The Russian Front

a guide for classroom teachers and teacher aides

During World War II, German soldiers would do anything to avoid being sent to the Russian Front. When given the choice between the Russian Front and the Western Front, German soldiers eagerly chose the Western Front – the weather for starters was much more hospitable than the deadly Russian winters. The soldiers seem to be more positive about going to war because they had avoided a potentially worse outcome. This is how the story goes anyway, and where this strategy originated.

Here is how this strategy applies in a typical high school scenario. The teacher offers students a choice between 2 activities. They can either read silently for half an hour, or they can practise writing an essay for the same period of time. Even the most conscientious student would never choose to write an essay voluntarily, so obviously the class opts to read silently – exactly what the teacher expected and intended. Having the upper hand, the teacher now has bargaining power and can demand something in return, ‘if we read instead of the essay, which we are supposed to do today, then we must read in absolute silence or we have to go back to the essay – deal?’