Theory. Evidence. Revision.
When the
Center Breaks
A ruler leaves. What actually changes? Investigate revolution, regime change and who can still govern through Tunisia, Egypt, Belarus and Sri Lanka.
Choose how to play
Just exploring: written notes are optional. Evidence reading, political choices and objective checks remain. For class: complete the required responses and follow your instructor’s directions. Switch inside the game without losing drafts. Returning to class brings you to missing class work; exploration never certifies skipped writing. Reports identify the mode and whether this investigation used exploration.
The investigation
- Build the toolkit. Distinguish leader exit, regime transformation, democratization and social revolution. Trace conditions through actors and actions.
- Investigate and compare. Examine Tunisia, compare Egypt, and challenge a generalization with Belarus. Audit sources, rival explanations and later evidence.
- Make the explanation travel. Write an independent Sri Lanka brief, preserve the first version and finish with a testable hypothesis.
Skills students practice
Use the notebook as evidence for assessment. Opening cards and meeting word floors record participation; they do not certify mastery.
| Skill | Student action | Observable work |
|---|---|---|
| Theory application | Turn an explanatory lens into an actor-action mechanism. | Tunisia mechanism and Egypt comparison |
| Concept formation | Separate leader exit, governing rules, democracy and social transformation. | Dated outcome ledger |
| Data literacy | Read units, percentages, percentage points and denominators. | Sri Lanka chart and parliamentary ballot audit |
| Source evaluation | Separate observation, testimony, institutional position and inference. | Tunisia rumor audit and Egypt canal check |
| Causal and comparative reasoning | Use a serious rival and seek evidence that discriminates between explanations. | Egypt comparison and Belarus missing-evidence request |
| Historical reasoning | Keep source availability and outcome dates separate. | Initial claims and later audit |
| Intellectual revision | Revise or retain a claim for a stated evidentiary reason. | Before and after notebook entries |
| Transfer and research design | Apply mechanisms to a different setting and formulate a testable hypothesis. | Independent Sri Lanka brief and its preserved pre-audit version; unfamiliar-case individual probe in the instructor manual. Completion is not a mastery score. |
Assess the explanation
The full manual provides a six-dimension, 18-point rubric: concepts; mechanism; evidence and data; rival explanation; revision and uncertainty; transfer and scope. Reward supported, bounded reasoning, including a precise inconclusive judgment. Students need not predict the historical ending or adopt a prescribed political conclusion.
Run it in class
- Assign the exact link and endpoint. Introduce state, regime, government and institutions before the advanced cases.
- Reserve discussion and saving time. Use chapter pause points and ask students to reconstruct a mechanism before reopening notes.
- Students use Notebook to print or export their report, check the file, then submit it through Canvas or the course system. Exporting does not submit it.
Access and saving
Free browser play, with no student account or paid AI service. Drafts stay on the current device and website. Use Save / restore to download a portable progress backup before moving devices, switching between these two websites or clearing browser storage. Definitions support hover, tap and keyboard use; text size and contrast controls are available. Original-source links require internet access.
Files for teaching and reuse
- Full design and instructor manual · PDF
- Student quick guide · printable HTML
- Self-contained game · HTML
- Complete teaching pack · ZIP
- Source register · 37 references · JSON
- Case evidence cards · JSON
- Cover artwork · WebP
Interpretation and limits
The four cases are purposively selected, not a representative sample for estimating revolution success rates. The Commission is fictional; historical events remain fixed. Cover art is an AI-generated conceptual illustration, not historical evidence. Reviews used AI-simulated perspectives; classroom timing and learning effects still require human piloting.
The full manual retains the original development-site address. Use the public play link on this page for assignments.
Created by Yoav Duman · Edition 2.0.0 · Publication package, 30 October 2026