GCE A Level History
Revision
Russia and Its Rulers
Little Heath School
Thursday 7 June 2012
Meet the
Examiner
Top tips
10.00 – 10.20
What markers are told
• “Candidates are expected to demonstrate
understanding of the issues in each question over
a period of at least a hundred years.
• Candidates are reminded of the synoptic nature of
the Unit.
• Answers are required to demonstrate
understanding of the processes of historical
continuity, development and change across the
full breadth of the period studied”.
How to be synoptic
• Those who write synoptically include references
to various sections (or rulers) of the 100 year
period in each paragraph
• Better candidates make cross references,
comparisons and links between different periods
in each paragraph
• The highest scoring essays will make consistent
comparisons between different historical events
relevant to the themes, often on a sentence by
sentence basis.
How to achieve A*
• ‘Several candidates scored full marks on both
essays. They demonstrated a remarkable ability
to write synoptically. They produced a good
overview introduction, then cross-referenced,
thoughtfully selecting evidence to support their
argument and counter-argument before
concluding with a clear judgement based on
their prior arguments’.
Chief Examiner’s Report – January 2012
How to get stuck at C
• ‘There seems to be a reluctance or inability
amongst some candidates to structure answers
in such a way which provides direct cross
comparison of material from different historical
periods. This is a pity, because many candidates
clearly have plenty of relevant knowledge at
their disposal, and could boost their overall mark
by a whole grade by simply making more direct
cross comparisons within paragraphs’.
Chief Examiner’s Report – June 2011
How to get stuck at C
• ‘Weaker candidates, graded at C or below,
adopt a chronological approach, with synoptic
assessments being made in a more random
manner, often being left until the conclusion, or
emerging fairly infrequently in the course of the
essay’.
Chief Examiner’s Report – June 2011
How to do really badly
• ‘Answering a question that has been written or
prepared in advance rather than the EXACT
QUESTION ON THE PAPER leads to
candidates being marked down as their answers
are insufficiently focused on the key words in the
question’.
Chief Examiner’s Report – Every Year!
How to plan in the exam
• The most effective answers were usually preceded by a
brief outline or plan of the candidates' intended approach.
This practice is strongly recommended.
• Better plans indicate the key words of the question and the
direction in which the answer is to go.
• ‘Candidates who want to achieve high grades must focus
their answer on the key word or phrase in the question’.
• ‘Candidates need to spend a significant amount of time
planning their answer and thinking about the themes they
will use before they begin to write’.
Chief Examiner’s Report – June 2011
Introducing yourself
• First impressions are important!
• ‘The candidates who perform best are those
who indicate some cross comparison in their
opening paragraph as a way of establishing a
particular argument in relation to the question.
• In this opening paragraph, they establish which
themes are relevant to the question, then
structure the rest of the essay around discussion
of these themes’.
Chief Examiner’s Report – June 2011
Turning Point Essays
• In the June 2011 and January 2012 Chief
Examiner’s reports these essays have been
identified as causing candidates problems.
• This is because ‘they simply produce a list of
possible turning points and then analyse each one
in turn, but this does not allow synthesis or
comparison between different turning points’.
• In other words although 4 or 5 possible turning
points are discussed, each has its own separate
paragraph with comparison missing until the end.
Turning Point Essays
• The Chief Examiner recommends 2 good approaches:
1. Select 4 or 5 major events and then approach the essay
thematically by analysing their impact in terms of issues such as
political, social, economic etc. In this way candidates will ensure
that they compare the events in each paragraph and can conclude
that event X might be most important in terms of political change,
but event Y is more important in terms of economic development.
• However this approach is hard to use if the question specifies
‘most important turning point in the development of Russian
government’. Then writing about social or economic developments
seriously damages the essay.
Turning Point Essays
• The Chief Examiner recommends 2 good
approaches:
2. Select 4 or 5 major events and then analyse
events separately, but in each paragraph make
comparison with both the named turning point in
the essay question and with other possible turning
points so that synthesis is clearly present.
How to annoy the marker
• ‘Unfortunately some candidates still use
abbreviations such as Alex II, AIII, N2 or
PG; some even state at the start that this
is what they will do. This short-hand
neither looks good nor reads well’.
Chief Examiner’s Report – June 2011
The Examination
Two essays
60 minutes each
Choice of 3 titles
The Specification
• 4 topic areas
• Examiner will set one essay
from 3 of the 4 topic areas in
each examination season
The Specification
1. Russian rulers: similarities and differences in the main domestic policies of
Alexander II, Alexander III, Nicholas II, the Provisional Government, Lenin, Stalin,
Khrushchev.
