Russia, 1905-41 is the depth study that investigates why and how the tsarist regime collapsed in 1917 and was transformed into a communist dictatorship between 1917 and 1941. You will focus on the crucial events and people of this period, as well as studying the different social, cultural, political, economic, military and religious changes that occurred.

This study will help you to understand the complexities of political change and control. You will investigate themes such as power, law and order, revolution, government, censorship, propaganda, art and culture, communism, dictatorship, economy and society. You will develop the skills of explaining, analysing and making judgements about events, beliefs, people and situations. You will use the concepts of cause, consequences, change, continuity, similarity, difference and significance to construct valid historical explanations.

Russia, 1905-41 is split into 4 key enquiries.

• ❖ Enquiry 1 looks at the reasons why Tsar Nicholas II's reign ended in 1917. You will investigate to how Tsar Nicholas survived the 1905 revolution, and to what extent he successfully dealt with the issues facing Russia up to 1914. You will study the impact of the First World War on Russia and why the revolution of March 1917 was successful.
• ❖ Enquiry 2 looks at how and why the Bolsheviks gained and consolidated power from 1917 to 1924. You will investigate the successes and failures of the Provisional Government after the March Revolution and why the Bolsheviks were successful in the November 1917 revolution. You will study how the Bolsheviks consolidated power in the Civil War and evaluate the impact of their New Economic Policy.
• ❖ Enquiry 3 looks at Stalin's rise to power and how he created a personal dictatorship. You will investigate how Stalin won the leadership struggle between 1924 and 1929, and the reasons behind the purges of the 1930s. You will explore how Stalin controlled the USSR, and to what extent that control was secure by 1941.
• ❖ Enquiry 4 looks at Stalin's economic policies and their impact on the USSR. You will study why the Five Year Plans and collectivisation were introduced and evaluate their impact. You will investigate the how far these policies transformed the lives of the peoples of the USSR.

Some of the key individuals studied on this course include:

• ❖ Tsar Nicholas II.
• ❖ Tsarina Alexandra.
• ❖ Grigori Rasputin.
• ❖ Vladimir Lenin.
• ❖ Joseph Stalin.
• ❖ Leon Trotsky.
• ❖ Alexander Kerensky.
• ❖ Pyotr Stolypin.

Some of the key events you will study on this course include:

• ❖ Bloody Sunday, 1905.
• ❖ The effect of the First World War on Russia.
• ❖ The February Revolution, 1917.
• ❖ The Russian Civil War.
• ❖ The consolidation of Bolshevik control.
• ❖ The New Economic Policy.
• ❖ The Five Year Plans.
• ❖ Stalin's cult of personality.

Russia, 1905-41 is one of the specified depth studies found in Paper 1, where you have a total of 2 hours to complete 3 questions. You must answer 2 questions from the core section of the paper and one question from a choice of two questions on your chosen depth study. Therefore, you will answer one question on Russia, 1905-41 if this is your chosen depth study. The question is comprised of 3 sections; a, b, and c.

• ❖ Question a is worth 4 marks. This question will require you to describe key features of the time period. You will be asked to recall 2 relevant points and support them with details.
• ❖ Question b is worth 6 marks. This question will require you to explain a key event or development. You will need to identify two reasons, support those reasons with relevant factual detail and then explain how the reasons made the event occur.
• ❖ Question c is worth 10 marks. This question will require you to construct an argument to support and challenge an interpretation stated in the question. You will need to have a minimum of three explanations (two on one side and one on the other) in total, fully evaluate the argument and come to a justified conclusion. You will have the opportunity to show your ability to explain and analyse historical events using 2nd order concepts such as causation, consequence, change, continuity, similarity and difference.