OATHALL COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Russia 1914 – 41 Big Fact Checker
Below are questions you should know the answers to before the exam! Test yourself again
and again until you know the answer to each one by heart. Get someone at home to test
you regularly. When you are confident practise some of the past paper questions you have
been given.
Why did the rule of the Tsar collapse in February/March 1917?
The government of Nicholas II in 1914 (P148 CT; P62 RG – CT = Core Text; RG +
Revision Guide)
1) What is an AUTOCRAT/AUTOCRACY?
2) Where did the TSAR believe his powers came from?
3) Who supported his rule?
4) How did the Tsar deal with critics/opposition?
5) What were his weaknesses as a ruler?
6) Who was his wife?
7) What was their attitude to democracy being introduced into Russia?
The nature of Russian society in 1914 (P149 CT, P62 – 63 RG)
1) How large was Russia?
2) What were communications like?
3) How did the Russian economy compare to other modern industrial powers?
4) What was happening to Russian industry in terms of growth?
5) What were conditions like in the growing industrial cities?
6) Who were the PROLETARIAT?
7) How were they treated by the government?
8) What percentage of the population were peasants?
9) How successful was Russian agriculture? Why?
10) What were peasants lives like?
11) How did non-Russians feel about the Tsar’s rule? What did many of them want?
12) Why were most Russian peasants loyal to the Tsar?
The emergence of opposition groups (P150 CT, P63 – 4 RG)
1) Who were the SOCIALIST REVOLUTIONARIES? What were their aims/beliefs/methods?
2) Who were the SOCIAL DEMOCRATS? What were their aims/beliefs/methods?
3) What happened to the Social Democrat Party in 1903?
4) How did the BOLSHEVIKS and MENSHEVIKS differ in their beliefs?
5) Who led them?
6) How were their leaders/supporters treated by the Tsar’s government?
7) Who were the liberals (moderate opposition)? What were their aims/beliefs/methods?
8) What party did they form in 1905?
9) What was the DUMA?
The impact of the First World War on Russia (P153 – 56 CT, P64 – 65 RG)
1) When did WW1 break out?
2) How did Russian people react at first?
3) What is PATRIOTISM?
4) How successful was the Russian army?
5) How did this affect the popularity of the Tsar?
6) What problems affected the performance of the Russian army?
7) Who was blamed for the failures of the army?
8) Why did this change in 1915?
9) Why was this such a big mistake by the Tsar?
10) How was life in the cities affected by the war?
11) What problems existed with the transport system?
12) How did these problems affect Russia/ordinary Russians?
The growing unpopularity of the Romanovs
1) Why did the Tsar’s popularity fall?
2) Why was it a bad idea to leave Alexandra in charge of the government?
The role of Rasputin
1) How did Rasputin gain influence with the royal family?
2) Why was he so unpopular with many of the Tsar’s supporters?
3) How did Rasputin negatively affect the government of the country?
4) What finally happened to Rasputin in December 1916?
5) In what way was Rasputin partly responsible for the fall of the Tsar?
The Tsar’s abdication March 1917
1) How did the weather influence events at the end of 1916/start of 1917?
2) Who took strike action in February/March 1917?
3) What happened as a result of this strike?
4) What was the food situation at the time?
5) How did the government respond to the increasing unrest?
6) How did the soldiers react to the Tsar’s orders?
7) What happened on 12 March?
8) What happened when the Tsar tried to return to Petrograd?
9) Who persuaded the Tsar to ABDICATE? Why? When did he abdicate?
10) Who now took control of the government?
Why were the Bolsheviks able to seize power in
October/November 1917?
The problems facing the Provisional Government (P157 CT, P66 RG)
1) What was the PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT? Why was it `provisional’?
2) What was the PETROGRAD SOVIET? Why was it a problem for the PG?
3) Why was it difficult for the PG to govern Russia and win support? (consider economic
situation)
4) What did the PG do regarding the issues of:
a) The land?
b) The war?
5) Why/how did these decisions weaken the PG?
6) How did the ending of censorship/release of political prisoners help the opponents of the
PG?
The failures of the Provisional Government
1) Where was Lenin when the March Revolution happened?
2) What did he now do? Who helped him? Why?
3) What did Lenin announce on his return to Russia?
4) What was his famous slogan? Why was it so appealing to many Russians?
5) What happened to the massive military attack launched by the PG in June/July 1917?
6) What were the `July Days’?
7) How was this a setback for the Bolsheviks?
8) What was the main reason the PG held onto power in July 1917?
9) What happened to the war effort and army after the military defeat in July?
10) What was the Kornilov affair/revolt?
11) How did the Bolsheviks gain from this?
The growth of the Bolshevik organisation in 1917 (P160 CT, P66 – 7 RG)
1) How well prepared was Lenin to take advantage of events in 1917?
