Russia in Revolution, 1894-1924 | Edexcel A-Level History (9HI0)

Russia in Revolution, 1894-1924

158 questions
16 subtopics
Paper 2: the depth study, one option of sixteen
Paper 2

A Paper 2 depth study of Russia from the accession of Nicholas II to the death of Lenin, covering autocracy and the opposition to it, the revolution of 1905 and the constitutional experiment that followed, the collapse of the monarchy in 1917, the Bolshevik seizure of power, and the civil war and economic upheaval that followed..

It covers the nature of autocratic rule, opposition to Tsarism, the 1905 Revolution, nicholas II’s response, change and continuity in government, repression and reform, 1906–14, the impact of the First World War, the February Revolution, the nature of dual power, opposition to the Provisional government, the second Provisional government, July–October, the October Revolution, consolidating Bolshevik power, bolshevik economic policies, defeat of domestic enemies and foreign intervention in Russia.

Sample questions from Russia in Revolution, 1894-1924

Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.

The nature of autocratic rule

What did autocracy mean in law?

Show the answer
The Fundamental Laws described the Tsar as an autocratic and unlimited monarch whom God commanded all to obey, so there was no constitutional check on his will.
The 1905 Revolution

Why did Russia go to war with Japan in 1904?

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Rivalry over Manchuria and Korea, and a belief, associated with Plehve, that a short victorious war would rally the country behind the regime.
Change and continuity in government

What role did the State Council play after 1906?

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It became the upper chamber, half appointed by the Tsar and half elected by bodies such as the nobility, and could veto legislation passed by the Duma.
The impact of the First World War

What was the state of the Russian army in 1914?

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The largest in Europe with 1.4 million men, but short of rifles, shells and modern artillery, with poor railways and a command riven by rivalry.
The nature of dual power

Why was the Provisional Government's authority so weak?

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It was self-appointed, not elected, saw itself as a caretaker until a Constituent Assembly, and had no control over the troops or railways without Soviet cooperation.
The second Provisional government, July–October

Why did Kerensky appoint Kornilov commander-in-chief in July 1917?

Show the answer
After the June Offensive collapsed he replaced Brusilov with a tough general to restore discipline, and Kornilov demanded the death penalty for deserters.
Consolidating Bolshevik power

What was the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (March 1918)?

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The harsh peace with Germany by which Russia left the war, surrendering huge territories such as Poland, the Baltic states and Ukraine.
Defeat of domestic enemies

Why did the Whites lose?

Show the answer
They were geographically scattered and never coordinated, had no common political programme, alienated peasants by promising to restore landlords, and lacked the central position the Reds held.

The 16 subtopics

One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.

Subtopic	What it covers	Questions
The nature of autocratic rule	Recall questions on autocracy, orthodoxy and nationality, Russification, the treatment of Jews, the Okhrana, and the weaknesses of Tsarist government.	10
Opposition to Tsarism	Recall questions on peasant and worker grievances, the League of Liberation, the Socialist Revolutionaries, the Social Democrat split, the Kadets, and why opposition stayed weak.	10
The 1905 Revolution	Recall questions on the Russo-Japanese war and Tsushima, Bloody Sunday, peasant land seizures, the Petersburg Soviet, and the Potemkin mutiny.	10
Nicholas II’s response	Recall questions on the August Manifesto, why the October Manifesto was issued, how it divided the opposition, the Moscow rising, and how the regime survived.	10
Change and continuity in government	Recall questions on the Fundamental Laws, the radicalism of the first two Dumas, the coup of 1907, and what the later Dumas could and could not do.	10
Repression and reform, 1906–14	Recall questions on the field courts martial, action against the revolutionary parties, Stolypin's land reform, the Lena massacre, and how stable Russia was by 1914.	8
The impact of the First World War	Recall questions on the state of the army in 1914, Tannenberg, inflation and the food supply, the Progressive Bloc, Zemgor, and Alexandra and Rasputin.	10
The February Revolution	Recall questions on International Women's Day and the strikes, the garrison mutiny, the abdication, why the monarchy simply ended, and the response in the countryside.	10
The nature of dual power	Recall questions on the composition of the Provisional Government, Order Number 1, the aims of the Soviet, the early reforms, and the delays that undid it.	10
Opposition to the Provisional government	Recall questions on Lenin's return and the April Theses, the April Crisis, the June Offensive, the July Days, and the appeal of Peace, Bread and Land.	10
The second Provisional government, July–October	Recall questions on Kerensky, the problems he inherited, the Kornilov Affair and why it was fatal, and how the Bolsheviks gained by it.	10
The October Revolution	Recall questions on Lenin's argument in the Central Committee, the opposition of Zinoviev and Kamenev, the Military Revolutionary Committee, and whether it was a coup.	10
Consolidating Bolshevik power	Recall questions on the closing of the Constituent Assembly, the debate over Brest-Litovsk and what Russia lost, the Cheka, and the fate of the Left SRs.	10
Bolshevik economic policies	Recall questions on state capitalism, War Communism and the 1921 famine, the Tambov rising and Kronstadt, the New Economic Policy, and the ban on factions.	10
Defeat of domestic enemies	Recall questions on who the Whites were and why they lost, Trotsky's Red Army, Bolshevik advantages, the Red Terror, and the national minorities.	10
Foreign intervention in Russia	Recall questions on why the powers intervened and who took part, the Czech Legion, why intervention achieved little, and how the Bolsheviks used it politically.	10

Russia in Revolution, 1894-1924 is 158 of the 6,832 questions in the guide.Get the guide, £9

How the guide is worked

Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.

Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.

Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.