BEFORE

WE BEGIN
 SYLLABUS OVERVIEW
A) Survey
Bolshevik consolidation of power, including:
• an overview of Bolshevik ideology, the October coup 1917 and early Soviet government
• the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the Civil War and the introduction of the New Economic Policy

B) Focus of study
The Bolsheviks and the power struggle following the death of Lenin, including:
• the impact of the Bolshevik consolidation of power, including the creation of the USSR
• power struggle between Stalin, Trotsky and other leading Bolshevik figures in the 1920s
• reasons for the emergence of Stalin as leader of the USSR by the late 1920s

The Soviet State under Stalin, including:

• the nature of the USSR under Stalin, including dictatorship and totalitarianism
• economic transformation under Stalin and its impact on Soviet society, including collectivisation and the five-
year plans
• political transformation under Stalin: growth of the Party, use of terror, show trials, gulags, propaganda and
censorship
• social and cultural change in the USSR under Stalin

Soviet foreign policy, including:

• the nature of Soviet foreign policy 1917–1941
• the role of ideology in Soviet foreign policy 1917–1941
 SYLLABUS OVERVIEW
Check the glossary on Google Classroom of key terms. You
1 GLOSSARY should add terms to your own list of words as you need to.

Look at the HSC questions on the following slides. What do

HSC
2 these tell you about: verbs used & question type? what will you
QUESTIONS need to be able to do to do well?
There are notes on writing essays on Google Classroom for
you (Webb on Essays)
3 TIMELINE Check the basic Timeline located on Google
Classroom for you (Timeline MHT)
 SYLLABUS OVERVIEW
2019
a) Why was Stalin able to emerge as leader of the USSR by the late 1920s?
b) How successful as Soviet foreign policy in achieving its aims in the period 1917-1941?

2020
c) Assess the political, social and economic impacts of the Bolshevik consolidation of
power on the Soviet Union.
d) To what extent did the use of terror contribute to the political transformation of the Soviet
State under Stalin?

2021
e) Assess the importance of leading Bolshevik figures on the outcome of the power
struggle between Trotsky and Stalin.
f) B) To what extent did the Soviet state maintain Bolshevik ideology in practice.

2022
g) How did Stalin’s policies transform social and cultural life in Russia?
 A
SURVEY
BOLSHEVIK CONSOLIDATION OF POWER
OVERVIEW OF
BOLSHEVIK IDEOLOGY

OCTOBER COUP 1917

EARLY SOVIET
GOVERNMENT
 OVERVIEW OF BOLSHEVIK IDEOLOGY

TASKS
KEY POINTS
• Complete task A, B or C:
• Origins of BI was Karl Marx
A) rewrite the Cloze activity on the next slide
(1840s)
B) collect a copy of the chart ‘Summary of
• 1917, Finland Lenin wrote State
& Revolution, he outlined
Marx’s view of class struggle’, use it to
Bolshevik tactics for the struggle
write a paragraph summary
• Lenin expressed need for
• YouTube: Communism vs Socialism, use
cooperation between workers &
the clip to create a table of differences
peasants
between the 2 ideologies
• Source Analysis: use Key Features of
Modern History to answer the source
questions below:
- pg 117 Understanding Sources Qn 1 & 2
• Write a TEEL paragraph to:
Explain the nature of the February/March
Marx believed that history was the story of ______________ and that conflict between
____________ was inevitable. Following this conflict, a new stage of history would be
reached. In feudal society, he saw conflict as occurring between ____________ and a
growing ___________. This would result in the creation of ______________ society. There
would then be conflict between the bourgeoisie and the _______________. This conflict
would lead to socialism and _________________. Gradually all classes would
_____________ and there would be no need for a _________. Marx was a ____________
who argued that though _____________ could play a role in history, the general pattern of
events was the result of mainly __________ factors.

WORD BANK:
THE LANDED ARISTOCRACY ECONOMIC PROLETARIAT
CLASS STRUGGLES BOURGEOISIE CLASSES
DETERMINIST STATE INDIVIDUALS
DISAPPEAR CAPITALIST
THE DICTATORSHIP OF THE PROLETARIAT
 OCTOBER COUP OF 1917

KEY POINTS TASKS

• 1917: Bolshevik seizure of • Source Analysis: use Key Features of

power referred to as October Modern History to answer the source
questions below:
Revolution (23.10.17)
- pg 122 Understanding Sources Qns 1 - 4
• By end 1917 Bolsheviks control
• Complete the worksheet ‘The October
only a small part of Russia &
Coup’ on Google Classroom. This includes
establish a government
a 15 minute writing task.
• Optional: View the YouTube clip
The Russian Revolution 1917
 EARLY SOVIET GOVERNMENT