2) Why were the `April Theses’ important in gaining support for the Bolsheviks?
3) Why were the `July Days’ a setback for the Bolsheviks?
4) Why was the Kornilov Revolt important to the Bolsheviks?
5) How much support did the Bolsheviks have in the Petrograd Soviet by September 1917?
6) Who joined the Bolsheviks in the summer of 1917?
7) What role was given to him by Lenin?
The Bolshevik seizure of power October/November 1917 (P160 – 61 CT, P67 RG)
1) Describe the key events/actions in the Bolshevik seizure of power.
2) Despite knowing about their plans, why couldn’t Kerensky stop it?
3) The Bolsheviks later portrayed the November Revolution as a mass uprising of the
people. How accurate is this portrayal?
4) What were the main reasons for the Bolshevik success in November 1917?
How Successful was Lenin in Creating a New Society in Russia?
The initial establishment of totalitarian rule (P162-63 CT, P68 RG)
1) What was the new government called? What posts did Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin hold?
2) What was the `dictatorship of the proletariat’?
3) What did this show about Lenin’s attitude to democracy?
4) When was a ceasefire agreed with Germany? Who led the peace talks on the Bolshevik
side?
5) What was the `land decree’? Who gained/lost out as a result?
6) What were the results of the election to the Constituent Assembly?
7) How did Lenin respond to these results?
8) What was the Cheka and what role did it play?
9) What was the `Red Terror’? What were its results?
The end of the First World War for Russia – the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (P163 CT,
P69 RG)
1) Why was Lenin so determined to end the war with Germany?
2) When was the Treaty signed and what were the terms?
3) Why did Lenin agree to such harsh terms?
The causes and nature of the Civil War 1918 – 21 (P164-5 CT, P69-70 RG)
1) Who were the supporters of the `Whites’?
2) Who were the White generals?
3) Which foreign powers opposed the Communists (Reds) and why?
4) What threats faced the Reds in the early stages of the Civil War?
5) What successes did the Reds enjoy?
6) Why was 1919 a crucial year in the Civil War?
Reasons for and consequences of Bolshevik success (P165-6 CT, P70 RG)
1) What were the weaknesses of the Whites?
2) What were the strengths of the Reds?
3) What were the consequences of the Civil War?
The Creation of the USSR (P169 CT, P71 RG)
1) What made up the USSR?
2) How was the USSR to be governed?
Economic policies : War Communism and the New Economic Policy (P168-9 CT,
P71 RG)
1) What was Lenin’s greatest problem in fighting the Civil War?
2) What did the policy of War Communism do in the towns?
3) What did it do in the countryside?
4) How was this policy enforced?
5) What were the consequences of this policy?
6) What was the Kronstadt revolt and why was it important?
7) What were the aims of the New Economic Policy?
8) What did this policy actually do? In what ways was it different/similar to War
Communism?
9) Why did Lenin call the NEP a `breathing space’?
10) Why did some communists oppose the NEP?
11) In what ways could you argue that the NEP was a success?
12) What were the problems/failings of this policy?
The roles and achievements of Lenin and Trotsky (P157-169 CT, P72 RG)
1) What arguments could you put forward to suggest that Lenin was a great leader?
2) In what ways might you criticise his leadership?
3) In what ways could you argue that Trotsky played an important role in the success of
the Bolsheviks between 1917 – 24?
Stalin’s Dictatorship : USSR 1924 – 41
To what extent did Stalin become a personal dictator in
Communist Russia by the end of the 1920s?
The death and funeral of Lenin (P170 CT, P92 RG)
1) When did Lenin die?
2) Who organised/took advantage of Lenin’s funeral?
3) How did he take advantage of Lenin’s funeral?
The background of Stalin and Trotsky
Their claims to power; their differences (P170 CT, P92 – 3 RG)
1) In what ways was Stalin in a strong position to succeed Lenin?
2) In what ways was Trotsky in a strong position to succeed Lenin?
3) Why was Trotsky unpopular with some members of the Party?
4) Explain/describe Trotsky’s ideas of `permanent revolution’.
5) Why might some in the Party be worried by his ideas?
6) Explain/describe Stalin’s ideas of `Socialism in one country’.
7) Why did many in the Party find these ideas attractive?
8) Why was Stalin’s position as General Secretary an advantage in the leadership battle?
9) Why did some fear Trotsky’s close links with the Red Army?
Lenin’s Testament (P170 CT, P93 RG)
1) Why did Lenin produce this document?
2) What did it say about Stalin?
3) Why was such an important document not published?
4) Who gained most from its non-publication?
5) If it had been published, do you think Stalin would have become leader? Explain.
6) Apart from Stalin and Trotsky, who were the other contenders for the leadership?
