A detailed set of notes for the entirety of component 2N of AQA AS Level History (Bolshevik and Stalinist Russia). Included are: thorough notes for every part of the specification, own knowledge to an A* level, arguments and evidence for potential essay questions, special (beyond-spec) knowledge to...
,Key Political Groups..................................................................................................................................... 3
Background (pre 1917)................................................................................................................................ 3
Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905.................................................................................................................. 3
Bloody Sunday............................................................................................................................................. 3
The October Manifesto................................................................................................................................ 4
The Fundamental Laws (April 1906)............................................................................................................ 4
Rasputin...................................................................................................................................................... 4
Opposition to the Tsar in WW1.................................................................................................................... 4
The Events of the February Revolution........................................................................................................ 4
How far did the Tsar contribute to his own downfall?................................................................................... 5
The Basics of Communism........................................................................................................................... 5
Lenin........................................................................................................................................................... 5
The Beginning of the Dual Authority............................................................................................................ 6
The Soviet Taking Power............................................................................................................................. 6
Key Reforms Made by the Dual Authority.................................................................................................... 6
The April Thesis........................................................................................................................................... 6
How Did the Prov. Gov. Deal With Problems?.............................................................................................. 6
The July Days............................................................................................................................................... 7
The Kornilov Affair....................................................................................................................................... 7
The October Revolution............................................................................................................................... 8
Bolsheviks Consolidation of Power?............................................................................................................. 8
What Happened During the Russian Civil War?............................................................................................ 9
How Important Was Trotsky to the Civil War?.............................................................................................. 9
How Did the Reds Win the Civil War?........................................................................................................... 9
War Communism......................................................................................................................................... 9
The Red Terror.......................................................................................................................................... 10
Opposition to the Bolsheviks (Post Civil War)............................................................................................. 10
The New Economic Policy (NEP)................................................................................................................. 10
Centralisation Post-NEP............................................................................................................................. 11
Foreign Relations....................................................................................................................................... 11
The Significance of Lenin........................................................................................................................... 12
Young Stalin.............................................................................................................................................. 12
The Bolshevik Leadership Contest............................................................................................................. 12
Long Term Successes/Failures of NEP........................................................................................................ 13
The Need For the Great Turn..................................................................................................................... 13
The First 5 Year Plan.................................................................................................................................. 13
Results of the First 5 Year Plan.................................................................................................................. 13
Collectivisation.......................................................................................................................................... 14
Problems with Collectivisation................................................................................................................... 14
Stalin and the Cult of Personality............................................................................................................... 14
Foreign Policy Under Stalin........................................................................................................................ 14
, KEY POLITICAL GROUPS
Social Revolutionaries (SR’s)
• Grew out of the populist movement
• Focused on the workers
• Weakened by disagreements between the left and right
• The left were anarchists who pursued terrorism, the right were more diplomatic in
their actions
• Trotsky was initially a member of the SRs
Social Democrats (SD’s)
• They wanted a class based revolution following the ideas of Karl Marx, i.e the prole-
tariat rise up and beat the bourgeoise
• Lead by Lenin, very dedicated to revolution but he was exiled for much of the early
years
• The party eventually split into the Bolsheviks (Lenin) and Mensheviks (Martov)
• The Bolsheviks had the majority of the power and were a small, dedicated party
• The main Bolshevik newspaper is called Pravda
Octoberists
• They were reformers, still wanted the Tsar in place but wanted change to the politi-
cal system
• Particularly wanted him to keep the promises he made in the October Manifesto
• Many of its leaders were in the Provisional Government
Kadets
• Wanted Russia to become a constitutional monarchy with a democratically elected
assembly
• Contained many progressive landlords and some entrepreneurs
• Played a significant role in 1917
• Provisional Government had a large no. of Kadets initially
BACKGROUND (PRE 1917)
• Limited social mobility, workers make up most of the population
• Issues to do with emancipation, freed workers still had to work for their old owners
• Agricultural economy, most superpowers had industrialised
• Massive country geographically, takes 2 months for a round trip from Moscow to
Vladivostok
• Large parts of the country are uninhabitable, very cold in winter (-12)
Nicholas I
• Had little experience in government
• Married a German Princess Alexandra, who was the dominant personality
• Didn’t fully trust his advisors
• Believed that maintaining autocracy was the only way to keep Russia in order
RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR 1904-1905
• Japan invaded Russia in 1904 but Russia didn’t see them as a threat
• They took Port Arthur and Mukden
• Russians sent their fleet the wrong way round the world to get to Japan, once they
were there 8 months later they lost in hours
• Government had to sign a peace treaty, Russia became a laughing stock
BLOODY SUNDAY
• In 1905 a group of 110,000 workers led by Father Georgi Gapon went on strike in St.
Petersburg
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