KEY POINTS TASKS

• end 1917 Bolsheviks control only a • Use the chart The Bolshevik Regime’s
small part of Russia Weaknesses at the end of 1917 to write a
• government has Lenin at its head & paragraph explaining the issues for the
Trotsky as Commissar of Foreign party.
Affairs
• Bolsheviks saw power in 2 ways:
libertarian & authoritarian
• this made it hard to rule the country
 Many Soviets were controlled
by non-Bolsheviks while
  Bolsheviks controlled Soviets
were often 'a law unto The economy was a disaster, there
themselves’. was
  not enough food and there was
anarchy in the countryside.
The party
performed
badly
  in the
Constituent The state bank
Assembly refused to
elections cooperate and

 
 

 
  it took ten days
  to get the bank
Weakness of   vaults open
the
  Bolshevik
There was still regime at the
the issue of the  
  war with end of 1917
Germany to be  
settled

 
Lack a
government
bureaucracy
  as
Lack of coercive power. They lacked civil servants
police, law enforcement bodies and a fully went on strike
 
constituted army. It had garrison support
BOLSHEVIK CONSOLIDATION OF POWER

TREATY OF BREST-LITOVSK

THE CIVIL WAR

THE NEW ECONOMIC POLICY

 TREATY OF BREST-LITOVSK
KEY POINTS
• A formal peace treaty with
Germany was not signed until
March 1918
• The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
imposed a number of conditions
which were universally rejected
and denounced by Russians
TASKS
• Use the Bolshevik Consolidation of Power
document on Google Classroom and:
- make a summary of the main terms of the
treaty, consider territorial & economic
losses
- complete the source analysis questions
 THE CIVIL WAR

KEY POINTS TASKS

• Use the chart Reasons for the red victorying

• Began in spring 1918  end 1920
the civil war:
• Bolsheviks were opposed by a
- rank the geographical issues in order of
number of opponents including the
White Armies, the Mensheviks, importance?
liberal Cadets, Left Socialist - which cause was more significant –
Revolutionaries & Cossacks ‘lesser evil’ or ‘war communism’ - why?
- was the use of propaganda more or less
• After the victory their ideology was
important than the role of Trotsky? Why?
changed
• War Communism was adopted by
Lenin to help fight the war
The forces during the civil war
REDS
- Comprised of the Bolsheviks and
their supporters
A ‘Workers’ and Peasants Red Army
was completely reorganised by Trotsky
in early 1918
- It was made up of sailors from the
Kronstadt base, former Red Guard
units, volunteering workers and
peasants, and also some men from the
former tsarist army.
- One simple war aim: SURVIVAL!
WHITES GREENS
- Anti-Bolshevik force consisted of a - Predominantly peasant armies who
wide range of forces who shared one were primarily concerned with
aim: the destruction of Bolshevism. protecting their local areas from both
Beyond that, the various ‘white’ groups Red and White forces
agreed on very little, a factor which
- Often deserters from both sides and
weakened their cause
fought against both, depending on the
- Groups involved included Social local situation.
Revolutionaries; monarchists or
- By the end of the Civil War, the
rightists; liberals; other moderate
Greens were fighting as an irregular
groups
Red force
- Each group was led by their own
general, however, the main ‘white’
generals included Kolchak, Yudenich,
Kornilov, Denikin and Wrangel
- The Whites also had foreign backing
including the Czech Legion and allied
intervention forces
 THE NEW ECONOMIC POLICY
KEY POINTS
• The end of the Civil War was a
period of crisis for the Bolsheviks:
economy was collapsing,
widespread famine, trade and
industries had come to stagnate.
• Rebellion at Kronstadt naval base
near Petrograd
• March 1921 a major program of
concessions instituted & the New
Economic Policy was established
TASKS
• Complete the Source Analysis worksheet
‘The NEP & War Communism’ on Google
Classroom.
• Test your understanding by completing the
True & False quiz:
https://forms.gle/z6mM8SFFFwG5CsgA7
• Write a 300 word response to:
Assess the impact the NEP had on
Russia.
Answer the following questions on War
Communism and the NEP
1) Why was War Communism
introduced?
2) Why did ordinary workers and
peasants feel unhappy about their
living and working conditions by the
end of 1920?
3) What were the key features of the
NEP?
4) Would you agree that the NEP
contradicts the ideals of socialism
and the goals of the Revolution?
5) Write three questions based on the
Bolshevik consolidation of power.
Then swap a question with a buddy
and have them answer it.
 B
FOCUS OF
STUDY
BOLSHEVIKS & POWER STRUGGLE
AFTER THE DEATH OF LENIN

