Revising AS2 Russia
Using your time in the exam
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There are 4 questions to choose from
You only do two of the four
You must do the a) and b) parts for the question you choose
Question a) = 8 marks (10 minutes)
Question b) = 22 marks (30 minutes)
When choosing your question – base your choice on your ability to
do the 22 mark question as it has higher marks (you will always be
able to get some marks for the 8 mark question even if it’s not a
great answer)
• Some candidates prefer to do their two 22 marks questions first –
that’s perfectly fine – just make sure to clearly indicate which
question you are doing
The 8 mark question
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Spend about 10 minutes on this question
Write 1 ½ - 2 sides max
This is not an essay – so you do not need an introduction or conclusion
This question is not asking you to analyse or weigh up the importance of
different factors – it’s simply asking you to identify and briefly explain the
key points e.g. ”what were the key features of Stalin’s cultural policies?” In
this question you would explain the aims of his policies and give examples
e.g. art, film, literature etc
Try to cover 5 or 6 clear points, organised in paragraphs – give some
explanation / supporting evidence – but this question does not require a lot
of detailed analysis
The potential danger with the 8 mark questions is that you might feel you
have a lot to write and go over the allocated time, thus reducing the time
available for the 22 marks essays – you need to be strict with yourself!
The 22 mark question
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Spend 30 minutes on this question
Write about 3-4 sides
This is an essay so you should spend a few minutes at the start writing out
a simple plan. You should have an introduction and conclusion (know your
conclusion before you start writing)
Use paragraphs to clearly lay out your points
Read the question carefully – make sure to focus your answer on the
question by referring to the key words in the question – “How successful
were Stalin’s economic policies?” – the key words are ‘how successful’ – so
cover the successes and the failures. “How far was Bolshevik success in
October 1917 due to Lenin?” – the key words are ‘how far’ and ‘Lenin’ - look
at what Lenin did and then look at the other factors in Bolshevik success
Unlike the 8 mark question, this question is asking you to analyse and cover
a range of factors. Look at both sides and try to back up your points with
supporting evidence
Break into manageable units
• Background to 1905 Revolution
• Immediate impact of 1905 Revolution
• 1905-14 Could Tsarism survive? (strengths of Tsarism /
weaknesses of opposition)
• 1914-17 Short term causes of February Revolution (role
of WW1 / role of Tsar / events of February)
• Feb-Oct 1917 Provisional Government / October
Revolution (weaknesses and mistakes of PG / strengths
of Bolsheviks / actions of Lenin / actions of Trotsky)
• 1918-21 Civil War (strengths of Bolsheviks / weaknesses
of Whites / role of Lenin / role of Trotsky)
• 1917-24 Bolshevik consolidation of power
• Bolshevik economic policy 1917-24 (State Capitalism /
War Communism / NEP)
• Bolshevik impact on society (women / culture & arts /
Orthodox Church)
• Role of Lenin 1917-24 (break into 1917 and 1918-24)
• Stalin’s rise to power (strengths of Stalin / mistakes of
opponents – Left and Right)
• Stalin’s economic policies (aims & objectives / industry –
5 Year Plans / agriculture - collectivisation / successes /
failures/ gainers / losers)
• Stalin’s control of the USSR (force V persuasion / purges
/ show trials / other forms of terror / propaganda &
indoctrination / social policies / Cult of Stalin / Stalin’s
Constitution)
Background to 1905 Revolution
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Long term causes …
Scale of Empire / ethnic diversity
Economic backwardness (agriculture / industry)
Peasant anger at Redemption Dues
Tsar (personality / belief in autocracy)
Growth in political opposition (Liberal opposition of MCs / revolutionary
opposition of SRs and SDs)
Short term causes …
Russo-Japanese War (military / economic impact)
Economic depression / harvest failure
Spark ….
