Jan. 30-Feb. 5, 2014, Current Events Lesson Plan
Current Event:
In an attempt to calm the turmoil roiling Ukraine, President Viktor Yanukovych recently signed into law a bill granting amnesty to protesters who have been detained by the government. However, opposition forces rejected this bill. They argued that the offer, which requires them to first vacate government buildings they have occupied, essentially makes hostages of the detainees, who, they say, must be freed without any conditions. The unrest in Ukraine began on November 21 when President Yanukovych backed out of proposed political and free trade accords that would have moved the country closer to the European Union (EU). To most Ukrainians, the West represents freedom, democracy, and prosperity. However, Yanukovych feared that moving Ukraine closer to the EU could trigger painful reprisals from Russia. Russia has dominated Ukraine on and off for more than 200 years. During a natural gas price dispute in 2009, Russian President Vladimir Putin cut off the flow of natural gas to Ukraine, leaving the country without heat during a particularly cold January.
Objective:
Ukraine is Europe’s second-largest country in area, behind only Russia. During the late 1700′s, nearly all of Ukraine came under Russian control. In 1917, revolutionaries known as Bolsheviks (later called Communists) seized control of Russia. Ukraine became an independent country the following year, but it soon came under Russian rule. In 1922, Ukraine became one of the four original republics of the Soviet Union, and it became known as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. For many decades, the Soviet Union forced Ukrainians to use the Russian language and favored the Russian culture over the Ukrainian culture. Many Ukrainians began protesting these and other restrictions in the 1960′s. In 1991, following an upheaval in the Soviet government, Ukraine declared its political independence. Late that year, Ukraine became recognized as an independent country after the breakup of the Soviet Union. The Behind the Headlines news stories and related World Book articles explore Ukraine, Russia, and other European countries.
Words to know:
- Bolsheviks
- Communism
- Europe
- European Union
- Free trade
- Kiev
- Natural gas
- Russia
- Ukraine
- Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.)
- Viktor Yushchenko
- Vladimir Putin
Discussion Topics:
1. Ask your students to name other European countries. (Europe consists of 49 countries. Students might say France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom.)
2. Ask your students what they know about Europe. (Students might say Europe includes the world’s largest [Russia] and smallest [Vatican City] countries; many important historical events, including the Renaissance, Industrial Revolution, World War I, and World War II, began in Europe; the majority of European countries belong to the European Union; European countries have some of the world’s highest standards of living.)
3. Ask your students to debate, “When is civil disobedience justified?”
4. Ask your students to use World Book’s Timelines feature to create a timeline of the history of Ukraine. (Students may want to use the “History” section of World Book’s Ukraine article for help.)