Holy Cross High School
Higher History Essay Plan
Russia Essay 5: AN EVALUATION OF THE REASONS FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE OCTOBER
REVOLUTION 1917
Wording: As with every Higher essay, this could be worded in a number of ways, but the
question will always ask you the same thing. It will ask you to EVALUATE THE REASONS AS
TO WHY THE OCTOBER REVOLUTION WAS A SUCCESS. As you should now, there were a
variety of factors that contributed to the success of the October revolution. This question
is essentially asking you to evaluate which reasons were more important than others.
Possible titles:
A. How important was political discontent in causing the October Revolution of 1917?
B. To what extent did the failures of the provisional government contribute to the
October revolution of 1917?
C. How important was the leadership of Lenin to the Bolshevik success in 1917?
D. How important was the decision to continue with WW1 in causing the October
Revolution of 1917?
E. How important was the strength of the Bolshevik Party in causing the October
Revolution of 1917?
F. How important were economic factors in causing the October Revolution in 1917?
A good tip for writing essays is to continually refer to the wording of the
question. For instance, essay C and essay E look very similar. However,
one essay emphasised Lenin and one emphasises the Bolshevik Party as a
whole. As always, try to use the wording of the question;
“In this sense, it could be said that while economic factors were certainly adding to the
political instability, it was not new to Russia. Yet the Bolshevik Revolution was; this
perhaps suggests that there were other factors as play come October.” (for essay F)
PLEASE USE THE RUSSIA ESSAY 5 NOTES AND THE MARKING INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE BLOG
TO HELP WITH OVERALL UNDERSTANDING OF THIS TOPIC
Holy Cross High School
Faculty of Social Subjects (History)
Essay Plan
Introduction:
Starting Period: Make sure you set the essay in context. Here you should allude to the EVENTS of OCT
1917. Perhaps make reference to the events of 1917; February had seen the collapse of Tsarism as the
supposed establishment of a ‘new’ Russia. (summarise briefly but try to grab my attention
effectively- DON’T BE BORING- THIS IS THE FIRST SENTENCE OF AN ESSAY DISCUSSION A PERIOD THAT
WAS TO SHAPE THE TWENTIETH CENTURY)
Ending Period: Amazingly, after a few months, this new government was to itself be overturned by a
communist revolution led by Lenin and the Bolshevik Party.
Argument: Start with the ISOLATED FACTOR. Acknowledge that this was certainly a cause of the
revolution (whatever it is).
Factors: But!!! Acknowledge that other factors also contributed. Briefly summarise the evidence you will
use to answer the question; Make sure you signpost!!! Factors you might want to mention are 1) Failures
of the Provisional Government 2) Genuine strength and popularity of the Bolshevik Party (leadership,
propaganda, promises) 3) Economic and Political Issues including WW1 4) The Land Issue 5) Dual Power
(Petrograd Soviet v Provisional Government
Remember for each ‘other factor’ you will have to provide as summary as to what was actually done,
rather than a list to achieve 4/4 for your introduction.
Paragraph 1: The Role of the Petrograd Soviet
Your first paragraph must show how the issue of dual power, and particularly the Petrograd Soviet
contributed to the Revolution. What evidence is there to suggest it DID. Include in this paragraph the
failures of the Provisional Government as well as the strengths of the Petrograd Soviet. What do
historians say? (For failures of the Provisional Government, include how they dealt with the July Days
and Kornilov revolt)
Paragraph 2: Bolshevik Strength
REMEMBER TO LINK PARAS!!! Then explain how Bolshevik strength contributed to the Revolution. I’d
include their policies, propaganda (the use of Pravda), and especially the leadership qualities of Lenin
and Trotsky. Be analytical- explain how this contributed to revolution
Paragraph 3: Economic and Political Issues
LINK!!! How did economic problems aid the revolution? Bring in the problems of WW1.
Paragraph 4: The Land Issue
LINK!!! Explain how the underlying problem of ‘land’ contributed to the revolution? How did the
Bolshevik party manage to use it to their advantage?
A top essay will also include awareness of historical debate. It will also continually refer to
the question and summarise at the end of paragraphs.
Conclusion:
Summarise!!! Make sure you come to a BALANCED but strong conclusion (Take a side, but acknowledge
other sides). I want you to let me know the real extent to which you think the reforms worked!
Remember the structure (use as a basis for your conclusion but try to develop)
1)
2)
3)
4)
In conclusion… (1 sentence answering the question)
On one hand…(summarise one side of the argument i.e it was the Petrograd Soviet)
On the other hand… (summarise the other side of the argument i.e other factors)
Overall…(One final sentence summing up your whole essay)
Holy Cross High School
Faculty of Social Subjects (History)