2. The nature of government: autocracy, dictatorship and totalitarianism;
change and continuity in central administration; methods of repression and
enforcement; the extent and impact of reform; the extent and effectiveness of
opposition both before and after 1917.
3. The impact of the dictatorial regimes on the economy and society of the
Russian Empire and the USSR: changes to living and working conditions of urban
and rural people; limitations on personal, political and religious freedom; extent of
economic and social changes.
4. The impact of war and revolution on the development of Russian
government: the effects of the Crimean War, the Japanese War, 1905
Revolution, 1917 Revolutions, World War One, World War Two, the Cold War.
Question styles
– Government before / after 1917
Aims – what did each ruler want to achieve
Methods – how did each ruler rule; their policies (reform / repression)
Outcomes – how successful was each ruler in achieving their aims
Essays asking whether one ruler was better than the rest at ‘something specific’.
– Essays comparing the nature of Russian government before and after 1917
– TURNING POINT essays especially related to turning points in how Russia was
governed
– Essays about opposition
 Which ruler / regime controlled opposition most successfully
 When and why was opposition more / less successful
– Living and working conditions – society and the economy
Peasants
Proletariat
(or BOTH together)
– Essays about whether WARS or REVOLUTIONS changed Russian government most
UNIT
F966
JAN
10.
2010
11.
Question/ Topic Area
12.
JUNE 10.
2010
11.
12.
JAN
10.
2011
11.
12.
JUNE 10.
2011
11.
12.
JAN
10.
2012
11.
12.
“The nature of Russian government was changed more by Stalin than by any other ruler.” How far do you
agree with this view of the period from 1855 to 1964?
[2]
Assess the view that all the rulers of Russia had similar aims in domestic policy in the period from 1855 to
1964.
[1]
Assess the view that the lives of the peasants in Russia did not improve in the period from 1855 to 1964. [3]
How far do you agree that the October Revolution of 1917 was the most important turning-point in the
development of Russian government in the period from 1855 to 1964?
[4}
Assess the view that Russia’s communist leaders did less than the Tsars to improve the lives of the
working class in the period from 1855 to 1964.
[3]
“Opposition to Russian governments was ineffective in the period from 1855 to 1964.” How far do you
agree with this view?
[2]
Assess the view that the 1905 Revolution changed Russian government more than other events in the
period from 1855 to 1964.
[4]
‘Communists and Tsars ruled Russia the same way.’ How far do you agree with this view of the period from
1855 to 1964?
[1]
Assess the view that economic change in Russia was more successful under Stalin than any other ruler in
the period from 1855 to 1964.
[3]
Assess the view that the condition of the peasantry in Russia was transformed in the period from 1855 to
1964.
[3]
‘The communist rulers were effective autocrats; the Tsars were not.’ How far do you agree with this view
of Russian government in the period from 1855 to 1964?
[2]
‘‘All Russia’s rulers tried to modernise Russia.’ How far do you agree with this view of the period from 1855
to 1964?
[1]
‘Lenin was more successful in dealing with opposition than any other ruler of Russia in the period from
1855 to 1964.' How far do you agree with this view?
[2]
‘The development of Russian government was influenced more by war than any other factor.’ How far do
you agree with this view of the period from 1855 to 1964?
[4]
How far does a study of living and working conditions in the period 1855 to 1964 suggest that the Russian
peoples lost more than they gained after 1917?
[3]
See also past questions from previous very
similar specification (ended in 1956 not 1964)
Russia’s Rulers
A swift overview
10.20 – 11.00
Tsar
Alexander II
1855 - 1881
Aims, Methods & Outcomes
AIMS
• To secure the throne:
• Make himself, the Romanov Dynasty and autocracy
more popular.
METHODS
• Reform ‘from above’
OUTCOMES
• Alexander II faced a rising tide of opposition and
ultimately the Peoples Will assassinated him in 1881.
Turning Points
• An good case could be made that Alexander II’s accession to the
throne in 1855 was a significant turning point in the government of
Russia. His decision to ‘reform from above’ led to the
Emancipation Edict in 1861. In one fell swoop he ended serfdom
and brought Russia and its peasants out of mediaeval feudalism.
• This case is flawed. The inadequacies of emancipation were
quickly apparent. The lives of the peasants remained grim as
exemplified by the famine of 1891.
• For the purposes of an essay about RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT is
it relevant? How can you make this relevant by explaining how
freeing the serfs led to changes in government?
