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| Speaking Freely In the Soviet Union's Autocratic Government |
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Author: Mollie S. MacAdams, Southern Middle, Anne Arundel County Public Schools
Grade Level: Middle/High
Duration: Two class periods |
Overview:
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The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that guarantees the freedom of speech can often be taken for granted. As American citizens we have the right to speak freely without the fear of censorship. Around the world, and certainly throughout history, this has not always been the case. In this lesson students will specifically examine portions of the constitutions of the United States and former Soviet Union to identify what each says about the freedom of speech. The two countries make for an interesting comparison since each experienced similar formative events in their histories, but ultimately ended up with vastly dissimilar effects on the rights and privileges of its citizens.
At the core of this lesson students will have to investigate what were the stated purposes and structures of the two governments? How do these affect how much control the government needs to exert over its citizens, especially pertaining to the freedom of speech? Primary source documents presenting real-life examples of issues surrounding the freedom of speech in both countries will be examined and analyzed by the students. |
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