.
Now that you have gathered information, stop to evaluate your findings.
- Have you found sufficient details to answer all of your question?
- Can you throw away material which is not useful or does not answer your question?
- Do you need to rearrange the information in different categories?
- Can you condense or combine the information?
- Do you need to develop additional questions to adequately cover your topic?
If you have additional research needs, return to any of the resources in the Gather step.
Conclude
Are you ready to make your poster or scrapbook?
Recall your task and product as well as the essential question and the information you researched and organized. Review all of your materials to prepare for your product. It should reflect your efforts during the research process. Have you cited all your sources? Check your scoring tool to make sure you've covered all the bases.