Turning Points
• In 1881 the assassination of Alexander II, the ‘Tsar
Liberator’, brought a final end to the period of reform
dominated by his emancipation of the serfs in 1861. His
successor, Alexander III, ruled repressively and
autocratically; his reign is often referred to as ‘the Reaction’.
• It has been argued that the assassination of Alexander II
marked the last chance that the Romanovs might reform
sufficiently to save their doomed dynasty. This argument has
some validity but Alexander II, faced with a rising tide of
opposition abandoned any serious attempt to reform and
modernise Russia long before the Peoples Will sentenced
him to death.
Tsar
Alexander III
1881 - 1894
Aims, Methods & Outcomes
AIMS
• To secure the throne:
• To restore traditional autocracy.
METHODS
• The ‘Reaction’ – increased repression
• But allowed Witte to commence ‘the Great Spurt’
OUTCOMES
• Re-established secure government (but Trotsky argued
that Alexander III ‘bequeathed Nicholas II a revolution’).
Turning Points
• Alexander III’s reactionary policies restored stability
during his reign, but as Trotsky has argued, his legacy to
Nicholas II was to be the revolutions of 1905 and 1917.
• The Romanovs were on collision course with
catastrophe; Alexander II’s assassination was a
significant event but it was not the most important
turning-point in the development of Russian government
in this period.
Tsar
Nicholas II
1894 - 1917
Rasputin
Aims, Methods & Outcomes
AIMS
• To secure the throne:
• To maintain traditional autocracy.
• To ‘rule like my late, unforgettable father’.
METHODS
• Repression
• Reform (when forced into it by revolution)
OUTCOMES
• Abdication in February 1917 and ending of the Romanov
dynasty (and of autocracy)
Turning Points
• The Russian Revolution of 1905 led to the October Manifesto, the
apparent abandonment of autocracy and introduction of a constitution &
the formation of the Duma, 4 of which existed between 1906 and 1917.
• It could be argued that this was an important turning-point in the
development of Russian government because it was the only period in
which Russian government deviated from its autocratic / dictatorial norm.
• However, Nicholas II’s announcement of the Fundamental Laws and
reassertion of autocracy before the Duma had even sat, his sacking of the
first two Dumas within months of the elections and his blatant rigging of
subsequent elections for the third and fourth Dumas all suggest that this
was a façade.
• Nicholas II announced the October Revolution as a ‘divide and rule’
strategy to avoid being overthrown in 1905. The differences this made to
the reality of absolute rule were negligible and short-lived.
Turning Points
• The revolutions of 1917 profoundly changed the course of
Russian history, ending the Romanov dynasty and creating
the world’s first communist state. Even if Berdiaev was correct
when stating that ‘All of the past is repeating itself, and acts
only behind new masks’, this was a fundamental change of
significant importance in Russian and world history.
• The replacement of autocratic Tsarism with the world’s first
communist government during the revolutions of 1917 was of
major importance. By 1956 a significant part of the world was
communist and predominantly under the direct influence of
the USSR. All of this was a direct result of the events of 1917
and the Bolshevik seizure of power.
From Autocracy
(or did that end in 1905)
February (March) - October (November) 1917
THE PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT
To Communist Dictatorship
Aims, Methods & Outcomes
AIMS
• Democracy
• A temporary (provisional) government until elections for
a Constituent Assembly could be held.
METHODS
• Greater freedoms / liberal reforms
• But stayed in the WAR and failed to re-distribute the land
OUTCOMES
• Overthrown by the Bolsheviks in October
(Lenin’s slogan: ‘Peace, Bread and Land’).
Turning Points
• The ending of autocracy when Nicholas II abdicated in
February 1917 gave Russian Government a window of
opportunity in which to develop a constitutional and
democratic model.
• However the Provisional Government made so many
mistakes that it was swept aside in October before the
planned elections to the new Constitutional Assembly
could take place.
Lenin
1917 - 1924
Aims, Methods & Outcomes
AIMS
• To secure power
• To introduce communism / Marxism
• To modernise Russia and catch up with the West
METHODS
• The ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’
• But key reforms in 1917 and again in 1921 (NEP)
OUTCOMES
• Communists securely in power by 1924 when Lenin died
Turning Points
• Lenin seized power in October 1917, finally ending the
liberal dream that Russia might develop a constitutional /
democratic government in the period studied.
• He established the world’s first communist state and
destroyed the power of the old elites – the Russian
Orthodox Church and the landowning class; everyone
was a ‘comrade’ now;
• However his dictatorial style of government, including his
banning of factions in the Communist Party and crushing
of the Kronstadt Revolt owed much to the ‘autocratic’
model.
