Russian exam questions

Question 1

‘Trotsky’s contribution to the Bolshevik seizure of power in 1917 was greater than that of Lenin.’ Assess the validity of this view.

Answer 1

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Question 2

How important were unity and organisation to the Red victory in the Civil War in the years 1918 to 1921?

Answer 2

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Question 3

‘The Bolshevik consolidation of power by 1921 was due to the popularity of their policies.’ Explain why you agree or disagree with this view.

Answer 3

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Question 4

‘Red victory in the Civil War was due to the weaknesses of the Bolsheviks’ opponents.’ Explain why you agree or disagree with this view.

Answer 4

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Question 5

Why was there no outright successor to Lenin as leader of the USSR on Lenin’s death in 1924?

Answer 5

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Question 6

‘Soviet foreign policy in the 1920s was successful in strengthening Russia’s international security.’ Explain why you agree or disagree with this view.

Answer 6

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Question 7

‘Stalin’s victory in the power struggle between 1922 and 1929 was due to the popularity of his policies.’ Assess the validity of this view.

Answer 7

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Question 8

‘It was because his opponents significantly underestimated him that Stalin was able to win the power struggle in the years 1924 to 1929.’ Explain why you agree or disagree with this view.

Answer 8

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Question 9

How successful was the Communist regime in modernising Russian agriculture in the years 1928 to 1941?

Answer 9

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Question 10

‘There was a revolution in culture in the USSR between 1929 and 1941.’ Assess the validity of this view.

Answer 10

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Question 11

To what extent was the destruction of the kulaks the most important outcome of Stalin’s campaign of forced collectivisation?

Answer 11

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Question 12

To what extent was the First Five-Year Plan more successful than the New Economic Policy in improving Soviet industrial performance?

Answer 12

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Question 13

‘The USSR experienced a social revolution during Stalin’s regime in the 1930s.’ Assess the validity of this view.

Answer 13

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Question 14

What was the importance of terror in keeping Stalin in power between 1945 and his death in 1953?

Answer 14

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Question 15

‘By 1953 the USSR had become a world power.’ Assess the validity of this view.

Answer 15

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Question 16

How far was Stalin’s creation of a Soviet bloc in Eastern Europe after the Second World War the result of his obsession with ensuring international security for the USSR?

Answer 16

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Question 17

With reference to Sources 2,3 and 4, and your understanding of the historical context, asses the value of these three sources to an historian studying the condition of Russia on the eve of the revolution 1917.

(chapter 1, pages 4,6,7,8)

Answer 17

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Question 18

How significant was economic distress in the revolution of February/March 1917?

Answer 18

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Question 19

With reference to Sources 1,2 and 3, and your understanding of the historical context, asses the value of these three sources to an historian studying how far Nicholas II was responsible for the revolution of February 1917.

(Chapter 2, pages 9,12,16)

Answer 19

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Question 20

With reference to Sources 1,2 and 3, and your understanding of the historical context, asses the value of these three sources to an historian studying the role of Lenin in developments between the revolutions of 1917.

(Chapter 3, pages 19,20,24,25)

Answer 20

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Question 21

To what extent can the Dual Authority arrangement be held responsible for the failure of the Provisional Government to consolidate and maintain its power in Russia between March and October 1917?

Answer 21

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Question 22

‘By the end of 1917, it was already clear that the Bolshevik state would be oppressive and authoritarian.’ Assess the validity of this view.

Answer 22

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Question 23

With reference to Sources 1,2 and 3, and your understanding of the historical context, asses the value of these three sources to an historian studying Bolshevik attitudes to democracy in 1917-1918.

(Chapter 5, pages 36,38,39)

Answer 23

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Question 24

To what extent was the communist victory in the Civil War dependent on the skillful leadership of Trotsky?

Answer 24

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Question 25

With reference to Sources 1,2 and 3, and your understanding of the historical context, asses the value of these three sources to an historian studying Bolshevik attitudes to democracy in 1917-1918.

(Chapter 7, pages 56,58,62,65)

Answer 25

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Question 26

‘The introduction of the New Economic Policy was a betrayal of all the Bolsheviks had fought for since October 1917.’ Assess the validity of this view.

Answer 26

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Question 27

With reference to Sources 1,2 and 3, and your understanding of the historical context, asses the value of these three sources to an historian studying foreign intervention in the Russian Civil War.

(Chapter 8, pages 68,69)

Answer 27

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Question 28

To what extent had Lenin achieved his aims both at home and abroad by 1924?

Answer 28

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Question 29

With reference to Sources 1,2 and 3, and your understanding of the historical context, asses the value of these three sources to an historian studying Stalin’s position in the years immediately after Lenin’s death.

(Chapter 9, pages 79,80,81)

Answer 29

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Question 30

With reference to Sources 1,2 and 3, and your understanding of the historical context, asses the value of these three sources to an historian studying the faction-fighting in the leadership struggle after Lenin’s death.

(Chapter 10, pages 90,92)

Answer 30

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Question 31

‘Stalin’s success in the power struggle by 1929 was due more to his ruthless ambition than to his policies.’ Assess the validity of this view.

Answer 31

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