Year 12 History Revolutions

Perhaps I should introduce this subject with some historical perspectives our Year 12s needed to memorise during their exam period:

“Man has the right to deal with his oppressors by devouring their palpitating hearts” – Jean Paul Marat. 

“The Cheka must defend the revolution and conquer the enemy even if its sword falls occasionally on the heads of the innocent” – Felix Dzerzhinsky 

Senior History at Epping Secondary College takes a great deal of courage, tenacity and at times, a strong stomach. History Revolutions is not for the faint hearted as we explore two revolutions which marked a stain (pardon the pun) as being the most bloody, violent and “Godless” (Peter McPhee) periods in modern civilisation. Indeed, as Simon Schama understands “violence was the motor of the revolution”. 

Now that I have your attention, let’s delve into what studying History is really about. The subject History can be commonly misunderstood as memorising dates and learning about “irrelevant” people and events in our world.  Nothing could be further from the truth about its relevance, especially in such a tumultuous and uncertain time like 2020-2021. This subject involves students not only explaining the causes and effects of conditions (sometimes involving economic crises & disease – sound familiar?) during the French and Russian revolutions but analysing and evaluating the significance of these events, people (such as the aforementioned quoted ones above) and movements in reverberating their ideologies and laws into the modern world. 

To say I am proud of the historians these students became over the duration of 2021 (and the past six years) is an understatement. Their zeal, empathy and passion for History and the insightful discussions both face to face and through a screen will be truly missed. Congratulations to the History Revolutions class of 2021, and the entire cohort!

“We are here by the will of the people, and we shall not disperse, except by the force of bayonets!” – Comte de Mirabeau

Scratch that. It’s more like this in 2020-2021 History Revolutions…

“We are here by the will of the people, and we shall not disperse, except by the force [Covid19 which made us leave like four times this year]!” – Comte de Mirabeau

And yet, they persevered. 

Madeline Korbut

Senior History Teacher