IMPACT OF
COLSOLIDATION OF POWER

POWER STRUGGLE BETWEEN

STALIN, TROTSKY & OTHERS

REASONS FOR THE

EMERGENCE OF STALIN
 IMPACT OF THE CONSOLIDATION OF POWER

KEY POINTS TASKS

• Purges by Lenin & the CHEKA • Copy the table on the following slide
• 1922 Formation of the USSR showing the key features of the USSR
with signing of the ‘Treaty on the
Creation of the USSR’
• 1924 Secret Police
• 1924 Death of Lenin
ADD COPY MHT pg 138 table & achievements
 POWER STRUGGLE BETWEEN STALIN, TROTSKY & OTHERS
KEY POINTS
• 3 main possibilities: Trotsky,
Bukharin, Stalin
• 2 major challenges for Russia: 1.
how to overcome backwardness
& build socialism, 2. who would
guide Russia in the future?
• Trotsky: believed that the Party’s
authoritarianism &
bureaucratisation was harmful to
socialism
• Bukharin: major opponent & ally
of Stalin, well-liked, opposed the
economic arguments of Trotsky
& the Left
TASKS
• Close reading of text. Read pages 134-136
of Key Features of modern History. As you
do create a flow chart identifying:
- main personalities
- reasons for Stalin’s success
• Add to your information by watching the
YouTube clips: Stalin & Trotsky
• Complete the Source Analysis ‘Reasons
for the Emergence of Stalin’
 REASONS FOR THE EMERGENCE OF STALIN AS LEADER OF
THE USSR BY THE LATE 1920S
KEY POINTS
• Stalin wasn’t an intellectual, the
Party didn’t want to give him a major
policy-making position
• Positions gained gave him the
means to fill positions with
supporters
• Lenin’s death had a profound impact
• the Cult of Lenin was manipulated to
help Stalin gain power
• Stalin used political skills of
manipulation & opportunism to
further his position
TASKS
• Copy the Flow Chart on the following slide
• Use Modern History Transformed pg 147 to
complete:
- Source 5.4 questions 1 & 2
- Drawing Conclusions questions1 & 2
• Complete the Source Analysis ‘Reasons for the
Emergence of Stalin’
• Select one of the following questions and write
an essay plan below:
  Assess the importance of personality in
Stalin’s successful pursuit of power after the
death of Lenin.
To what extent does Stalin’s domination of
the party structure account for his ultimate
success in the post-Lenin struggle for power.
 DEATH
OF RUTHLESSNESS IN
LENIN TREATMENT OF
OPPONENTS
SURVIVING THE
READING TROTSKY’S PERSONAL
OF LENIN’S WILL FLAWS
WHY WAS STALIN
DEVELOPMENT & ABLE TO ACHIEVE
ABUSE SUPREME POWER?
OF THE CULT OF LENIN STALIN’S GOOD
FORTUNE IN BEING A
CONTROL OF GREY BLUR
THE
PARTY STALIN’S ABILITY TO
MACHINE PLAY THE POLITICAL
GAME
LUCK &
OPPORTUNIS ECONOMIC &
M STALIN’S UNDERSTANDING POLITICAL
OF PRAGMATISM
THE MOOD OF THE
THE SOVIET STATE UNDER STALIN

NATURE OF THE USSR UNDER STALIN

ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION & ITS

IMPACT ON SOCIETY

POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION
UNDER STALIN

SOCIAL & CULTURAL CHANGE IN THE USSR

 NATURE OF THE USSR UNDER STALIN, INCLUDING
DICTATORSHIP & TOTLITARIANISM

KEY POINTS TASKS

• Definition of totalitarianism is • Copy the table on the following slide

important • To what extent was Stalinist Russia a
• The period epitomised authoritarian totalitarian state?
rule
• The process of Stalinising society:
- 1929 he had supreme power
- began transforming Soviet
structure including mobilisation of
masses, construction of industrial
machinery
• Use of terror & suppression was on
a national scale
• Publicised show trials & use of
gulags
Carl Friedrich’s Characteristics of Totalitarianism Stalinist Russia

