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AC Russia, 1894-1945: Tsardom and communism
Study political, economic, social and cultural developments in Russia from Nicholas II to Stalin's wartime USSR.
9
Objectives
45
Flashcards
45
Questions
90 min
Study time
AQAGCSEHistoryPaper 1 Section A: Period studies
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Syllabus checklist
What you need to know
9 objective pages available
Part one: The end of Tsardom3 objectives
- Study Russia's economy and society, including industrialisation and living and working conditions in cities and villages.
- Study Nicholas II's autocracy and court, including revolutionary opposition, the 1905 Revolution, October Manifesto, reform attempts to 1914, Dumas, political stalemate and Stolypin's land reform, industry and oppression.
- Study the First World War's impact on Tsarist government, social and economic effects in cities and countryside, Romanov unpopularity, Rasputin and the Tsar's abdication.
Part two: Lenin's new society3 objectives
- Study the Provisional Government, including failures over social, economic and military problems, Lenin, Trotsky, Bolshevik organisation and the October/November Revolution.
- Study the impact of Lenin's dictatorship, including the end of the First World War, Cheka, Red Army, the Civil War's causes, nature and consequences, Bolshevik success and propaganda.
- Study social and economic developments, including War Communism, the Kronstadt Rising, the New Economic Policy and the achievements of Lenin and Trotsky.
Part three: Stalin's USSR3 objectives
- Study Stalin as dictator, including the succession power struggle, Communist Party control, Terror, Purges, army, secret police, labour camps, censorship, cult of personality and propaganda.
- Study Stalin's modernisation of the USSR, including collectivisation, Five Year Plans, social and economic consequences for Kulaks, city dwellers, women, professional workers and industrial workers, and the extent of modernisation.
- Study the impact of the Second World War, including Stalin's wartime leadership and political, economic and social problems caused by the Great Patriotic War up to 1945.
Key terms
russiaNicholas II1905 RevolutionRasputinabdicationProvisional GovernmentLeninChekaTrotskyStalinpropagandacollectivisation
Exam tips
- Exam focus: russia: Support each point about russia with precise historical evidence.
- Exam focus: Nicholas II: Support each point about Nicholas II with precise historical evidence.
Common mistakes
- Avoid confusing russia: Anchor the answer to Part one: The end of Tsardom, use precise evidence, and state whether russia is a cause, consequence, change, continuity or significant development.
- Avoid confusing Nicholas II: Anchor the answer to Part one: The end of Tsardom, use precise evidence, and state whether Nicholas II is a cause, consequence, change, continuity or significant development.
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