Assassinations That Changed the World presents an in-depth examination of assassinations that have changed the course of political events and world history. It provides not only a journalistic account of pivotal assassinations, but also an historical analysis, emphasizing the political/social prelude to the assassination and the repercussions. Using assassinations as a lens, Assassinations That Changed The World provides a complex study of modern world events. This series would be useful for classes on World History, Political Science, Religion and World Cultures. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.

Part I: Conspiracy for Change

Conspiracy for Change examines some of the major assassinations of the first half of the twentieth century, and how these assassinations were pivotal in the eruptions and courses of events of World War I and World War II, the Russian Revolution, the Holocaust, and other major world events.

Vocabulary

• avengers
• obliterate
• polyglot
• cloistered
• fusillade
• accomplice
• perpetrators
• detonate
• cabal
• indelibly
• inexorable
• alienation
• inept
• incongruous
• constituencies
• licentious
• pronouncements
• charismatic
• recalcitrant
• fervently

Discussion Questions

1. While an assassin's target may be one individual, the consequences of an assassination involve a great many individuals. How does an assassination kill us all?
2. The documentary refers to assassination as "murder that changes the world." Discuss some assassinations that have changed the course of world events.
3. Why is it necessary for an assassin to complete his task in a public forum?
4. The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria was one of the catalysts for World War I. What role did ethnocentrism play in Ferdinand's assassination? Compare the ethnic hostilities of Ferdinand's assassination with the ethnic hostilities of modern-day Bosnia and Serbia.
5. Czar Nicholas II of Russia was assassinated, along with his entire immediate family. Why was Nicholas and his family assassinated? What role did Nicholas's mediocrity as a ruler play in his assassination?
6. What role did the Czar and Czarina's fascination with the monk Rasputin play in their assassination?
7. How did the Romanov's assassination reflect the violent mood of revolutionary Russia?
8. What is the origin of the word "assassin?"

Extended Activities

1. Create a time chart that chronicles the major assassinations of the first half of the twentieth century.
2. Write an essay in which you speculate how history would be different if a particular assassination never occurred.