Bloody Sunday (Note that the protests were initially peaceful – the intention
of the petitioners was to get their ‘Little Father’ to hear their complaints)
Note: A question on the causes of 1905 is likely to focus on the short term
causes / spark (make sure you can write about each in detail) – bring in the
long term causes but don’t let them dominate your answer
Immediate impact of 1905 Revolution
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October Manifesto (established the Duma)
Greater freedom of speech / press (combined with growth in literacy this led to growth
in criticism of the system)
Fundamental Laws (shows Tsar’s lack of commitment to change)
Electoral changes (gave greater representation to middle and upper classes)
Stolypin’s land reforms (political & economic aims / policies / impact – successes /
failures
Repression (Stolypin’s necktie)
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The Tsar survived because he was able to divide the opposition. He won over the
MCs with the Duma and the peasants by ending Redemption Dues. This meant he
could then use force to suppress the WCs and national minorities.
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There was a decline in violence after 1905 but this was partly due to an improvement
in the economic situation rather than support for the Tsar’s policies. The Tsar’s
failure to work constructively with the Dumas combined with a decline in the economy
from 1911+ led to a gradual increase in unrest, which increasingly became more
politicised
Russia 1905-1914
A question on this period is likely to focus on why Tsarism survived – was it due
to the strengths of Tsarism or the weaknesses of opposition?
– Strengths of Tsarism
• Political concessions (October Manifesto / greater freedom of speech and of the
press / but with limitations e.g. Fundamental Laws / electoral changes)
• Stolypin’s land reforms (cover the political / economic aims)
• Use of repression (Stolypin’s necktie)
• Retained the loyalty of the troops
• Gained from period of economic recovery
– Weakness of the opposition
• 1905 revolution had not been planned / participants had a mixture of economic &
political aims (e.g. workers / national minorities / peasants / middle classes)
• Political opponents of Tsarism between 1906 and 1914 were divided
– MC liberals (wanted reform not revolution / split between Kadets and
Octobrists). MCs had been horrified by the violence of 1905 and did not
want a repeat – this led to divisions in the Dumas between moderates and
extremists
– Revolutionary opposition divided SRs v SDs / SD’s divided between
Bolsheviks and Mensheviks – cover their various aims and methods
While the Tsar had survived and recovered from the 1905 Revolution, had he really
learnt the lessons of 1905? E.g. look at his failure to work with the 4 Dumas.
1914-17 Short term causes of February
Revolution
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Impact of the war
 Military impact / social impact / economic impact / political impact
Role of Tsar
 Commander in Chief / Tsarina & Rasputin / ministerial changes /
Progressive Bloc
Events of February
 Strikes & protests / mutinies / emergences of soviets / role of army /
abdication / setting up of Provisional Government
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In a question asking about the causes of the February Revolution you could
focus only on the period 1914-17 or you could bring in earlier long term
weakness – however, the long term factors should only form a small part of
the answer.
