Access to History: Russia and its Rulers 1855-1964 for OCR Second Edition
20 essay plans for the Russia and its Rulers A2 History module (OCR) NEW LINEAR A LEVEL - they cover all the main themes (Nature of Government, Opposition, Economy and Society, War and Revolution and Nationalities and Minorities).
I achieved an A* overall for this module and essay plans helped m...
‘Russian rulers carried out reforms only to control the behaviour of opposition 1855-
1964’ How far do you agree?
Intro
- Faced a variety of opposition across the period
- List factors: economic, social, political
- Overall only political reforms were to control the behaviour of opposition
Economic
- Mostly driven by a desire to modernise Russia rather than opposition
- Alexander II - Von Reutern’s financial reforms meant people now had to publish their
accounts - driven by a desire to modernise Russia (not opposition)
- Alexander III/Nicholas II = The Great Spurt brought a period of mass industrialisation
as a result of Witte’s financial reforms - done to modernise Russia and compete with
the West (not opposition)
- Stalin = FYP’s - done to drive the economy especially during the war
- Lenin = NEP allows the peasants to sell grain as long as they pay a 10% tax - done
due to the unrest following War Communism (opposition)
Social
- Opposition an influencer but not the sole reason
- Alexander II = Emancipation of the Serfs - done for variety of reasons most notably
the failures of the Crimean War however there had been calls for Emancipation since
the 1700s (not just opposition but played a role)
- Khrushchev = Released around 5 million people from Gulags - a result of Stalin’s
death and a move away from ‘cult of personality’ (not opposition)
- Lenin = Decree on Nationalities allowed each of the nations to have their own
sovereign government as long as it remains answerable to SOVNARKOM - a result
of the growing nationalism during WWI and discontent with the PG (no direct
opposition but pre-emptive)
Political
- Mostly driven by opposition
- Alexander II = Zemstva created the first electoral body - implemented due to the
vacuum left after emancipation (not opposition directly but arguably played a role)
- Nicholas II = October Manifesto and the introduction of the Duma created the first
challenge to the principle of absolutism and linked the people and government - a
result of the 1905 revolution (opposition)
- Provisional Gov = brought complete political upheaval with the introduction of
democracy, freedom of speech and freedom of press - a result of the Provisional
Government (opposition)
- In contrast Lenin dealt with opposition by limiting reforms = protest over the NEP
resulted in a Ban on Factions which further strengthened his position as a ‘Red Tsar’
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller bertiebishop. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $11.75. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
