Russia

The first bullet point relates to the reign of Alexander III and
the first half of the reign of his son. Students should understand
the nature of the autocracy, the use of repression and the antireformist
stance in the wake of the assassination of Alexander II.
They should be aware of urbanisation and industrialisation
transforming the Russian Empire and the growth of reformist/
revolutionary groups such as the Kadets, the Social Revolutionaries
and the Social Democrats. They should understand the causes of
the 1905 revolution, including the impact of the Russo-Japanese
War, and the nature, extent and significance of that revolution.

The second bullet point relates to the last 11 years of the

Romanovs. Students should understand the constitutional
developments of these years in order to assess how far the
autocracy was modified. They should also be able to explore
how far Stolypin transformed rural Russia in the years before his
assassination in 1911. They should understand the importance of
the First World War in undermining Tsarism and what precipitated
the February Revolution.

The third bullet point relates to the important developments

of 1917. Students should understand why a second revolution
took place. They should understand the nature of the Provisional
Government and the problems it faced. They should understand the
importance of Lenin’s return in April and his influence thereafter.
They should also be aware of Trotsky’s role and the impact of
events such as the renewed Russian offensive in the summer, the
July Days, Kornilov’s attempted coup and the Bolshevik seizure of
power in Petrograd and Moscow.

The fourth bullet point relates to the complex series of events

between the end of 1917 and Lenin’s death in January 1924,
during which period the Bolshevik dictatorship evolved and
consolidated its grip on Russia. Students should understand how
and why the Bolsheviks were able to hold on to power through the
creation of a police state more repressive than that of the fallen
Romanovs, flexibility in economic policy and the military victories
of the Red Army. They should understand the salient features of
the new Soviet state, the importance of an official ideology and
the persecution of any rivals and the dominance of three key
institutions: the Party, the Red Army and the secret police.