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Candidates tend to be obsessed with writing about Rasputin! – remember
he is just one of the factors you should cover
Feb-Oct 1917 Provisional Government /
October Revolution
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Weaknesses of Provisional Government
 Not elected so lacked legitimacy
 Inherited huge economic and social
problems
 Dual Authority with Petrograd Soviet
Mistakes of Provisional Government
 Decision to continue the war / June
Offensive
 Delay in calling elections to Constituent
Assembly / failure to deal with land
issue
 Failure to satisfy national minorities
 Failure to deal with economic problems
 Granted freedom of speech / freed
political prisoners
 Failure to deal decisively with the
Bolsheviks after the July Days
 Reaction to Kornilov / release of
Bolsheviks
 Decision to act against the Bolsheviks
in October
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Strengths of Bolsheviks
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Role of Lenin
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Role of Trotsky
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April Theses (All power to Soviets / Peace,
Land, Bread – appeal to soldiers / workers /
peasants)
Winning over the Party
Disassociating the Bolsheviks from the July
Days
Encouraging Bolsheviks to get involved in the
Petrograd Soviet – eventually led to them
getting a majority as attendance from other
parties dropped
Working with Trotsky to plan rising
Decision to have the rising at the time the AllRussian Congress of Soviets was meeting –
could then claim to be seizing power on behalf
of the Soviets
Supported Lenin
Planned the details of the rising
Organised the Red Guard and MRC
Other factors – the mistakes of the SRs
and Mensheviks
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Joined the Provisional Government / so lost
credibility with the increasingly radicalised
masses
1918-21 Civil War
• Strengths of Bolsheviks
– Aims / unity
– Geographical advantages
– Strong leadership – Lenin /
Trotsky
– Support
– Use of propaganda
• Weaknesses of Whites
– Aims / lack of unity
– Geographical
disadvantages
– Weak leadership
– Lack of support
– Failure to appreciate
importance of propaganda
A good answer will have a good level of supporting evidence and will
make clear comparisons between the Bolsheviks and the Whites
Make sure you can write in detail about the role of Lenin and Trotsky
1917-24 Bolshevik consolidation of power
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Closure of Constituent Assembly (claimed to be seizing power on behalf of
the Soviets)
Issuing Decrees (Land / War / Worker control – gained support)
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (to focus on civil war)
Execution of Tsar (got rid of a focus for the opposition)
Winning the Civil War
– Strengths of Bolsheviks / weakness of opponents
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Dealing with opposition outside the Party
– Secret police / banning other political parties
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Dealing with opposition inside the Party
– Ban on factionalism
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Economic policies
– 1918-21 War Communism (to win Civil War) / then 1921+ NEP (to gain support
and improve economy)
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Social policies
– Women / the Orthodox Church (also cover Islam) / Culture and the Arts (Aims: to
increase control and broaden support)
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Winning over national minorities
– Setting up of federal system – the USSR – gave national groups a small degree
of independence
Bolshevik economic policy 1917-24
• State Capitalism 1917-18 (a lot of students forget about this one)
– Aims (political / economic)
– Policies (industry / agriculture)
– Outcomes (successes / failures)
• War Communism 1918-21
– Aims (political / economic)
– Policies (industry / agriculture)
– Outcomes (successes / failures)
• New Economic Policy 1921+
– Aims (political / economic)
– Policies (industry / agriculture)
– Outcomes (successes / failures)
Note – all 3 policies had a consistent overall aim – survival. Each policy was
suited to the specific circumstances in which it was brought in. While they were
different in substance they still had a common aim. All 3 were successful in some
ways and a failure in others.
Bolshevik impact on society
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Religion
– Aims
– Policies
– Outcomes (successes /
failures
Women & family
– Aims
– Policies
– Outcomes (successes /
failures)
Culture & the Arts
– Aims
– Policies
– Outcomes (successes /
failures)
Note: Bolsheviks social policies aimed to
increase support and increase political
control
Note: Be ready for a question that asks
you to assess the success (or
otherwise) of the Bolsheviks in
establishing control – so look for ways
they succeeded and ways they met
with resistance or were a failure
Note: When revising, think in terms of
gains and losses (Most people gained
in some ways and lost out in others)
Role of Lenin 1917-24
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Look carefully at the dates in the question – a question on 1918-24 is
not asking you about Lenin’s role in 1917
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The role of Lenin Feb-Oct 1917
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April Theses (Two key slogans: All power to Soviets / Peace, Land, Bread)
