Dictatorship and conflict in the USSR, 1924-53 is the historical investigation that studies how and why Stalin transformed the USSR between 1924 and 1953. You will focus on crucial events during this period, and study the different social, cultural, political, economic, military and religious changes that occurred.

This study will help you to understand the nature of dictatorship. You will investigate themes such as power, law and order, government, censorship, propaganda, art and culture, communism, dictatorship, economy and society. This course will enable you to develop the historical skills of analysing and evaluating historical interpretations. You will also develop the skills of explaining, analysing and making judgements about events. You will use the concepts of cause, consequences, change, continuity, similarity, difference and significance.

Dictatorship and conflict in the USSR, 1924-53 is split into 5 key enquiries:

• ❖ Enquiry 1 looks at the leadership struggle between 1924 and 1929. You will study how and why Stalin succeeded in the leadership struggle after Lenin's death. You will investigate the reasons for Stalin's success and the failures of his rivals.
• ❖ Enquiry 2 looks at Stalin's Five Year Plans and collectivisation. You will investigate the reasons for the introduction of the Five Year Plans, their aims, and their successes and failures. You will also study the policy of collectivisation; its causes, nature and consequences.
• ❖ Enquiry 3 looks at purges, show trials, the cult of Stalin and the revision of history. You will study the reasons for the purges, what happened and the impact on the USSR, as well as the role of individuals involved. You will also investigate how Stalin used his cult of personality to control the people.
• ❖ Enquiry 4 looks at life in the USSR between 1924 and 1941. You will study the effects of the government's policies on women, families and ethnic groups. You will explore the differences between the towns and the countryside.
• ❖ Enquiry 5 looks at the Second World War and after, between 1941 and 1953. You will study how the USSR fared in the war and the significance of the Battle of Stalingrad. You will investigate the final years of Stalin in terms of the post-war purges, the Fourth Five Year Plan and the impact of his declining health on his power.

Some of the key individuals studied on this course include:

• ❖ Joseph Stalin.
• ❖ Leon Trotsky.
• ❖ Nikolai Bukharin.
• ❖ Lev Kamenev.
• ❖ Grigory Zinoviev.
• ❖ Genrikh Yagoda.
• ❖ Nikolai Yezhov.

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

• ❖ The leadership struggle between 1924 and 1929.
• ❖ First Five Year Plan and collectivisation.
• ❖ Murder of Kirov.
• ❖ The Great Purge and the show trials.
• ❖ Nazi Germany invasion of the USSR in Operation Barbarossa.
• ❖ Socialist Realism in art and culture.
• ❖ Stalin's Great Retreat in education.

Dictatorship and conflict in the USSR, 1924-53 forms part of paper 1 where you have a total of 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete. You should spend 45 minutes on this section of the paper. There will be 1 exam question on Dictatorship and conflict in the USSR, 1924-53. The question will be broken down into 4 sections; a, b, c(i) and c(ii). You will answer a, b and either c(i) or c(ii).

• ❖ Question a is worth 6 marks. This question will require you to examine an extract and assesses your ability to analyse and evaluate a historical interpretation. You will need to identify the author's opinion or perspective by analysing the language the author uses and what they have chosen to comment on. You will explain how valid the overall interpretation is by using your own knowledge to evaluate the interpretation.
• ❖ Question b is worth 6 marks. This question will require you to explain two effects of an event on something else by using your contextual knowledge and looking at the consequences.You will need to identify two effects and then demonstrate how the event led to the effect you have identified.
• ❖ Question c(i) and c(ii) are worth 16 marked. This question will require you to construct an argument to support and challenge an interpretation stated in the question. You will be given two pieces of information to help jog your memory but you must use information of your own. 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.