A wide range of past paper questions for Stalinist Russia from october/november 2023 to march 2021. The questions have in-depth answers beneath me, answering the questions and allowing you to revise at the same time.
STALINIST RUSSIA 9489 PAST PAPERS QUESTIONS
Topics tested in May/June 42 Exams so far for 9489 syllabus
Stalin’s rise to power by 1929.
Soviet Foreign Policy in the period 1924–41.
Stalin’s first five-year.
Topics YET TO BE tested in May/June 42 Exams for 9489 syllabus
Reasons/Impact of the purges
Causes/Impact of the Great Terror
Impact/ Successes/ failures of industrialisation on the Russian people
Stalin’s policies towards women and children
impact that the Soviet regime had on families/ workers/ women/children/ minorities.
propaganda in the Soviet Union in the period 1928–41.
economic conditions of workers in the Soviet Union in the period 1928–41.
Causes/ impact of Collectivization
Stalin success/ failure in ‘building socialism in one country’.
October/November 2023 9489/41
‘It was the failings of Stalin’s rivals that best explain his rise to power by 1929.’ Discuss this view.
Factors used to support the argument might include how Trotsky was perceived by many within the party as
arrogant and high-minded and did not develop any power base. He found it difficult to establish his authority
among colleagues through persuasion. He was unwilling and unable to become involved in political intrigue,
making concessions and alliances. He and other leading Bolsheviks also seriously underestimated Stalin and
therefore saw no need to treat him as a rival for leadership. They perceived him as a mediocrity and as an
unsophisticated administrator. Members of the Politburo also refused to publish Lenin’s Testament, which
would have seriously harmed Stalin’s reputation, given Lenin’s criticism of him. However, the document also
criticised Trotsky, Zinoviev and Kamenev and so it was suppressed.
Counterarguments might include arguments about Stalin’s own personal abilities, in particular how he was
politically skilful and used cunning to advance his own position. He understood the importance of
administrative roles such as General Secretary, his role in Politburo and control of party organisation and
membership. He was able to appoint supports to key roles and employ patronage to ensure that he had built
up a loyal base within the party. Stalin was also popular with the members, as a rare example of a true
proletarian with long service in the party, unlike Trotsky. He also supervised the Lenin Enrolment which filled
the party with young urban workers, less likely to be persuaded by theoretical arguments used by his
opponents. His policies were popular with party members and he seemed to understand their desires.
Socialism in One Country appealed to party members’ sense of nationalism.
October/November 2023 9489/42
‘Stalin’s fear of being overthrown was the main reason for the purges.’ Assess this view.
It can be argued that Stalin’s personality was the driving force behind the terror and responses may discuss
his suspicion of others and paranoia which led him to believe that he was surrounded by enemies. He was
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, vindictive and vengeful, desiring to take revenge on those who had belittled him in the past. He had an
inferiority complex about his intellectual capabilities compared to some of his rivals and former colleagues.
These factors might explain why he had to dispose of Old Bolsheviks, who knew his limitations and had
belittled him as mediocre and dull before he rose to power. He believed that any deviation from his policies
would prove to be disastrous for the Soviet Union and so he wanted control of the party and the people in
order to crush any opposition.
A balanced argument could be made by introducing other factors such as the economic problems in the late
1930’s which led to the need to find scapegoats so that failures could be blamed on wreckers rather than poor
planning. The social instability created by the Five-Year Plans led to hostility towards the government and so
the purges were designed to keep control and to stifle criticism of the leadership by encouraging
denunciations of managers and officials instead. Those arrested and sent to the gulags could be used as slave
labour to carry out dangerous work in inhospitable regions of the country. There were also external threats
from Germany demanded greater efforts to industrialise and prepare for war. It was increasingly important to
Stalin to ensure that opposition was purged. Some response may also consider how the NKVD was internally
divided and operated outside of Moscow’s control. The purges were driven by the desire to increase the
power and influence of the NKVD.
October/November 2023 9489/43
Evaluate the impact of industrialisation on the Russian people.
Discussion of a positive impact may include how the urban working classes were often enthusiastic about the
changes and were prepared to make sacrifices to build a better society. Workers believed that their lives
would be improved as a result. The development of a proletarian intelligentsia of technical specialists allowed
for those with the necessary skills to improve their position, particularly when wage differentials were
introduced. Similarly, those who followed labour discipline could do well in the 1930s. There was training and
education and those who could access it were able to improve their prospects of promotion, with higher pay
and between working conditions.
Discussion of a negative impact may consider how there was a great demand for labour, which led to 10
million women joining the workforce and millions of peasants, forced from the land by collectivisation, moved
to cities. This led to the so-called ‘quicksand society’, which saw a high turnover of labour as workers moved
constantly in search of better pay and conditions. The First Five Year Plan in particular paid little attention to
living standards and the production of consumer goods. Rationing and long queues at shops with very limited
products on offer were common features of life. The ‘three good years’ under the Second Five Year Plan did
see more food and consumer goods made available, but these improvements were not sustained. The rapid
growth of urban areas meant that living conditions were often appalling, lacking sufficient sanitation, and
housing stock. There was often overcrowding, disease, and squalor. Workers often lived in barracks. Living
conditions often varied according to status. To control the movement of workers and to instil the necessary
discipline in former peasants unused to regular hours, workers were subjected to severe discipline.
Absenteeism and leaving a job without permission led to strict punishments. Internal passports and labour
books were issued to monitor and control workers further.
May/June 2023 9489/41
‘Stalin’s main aim in foreign policy was to defend the Soviet Union from attack.’ Discuss
Stalin shifted foreign policy away from the promotion of world socialist revolution, which was espoused by
Lenin and Trotsky, towards ‘Socialism in One Country. He argued that the Comintern would not achieve
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