Winning over doubters in the Party (Zinoviev and Kamenev)
Disassociating the Bolsheviks from the July Days
Encouraging Bolsheviks to get involved in the Petrograd Soviet – as attendance from
other parties dropped the Bolsheviks gradually gained a majority
• Working with Trotsky to plan the rising
• Decision to have the rising at the time the All-Russian Congress of Soviets was meeting
– so could claim to be seizing power on ‘behalf of the Soviets’
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The role of Lenin 1918-24
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Closure of Constituent Assembly (creating one-party rule)
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany (harsh terms but necessary)
Support for Trotsky in Civil War (e.g. decision to restore hierarchies in the army)
Economic policy (War Communism 1918-21 / NEP 1921+)
Dealing with national minorities (creating a federal structure - USSR)
Using terror as an instrument of policy (particularly during civil war but continued
afterwards – Stalin was later able to build on this)
• Dealing with opposition (banning other parties / ban on factionalism within Bolshevik
Party)
Stalin’s rise to power
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Stalin’s personality (ruthless ambition)
Key positions in the Party (e.g. Party Secretary)
Use of Lenin Enrolment to increase power base (new WC members looked
to Stalin as a ‘man of the people’)
Capitalised on Lenin’s death (the funeral / Trotsky’s absence)
Succeeded in suppressing Lenin’s Last Will and Testament
Development Cult of Lenin (linked himself to Lenin’s legacy)
Used Lenin’s Decree on Party Unity to suppress opposition within the Party
Capitalised on divisions within the Party 1) over economic policy 2) over the
future of the revolution – (these are very important so make sure to cover
both)
Capitalised on the weaknesses and mistakes of his opponents (Trotsky /
Zinoviev / Kamenev / Bukharin)
Note: A question is likely to ask you to weigh up factors e.g. How far
was his rise to power due to the weaknesses of his opponents –
make sure to cover other factors as well
Stalin’s economic policies
Policy for Industry
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The 5 Year Plans
Aims / objectives (political /
economic / military)
Policies – what actually happened
Successes / gainers
Failures / losers
Policy for Agriculture
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Collectivisation
Aims / objectives (political /
economic)
Policies – what actually happened
Successes / gainers
Failures / losers
Be prepared to describe the successes / failures of each policy (and back up with evidence) e.g.
Stalin’s agricultural policy may not very been very successful in economic terms but it did help
him to extend his control in the countryside by getting rid of the kulaks and other ‘rival’ symbols of
authority
Be prepared to make comparisons between industrial and agricultural policies – which was more
successful? - they were both successful in some ways and a failure in others, though on the
whole Stalin’s industrial policy was the more successful
Be prepared to weigh up economic successes with the human cost – look at gains and losses.
Note: despite the hardships of Stalin’s 5 Year Plans there was still a lot of enthusiasm for the
transformation he was bringing about e.g. Stakhanovite movement
Stalin’s control of the USSR
Use of Force
• The Purges
– Reasons
– Methods
– Victims
• Other methods of terror
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Secret police
Informers
Labour camps
Unrealistic targets
Passport system
Punishment for absenteeism
Use of Persuasion
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Youth organisations
Education
The Media
Leisure & public celebrations
Culture / the Arts
Cult of Stalin
New Soviet Constitution 1936
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What did the Constitution say?
Theory v reality
Be prepared for a question
specifically on this
Be prepared to make comparisons between the two – force v persuasion
Be prepared to assess the success / failure of Stalin’s methods of control –
also who gained / who lost out?
Gainers and losers in Stalin’s Russia
Gainers
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Less well off peasants - gained from
collectivisation
Communist Party members – greater
opportunities to move up career
ladder, special ‘perks’
Workers – rewards for meeting targets
Women – greater freedom e.g. access
to education and to employment
(though this also had negative effect
on families)
Young people – youth organisations,
more equal access to education
Society in general – greater emphasis
on equality of opportunity. Many felt
they were playing a part in creating a
new type of society
Losers
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Kulaks – labelled ‘class enemies’ and
‘liquidated’
The Russian Orthodox Church –
restrictions on preaching etc
Workers – pressure to meet targets /
punishment for absenteeism etc
Political opponents – sent to labour
camps or executed
Families – increases in divorce,
abortion and child abandonment
‘Bourgeois experts’ – tolerated under
Lenin, but not under Stalin
Artists and other ‘creative’ people had
to follow the ‘communist’ line
Society in general – restrictions on
freedom of speech / potential victims
of purges / indoctrination
The lists above are just a selection – use your knowledge to add to them