Communist rule in the later 1920s (P94 RG)
1) How was the USSR ruled after Lenin’s death?
2) In what ways was the USSR already a dictatorship before Stalin gained full power?
The power struggle between Stalin and Trotsky
The emergence of Stalin as sole ruler (P171 CT, P94 RG)
1) How did Stalin use the funeral of Lenin to his own advantage?
2) What book did Stalin publish after Lenin’s death? Why was it important?
3) How did Stalin use his position as General Secretary to further his claim to power?
4) Stalin became editor of the party newspaper `Pravda’. Why was this important?
5) How did anti-Semitism play a role in the power struggle?
6) Why were Stalin’s ideas about the future of communism (Socialism in one country) more
appealing than Trotsky’s (Permanent Revolution)?
7) When did the Party Congress elect Stalin to the leadership of the Party?
8) What happened to Trotsky in 1925?
9) Who were dismissed from the Politburo (Central Committee) in 1926?
10) Who were expelled from the Party in 1927?
11) Who was exiled from the USSR in 1929?
12) Who was expelled from the Central Committee in 1929?
13) Who was now in sole charge of the USSR?
How did Stalin reinforce his dictatorship in the 1930s
The control of the Communist Party over the government; the Constitution of
1936 (P171 CT, P95 RG)
1) Who controlled all the departments of government through the Politburo (Central
Committee)?
2) How did Stalin stop all criticism of himself and his policies?
3) By what name (initials) is Stalin’s secret police best known?
4) In what ways did the 1936 Constitution appear to be democratic?
5) Why was this not really a democracy?
6) Where did real power lay under this Constitution?
The Purges – reasons for the Purges (P172 CT, P95-6 RG)
1) What were the Purges? When did they happen?
2) Why did Stalin carry out the Purges?
The extent of the Purges (P172-73 CT, P95 RG)
1) Who was murdered in December 1934? On whose orders?
2) Why do you think he was murdered?
3) What happened to those who were arrested during the Purges?
4) What were the `show trials’? Who were involved? How were confessions obtained?
5) How were the accused in the show trials dealt with?
6) Why were they called `show trials’ and what was their purpose?
7) Who were the most famous victims of the show trials?
8) Who was Yagoda and what eventually happened to him?
9) To what extent were the armed forces purged?
10) Why were they purged? What problems did this later create?
11) Why were the labour camps so feared?
12) How did the NKVD come by much of the information about their victims?
13) Why were people often quite keen to give information to the NKVD?
14) How did this climate of fear help Stalin?
15) How many were victims of this `Great Terror’?
16) What were the other main consequences of the Purges?
The cult of personality (P171 CT, P97 RG)
Censorship, propaganda, secret police, informers, labour camps
1) What is the `cult of personality’?
2) How were the people made aware of Stalin’s `tremendous achievements’?
3) What happened to history under Stalin?
4) What role did censorship play in Stalin’s USSR?
5) What was `Socialist Realism’?
6) How were the Churches dealt with?
7) What was the purpose of education in Stalin’s USSR?
8) What role did the NKVD and labour camps play in Stalin’s USSR?
To what extent did Stalin make the USSR a great economic
power?
The economic situation in the USSR in the late 1920s (P173 CT, P98 RG)
1) How would you describe the USSRs economy in the late 1920s?
2) At what level was industrial output?
3) Why might many have criticised the NEP at this time?
4) Why did Stalin want the rapid transformation of the economy at this time?
5) How would this transformation be achieved?
Collectivisation : the theory, the process and the results (P174-75 CT, P98-99
RG)
1) Why did Stalin feel there was a need for the USSR to massively increase agricultural
production?
2) What was Soviet agriculture like before collectivisation?
3) Why was Stalin forced to ration food in the late 1920s?
4) Why was grain seized from the peasants at this time? With what results?
5) Do you think this situation played a part in Stalin’s decision to collectivise? Explain.
6) How did collective farms work?
7) How did Stalin try to persuade peasants to join the collectives?
8) Who were the Kulaks and why did they resist joining the collectives?
9) How was this resistance dealt with?
10) In what ways did Stalin change the system? Why?
11) In what ways could you argue that collectivisation was successful?
12) In what ways could you argue collectivisation was a failure/disaster?
Industrialisation : the Five Year Plans; the growth of industry; economic, political
and social consequences (P176-7 CT, P99-100 RG)
1) Why did Stalin see rapid industrialisation as necessary?
2) How would this be organised/carried out?
3) The targets were rarely met. Does this mean the policy was a failure? Explain.
4) What areas did the 3 FYPs focus on?
5) Why was the third plan disrupted?
6) In what ways could you argue that the FYPs were successful?
7) In what ways could you argue that the FYPs created problems/caused hardship to
people?
MAA/LAB/Russia1914/41FactChecker
15.5.2013