Materials

• Video on the rise of communism in Europe
• Teacher-selected reading, worksheet, or other reinforcement activity

Instructional Activities

1. Ask students to define capitalism, socialism, and communism in their own words. After a few minutes encourage students to share their definitions with the class.
   
   
2. Introduce Adam Smith’s and Karl Marx’s economics concepts. Encourage students to suggest the positive and negative aspects of each of these concepts. Explain the impact Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto had on Europe.
   
   
3. Show a video on the rise of communism.
   
   
4. Have students discuss any new insights the video has given them. Ask them why they think communism developed. Ask them why they think communism exists in some countries today. Ask them why a country might turn away from communism.
   
   
5. Assign a teacher-selected reading, worksheet, or other reinforcement activity using available teacher resources.