Communism was not limited to China and Russia. Dozens of other nations have experimented with communism. In fact, five nations still identify themselves as Marxist/Leninist today. Despite the similarity in ideology, each of these nations had very different experiences with this political structure.
Five communist regimes are included on the spider map example below. Students will analyze how and why different nations adopted communism. Students will also assess how well nations did under a communist regime.
See the example with Mozambique in the storyboard above!
Extended Activity
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Research nations that have experimented with communism or still consider themselves communist today and create a spider map detailing each nations's experience.
Encourage critical thinking by splitting your class into small groups, each representing a different communist nation. Assign roles such as 'pro' and 'con' for each country, and have students research and present arguments on the nation’s achievements and struggles under communism. This activity fosters engagement and helps students understand multiple perspectives while practicing respectful, evidence-based debate.
Have students choose or assign them a communist country to focus on. Provide research prompts like ‘What led this country to adopt communism?’ and ‘What were the main outcomes?’ This targeted approach ensures students dig deeper into their assigned nation’s unique experience.
Help students find credible sources, such as history textbooks and reputable websites. Teach them to gather facts and examples about each nation’s successes and challenges. Model how to cite sources and encourage students to include at least two pieces of evidence in their arguments.
Set ground rules for respectful discussion and listening. Assign each group a turn to present their arguments and respond to questions. Use a timer to keep the debate focused and fair, ensuring every group gets an equal opportunity to participate.
Wrap up the activity by asking students to share new ideas or surprising facts they discovered. Discuss how perspectives varied and what factors shaped each nation’s experience with communism. This step reinforces analysis and empathy as students consider diverse viewpoints.
Aside from China and Russia, countries such as Cuba, North Korea, Vietnam, Mozambique, and Laos have adopted communist regimes at various points in history, each with distinct experiences and outcomes.
Students can research nations that practiced communism and use a spider map to visually organize information about each country's political, economic, religious, social, intellectual, and artistic experiences under communism.
A spider map is a graphic organizer where the central idea (such as 'Communist States') is placed in the center, with branches showing key aspects like politics, society, and economics. It helps students break down and compare each nation's experience with communism.
A storyboard graphic should include illustrations or scenes that depict important events or themes from the nation’s communist era, along with a caption that summarizes the overall impact or assessment of communism in that country.
Teachers can tailor the activity by having students concentrate on one country or a specific region, using tools like a six-cell spider chart to analyze the impact of communism on areas such as politics, economics, religion, society, intellectual life, and the arts.