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One day professional development course at the Imperial War Museum featuring Dr Daria Mattingly, leading authority on the Holodomor
Date: Tuesday 4 November 2025
The Foundation for the History of Totalitarianism is delighted to invite teachers of History, Politics and PSHE/Citizenship to attend our first CPD course which will be on the subject of the Holodomor.
The course will take place at the Orpen Boardroom of the Imperial War Museum. Dr Daria Mattingly, one of the leading experts on the Holodomor, will present one of the sessions and she will also be on the panel in the question and answer session. John Jefferies, Head of Politics at Warwick School, will host the conference. A representative of the Ukrainian Embassy will speak and lunch will include traditional Ukrainian food.
The Holodomor was a man-made famine which devastated Ukraine between 1932–1933. It is estimated that 3.9 million people died as a result of policies initiated by the Soviet leadership.
In the morning delegates will explore the causes of the Holodomor, how and why it happened and why it has been unknown for so long. In the afternoon leading academics will discuss the historical significance of the Holodomor and what were the motives of those who enforced it.
As well as learning about the Holodomor, teachers will be equipped with a lesson plan, focusing on the heroic efforts of Gareth Jones to uncover the truth, so that they can engage their own pupils in this important and under-studied period of European history.
The conference is likely to appeal to GCSE and A Level history teachers who study the Soviet Union. It will also be of interest to Politics and PSHE/Citizenship teachers because of its focus on the way in which genocide was facilitated by ideological conviction, bureaucratic mechanisms and a failure of imagination.
The cost of the day will be £195 including a Ukrainian-themed lunch and access to the Imperial War Museum.
Participants in the course will leave with a ready-to-go lesson plan, a concise illustrated booklet, a complimentary copy of At Dawn They Came – Soviet Terror and Repression 1917–1953 by Giles Udy, and a Foundation for the History of Totalitarianism mug.
This session will explore the political circumstances which made the Holodomor possible:
This session will be led by Dr Daria Mattingly, joint editor of “The Holodomor in Global Perspective” (2025). Daria is one of the foremost experts on the Holodomor. She will incorporate some of the most recent research on the subject.
Although it is estimated that 3.9 million people died in the Holodomor, even today few people in the UK are aware of its existence. This session will explore why, since the 1930s, the victims of the Holodomor have been written out of history.
The Holodomor raises enduring questions about Soviet history. This session will particularly focus on the motives behind the Holodomor:
The panel will include Daria Mattingly, a member of the Ukrainian Embassy as well as other leading academics.
A lesson plan will be presented showing how best to engage pupils with the story of the Holodomor and the issues it raises, such as claims and counter-claims of "fake news".
This session will explore the political circumstances which made the Holodomor possible:
This session will be led by Dr Daria Mattingly, joint editor of “The Holodomor in Global Perspective” (2025). She will incorporate some of the most recent research on the subject.
Although it is estimated that 3.9 million people died in the Holodomor, even today few people in the UK are aware of its existence. This session will explore why, since the 1930s, the victims of the Holodomor have been written out of history.
The Holodomor raises enduring questions about Soviet history. This session will particularly focus on the motives behind the Holodomor:
The panel will include Dr Daria Mattingly, a member of the Ukrainian Embassy as well as other leading academics.
A lesson plan will be presented showing how best to engage pupils with the story of the Holodomor and the issues it raises, such as claims and counter-claims of "fake news".
Telling the truth about history honours the victims, acknowledges their suffering, and highlights the heroism of those who resisted these totalitarian crimes. Memorialization also promotes accountability for despots whose policies impose catastrophes, with contempt for the humanity of those affected…The history of the Holodomor also reminds us of our common responsibility to defend the cause of humanity and our shared respect for human life.
GOV.UK 2023
The brigade had pitchforks, and they came to every house searching for bread. They used crowbars to come inside. Then they went to all the barns trying to find any buried bread.
Petro Mohalat, 1927.
Fear of death loomed over the cottage, for they had not enough potatoes to last until the next crop. … I set forth again further towards the south and heard the villagers say, “We are waiting for death.”
Gareth Jones, The Daily Express, April 6, 1933