Elaborate Ideology: that covers the beliefs & Manifesto
of the regime
Single Mass Party: led by 1 person & political power is
held within the 1 party state
System of Terror: integral to the structure of the regime
used to maintain control
Monopoly of Mass Media: control of all forms of
communication & public opinion
Near Monopoly of Weapons: army subservient to the
regime & Staffed by supporters
Central Control of the Economy
Officially socialism, really Socialism, guided all aspects
fo Soviet life
Single party government with 1 leader,
interconnectedness of Party & the state
A number of examples e.g. dekulakization
(colletivisation), purges, eliminating enemies, gulags
Cult of Stalin was achieved through propaganda, the role
of education & denunciations, control & elimination of
enemies
Purges & monopoly of control over the armed forces
Centralisation of control, collectivization &
industrialisation

Arguments FOR Links to Bolshevik history, desire to create a ‘classless society’, industrial success
Stalinism of the 5-year plans, improvements in education & the status of women
Arguments AGAINST Growth of 1 party state, massive dislocation of the population, severe effects of
Stalinism collectivization, social effects of industrialization, use of terror, purges & show
trials to remove opposition, loss of individuality & legacy of fear & suspicion
 ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION & ITS IMPACT ON SOCIETY
INCLUDING COLLECTIVISATION & THE FIVE-YEAR PLANS

KEY POINTS TASKS

• A militant approach to politics & the
economy taken
• 1st: resulted in unbalanced
economic results
• 2nd: targets were more reasonable
• 3rd: halted by German invasion
• Collectivisation saw dramatic
changes made in agriculture,
everything declared property of the
new collective
• Complete the Source Analysis hand out on
‘Collectivisation’.
• Extended Response question: write a 15
mark response to the following
To what extent were the 5-year plans
successful in creating industrial
development in the Soviet Union? 
 POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION UNDER STALIN
KEY POINTS
• government was manipulated so
Stalin had absolute power for
himself (Stalinist revolution)
• Terror used to eliminate rivals
• Show trials were propaganda events
• Gulags located throughout & show
the importance of prisoner labour in
the planned economy
• Manipulation of popular culture was
evident in development of the ‘cult
of Stalin’ (cult of personality)
TASKS
• Source Analysis: Use pg 145-6 Key
Features of Modern History to complete
the Check Your Understnding &
Understanding & Using the Sources
questions
• Use the chart on the following slide to write
a paragraph explaining Stalin’s role in the
Soviet state.
• Youtube: Watch the clip on the Purges and
make notes as you go
• What were the key effects of the Purges?
• Key Question: What role did the purges
play in the Stalinist revolution? Were they
successful? 
 SOCIAL & CULTURAL CHANGE IN THE USSR
KEY POINTS
• Social and cultural changes were
part of a wider revolution instituted
by S, entire Soviet state altered
• ‘Life has become more joyful’
TASKS
• Glue into your books a summary of the key
social & cultural changes to the USSR
during this period.
• Key Question: Despite the problems of the
Soviet Union in 1929 it was industrialised
by 1949. How had this taken place? In
what ways was Stalin’s nickname ‘Man of
Steel’, revealing about his political
personality & values?
• Expert Groups: Read through the
information provided on Social & Cultural
Change under Stalin. Prepare a dot point
SOVIET FOREIGN POLICY

NATURE OF SOVIET FOREIGN

POLICY 1917-1941

ROLE OF IDEOLOGY IN SOVIET

FOREIGN POLICY 1917-1941
 NATURE OF SOVIET FOREIGN POLICY 1917-1941 & ROLE OF
IDEOLOGY IN SOVIET FOREIGN POLICY 1917-1941

KEY POINTS TASKS

● Foreign policy often
characterised by 2 very different
approaches
● Russia was revolutionary state
whose mission was to spread
Marxism-Leninism through the
world
● As a typical state it had to co-
exist in the world with capitalist
states
• Read & make notes using pg 148+ of Key
Features of Modern History OR
• Complete the table of key events located
on Google Classroom. You should do this
collaboratively & then choose 4 to add to
your notes.
• Writing Task:
Assess the view that Soviet foreign
policy in the period 1917-41 was
determined by the changing ideological
debate inside the Soviet Union.
 PAST QUESTIONS
HSC 2022
a) HOW did Stalin's policies transform social and cultural life in Russia?
B) EVALUATE the view that Stalin had complete control over the USSR by 1941.

HSC 2021
a) ASSESS the importance of leading Bolshevik figures on the outcome of the power struggle
between Trotsky and Stalin.
b) TO WHAT EXTENT did the Soviet state maintain Bolshevik ideology in practice?

HSC 2020
a) ASSESS the political, social and economic impacts of the Bolshevik consolidation of power
on the Soviet Union.
b) TO WHAT EXTENT did the use of terror contribute to the political transformation of the
Soviet State under Stalin?

HSC 2019
a) WHY was Stalin able to emerge as leader of the USSR by the late 1920s?