VCE History

A Twitter feed for VCE History (Revolutions), maintained by @alphahistory. Links, ideas, quotes and exam tips for all four revolutions. Questions welcome.

[Alpha History @alphahistory]

Hunter Lu describes the failures of communal dining during Mao Zedong's Great Leap Forward. Hailed as a miracle at first, the canteens were soon beset by shortages and corruption, contributing to one of the deadliest famines in human history. https://t.co/7YqHh6aFyU

[VCE History @vcehistory]

Donald Trump claims that even George Washington had skeletons in his closet. What were they? Washington owned slaves, didn’t visit his mother and once told a dirty joke. https://t.co/c7TBQzmMyP

[Alpha History @alphahistory]

New document: Nicholas Cresswell was a 24-year-old Briton who sailed to America in 1774 in search of adventure and opportunity. Instead, Cresswell encountered revolution and criticisms of Britain that conflicted with his own loyalist views. https://t.co/l4Gkt9rAbd

[VCE History @vcehistory]

How did France’s revolutionary government promote and facilitate the new metric system? By installing mètre étalons (‘metre gauges’) around Paris where you could measure and cut your own metre-long stick. https://t.co/mpKggJWcR5

[Alpha History @alphahistory]

New document: Writing in Yan'an in 1937, Mao Zedong outlines 11 behaviours that constitute "liberalism" - such as free-thinking, non-conformism and dissenting views - and urges Party members not to tolerate them. https://t.co/s2H0NvnVHS

[Alpha History @alphahistory]

New document: Writing about Russia in 1900, French historian Rambaud describes a country slowly entering the modern world through social, economic and cultural transformation - but held back by antiquated and stagnant political ideas and institutions. https://t.co/6SNLidkv5o

[Alpha History @alphahistory]

New document: "The wretched man’s head was now no more than an object of horror and repulsion". National Convention deputy Jacques-Joseph Cassanyes describes the grisly execution of Maximilien Robespierre in July 1794. https://t.co/1a0Anp5j6W

[Alpha History @alphahistory]

With its provocative tone and unapologetic 'bottom-up' perspective, Howard Zinn's 'A People's History of the United States' has become something of an antidote for consensus textbooks. But is Zinn's groundbreaking work 'good history', asks Sam Wineburg? https://t.co/IQcj1gBrVM

[VCE History @vcehistory]

@maddi_schmidt Glad it’s going to be of use. Bon appetit!

[Alpha History @alphahistory]

New document: In January 1786 the people of Greenwich in Massachusetts submitted this petition, appealing for currency reform or an easing of debt and bankruptcy laws. These grievances gave rise to Shays' Rebellion later that year. https://t.co/CiHGB0Je5x

[Alpha History @alphahistory]

From teenage girls who fought alongside the anti-Western 'Boxers' to female labourers in Mao's grandiose industrial schemes, women have played a key role in the modernisation of China, writes historian Gail Hershatter. https://t.co/1x6nvuApLK

[VCE History @vcehistory]

“Bolshevik Apartments”: no pantry or larder but the landlord comes around each week to beat you up. https://t.co/n4ankhahBl

[VCE History @vcehistory]

A historian argues that Thomas Paine’s role in the formulation and expression of ‘natural rights’ has been exaggerated and oversimplified. “Paine was more the inheritor of an old house than the architect of a new house” says Jonathan Clark. https://t.co/Oko3hZo2d4

[VCE History @vcehistory]

A nice little outline of the Russian Revolution and its aftermath, from a pro-Marxist perspective. Includes good summaries of the Civil War, nationalities, etc. https://t.co/7A8fMRR8G6

[VCE History @vcehistory]

Revolutions teachers - a reminder that a subscription to our VCE History website gives you access to six practice exams and answer guides, including two new papers for 2018. https://t.co/tO0AgBT0T5

[Alpha History @alphahistory]

The Red Terror was unfolding in Bolshevik Russia a hundred years ago this week. Danny Bird looks at the origins of the Terror and how "state-controlled media launched a vociferous campaign aimed at whipping up popular bloodlust". https://t.co/6J16G5GY8T

[VCE History @vcehistory]

The @revoltingrussia feed is worth a follow right now as the Red Terror is kicking off, in the wake of the assassination attempt on Lenin and the murder of Uritzsky. https://t.co/SxpADBgxqz

[Russia in Revolution @revoltingrussia]

Sep 9th 1918: Lists are being published containing the names of persons held hostage and facing execution, in retaliation for the attacks on Lenin and Moisei Uritsky. They include former officers, cabinet ministers and noblemen.

[Alpha History @alphahistory]

New document: Formed in 1966, the Red Guards provided both momentum and muscle for Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution and its war against supposed Rightist elements. This CIA report from 1968 outlines the origins and objectives of the notorious Red Guards. https://t.co/rYqcLBaQGJ

[Alpha History @alphahistory]

New document: In June 1791, Louis XVI and his family made a failed bid to escape Paris, which had become a hothouse for revolutionary radicalism. An account of their 'flight to Varennes' is given here by Louis' 12-year-old daughter, Princess Marie-Thérèse. https://t.co/Ww45QkPSGY

[VCE History @vcehistory]

On this day 100 years ago, Lenin was undergoing surgery for an assassination attempt two days earlier. Petrograd CHEKA boss Moisei Uritsky was shot and killed the same day. Lenin’s would-be assassin, Fanya Kaplan, was “nearly blind”. https://t.co/OABQIGh7m3