Stalin
c.1924 - 1953
Aims, Methods & Outcomes
AIMS
• To secure power
• To defeat and eliminate all possible rivals
• To modernise Russia and catch up with the West
METHODS
• Terror, Show Trials and purges
• The Five Year Plans and collectivisation
OUTCOMES
• The USSR was victorious in the Second World War and
was challenging the USA in the Cold War when Stalin died
in 1953
Turning Points
• Stalin’s rise to power was of immense significance.
• Stalin’s acquisition of total power had a huge impact as the
countless victims of de-kulakisation, the terror, the gulags and the
Show Trials could testify. As Khrushchev admitted in 1956 under
Stalin ‘Soviet citizens came to fear their own shadows’. Stalin’s
betrayal of the principles of the revolution led to what Lynch has
described as ‘the replacement of one form of state authoritarianism
by another’.
• Since the opening up of the old Soviet archives many historians now
claim that Stalinism grew directly out of Leninism, Volkogonov,
stating: ‘everything done in Russia after Lenin’s death was done
according to his blueprint’.
Khruschev
c.1954 - 1964
Aims, Methods & Outcomes
•
•
•
•
•
•
AIMS
To secure power in power struggle after Stalin’s death
To defeat and eliminate all possible rivals
To modernise Russia and catch up with the West
METHODS
De-Stalinisation (the ‘Secret Speech’, 1956)
Changed industrial focus to include consumer goods
OUTCOMES
On 14th October, 1964, the Communist Party Central
Committee forced Khrushchev to resign.
Turning Points
• Khrushchev’s announcement of de-Stalinisation in his
‘secret speech’ of 1956 promised the Russian people
reform from above.
• Khrushchev’s ‘Thaw’ was a welcome respite after the
brutal excesses of Stalin but his reforms didn’t lead to a
significant overhaul of the communist system.
• In 1956 Khrushchev crushed the Hungarian Revolt
despite his criticisms of Stalin’s regime and his
announcement of ‘peaceful co-existence’.
Question Planning
11.00 – 12.00
Three questions to plan
11.00 – 11.20
• ‘All of Russia’s rulers ruled Russia in the same way.’ How far do
you agree with this view of the period from 1855 to 1964?
11.20 – 11.40
• How far do you agree that the 1905 Revolution was the most
important turning-point in the development of Russian government
in the period from 1855 to 1964?
11.40 – 12.00
• Assess the view that Russia’s communist leaders did less than the
Tsars to improve the lives of the people in the period from 1855 to
1964.
Question
Key Words and Phrases in the question
Key issues to be discussed
Point
Introduction
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Conclusion
Line of Argument
Ideas and line of argument.
(How does this tie to the key words in the title)
Content
(Which different periods to compare)
‘All of Russia’s rulers ruled
Russia in the same way.’
How far do you agree with
this view of the period from
1855 to 1964?
First thoughts
• Key Words
• Key Theme to focus on
• My argument and counter-argument
• My probable overall judgement
Five Paragraphs
• What can I focus each paragraph on to enable
me to then write synoptically, crossreferencing and comparing several rulers in
each paragraph (if not sentence by sentence)?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
P1
P2
P3
P4
P5
How far do you agree that
the 1905 Revolution was the
most important turningpoint in the development of
Russian government in the
period from 1855 to 1964?
First thoughts
• Key Words
• Key Theme to focus on
• My argument and counter-argument
• My probable overall judgement
Five Paragraphs
• What can I focus each paragraph on to enable
me to then write synoptically, crossreferencing and comparing several rulers in
each paragraph (if not sentence by sentence)?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
P1
P2
P3
P4
P5
Assess the view that
Russia’s communist leaders
did less than the Tsars to
improve the lives of the
people in the period from
1855 to 1964.
First thoughts
• Key Words
• Key Theme to focus on
• My argument and counter-argument
• My probable overall judgement
Five Paragraphs
• What can I focus each paragraph on to enable
me to then write synoptically, crossreferencing and comparing several rulers in
each paragraph (if not sentence by sentence)?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
P1
P2
P3
P4
P5
Good Luck!!
• You have until Tuesday 12 June to use
what you have learned today to really get
yourself prepared for this synoptic paper
• Use the time wisely
• If you want to prepare a range of essay
plans you can submit them for approval to
– epodesta@littleheath.w-berks.sch.uk
– akydd@littleheath.w-berks.sch.uk