Russia, 1917–91: from Lenin to Yeltsin

How accurate is it to say that the purges of the 1930s in the Soviet Union were primarily due to Stalin’s personality?

How accurate is it to say that Brezhnev’s leadership was the main reason for political stagnation in the USSR in the years 1964–82?

How accurate is it to say that, in the years 1917–85, Soviet government policy on the arts and culture changed?

How accurate is it to say that the most significant Soviet social development in the years 1924–85 was the provision of social security?

Study Extracts 1 and 2 in the Extracts Booklet before you answer this question.

In the light of differing interpretations, how convincing do you find the view that the USSR collapsed in 1991 because of the impact of the nationalist resurgence in the communist states of Eastern Europe?

To explain your answer, analyse and evaluate the material in both extracts, using your own knowledge of the issues.

How accurate is it to say that, in the years 1917–28, Bolshevik control of the mass media and propaganda was the main reason for the consolidation of the Soviet regime?

How accurate is it to say that the failure of central planning played a significant role in the decline of the Soviet economy in the years 1964–85?

How significant was the role of the secret police in sustaining the Soviet regime in the years 1953–85?

How accurate is it to say that, in the years 1917–85, the Soviet regime’s attitudes towards the family as a social unit did not change?

Study Extracts 1 and 2 in the Extracts Booklet before you answer this question.

In the light of differing interpretations, how convincing do you find the view that the USSR collapsed in 1991 because of Boris Yeltsin’s opposition to the Soviet government?

To explain your answer, analyse and evaluate the material in both extracts, using your own knowledge of the issues.

How accurate is it to say that Stalin’s industrial and agricultural policies were the primary reason for his power in the USSR in the years 1928–53?

How accurate is it to say that Khrushchev’s attempts to reform Soviet government were largely successful?

How accurate is it to say that Soviet policy on religion under Lenin and Stalin was markedly different from Soviet policy on religion under Khrushchev and Brezhnev?

How successful were the attempts of the Soviet regime to promote a stable society in the years 1953–85?

Study Extracts 1 and 2 in the Extracts Booklet before you answer this question.

In the light of differing interpretations, how convincing do you find the view that the USSR collapsed in 1991 because of the ‘rise of the national question’ [Extract 1, line 2]?

To explain your answer, analyse and evaluate the material in both extracts, using your own knowledge of the issues.

How accurate is it to say that the Bolsheviks’ poor handling of the economy was the main reason for the difficulties faced by the Soviet regime in the years 1917–28?

How far do you agree that the successes of Soviet industrial policy outweighed the failures in the years 1953–85?

How accurate is it to say that the personality cult of Stalin was markedly different from the personality cults of Khrushchev and Brezhnev?

How significant was Soviet educational policy for the population of the USSR in the years 1917–85?

Study Extracts 1 and 2 in the Extracts Booklet before you answer this question.

In the light of differing interpretations, how convincing do you find the view that the USSR collapsed in 1991 because Soviet economic reform ‘faced formidable obstacles’ (Extract 1, lines 1–2)?

To explain your answer, analyse and evaluate the material in both extracts, using your own knowledge of the issues.

How accurate is it to say that the main reason for the survival of the Soviet regime, in the years 1917–28, was the introduction of the New Economic Policy?

How accurate is it to say that the main reason for the survival of the Soviet regime, in the years 1917–28, was the introduction of the New Economic Policy?

How accurate is it to say that government policy failed to modernise Soviet agriculture in the years 1928–64?

How accurate is it to say that government policy failed to modernise Soviet agriculture in the years 1928–64?

How accurate is it to say that the Soviet leadership’s hostility to religion remained remarkably consistent in the years 1917–85?

How accurate is it to say that the Soviet leadership’s hostility to religion remained remarkably consistent in the years 1917–85?

How accurate is it to say that the status of women in Stalinist society was essentially similar to that of women in the Khrushchev and Brezhnev eras?

How accurate is it to say that the status of women in Stalinist society was essentially similar to that of women in the Khrushchev and Brezhnev eras?

Study Extracts 1 and 2 in the Extracts Booklet before you answer this question.

In the light of differing interpretations, how convincing do you find the view that the USSR collapsed in 1991 because of the challenge posed by Boris Yeltsin?

To explain your answer, analyse and evaluate the material in both extracts, using your own knowledge of the issues.

Study Extracts 1 and 2 in the Extracts Booklet before you answer this question.

In the light of differing interpretations, how convincing do you find the view that the USSR collapsed in 1991 because of the challenge posed by Boris Yeltsin?

To explain your answer, analyse and evaluate the material in both extracts, using your own knowledge of the issues.

How far do you agree that the failures of Soviet economic policy outweighed the successes in the years 1917-53?

How accurate is it to say that Khrushchev’s approach to government was fundamentally similar to Brezhnev’s approach to government?

How significant was state control of the mass media and propaganda in sustaining the Soviet regime in the years 1917-85?

To what extent did government attitudes towards the family as a social unit change in the years 1917-85?

Study Extracts 1 and 2 in the Extracts Booklet before you answer this question.

In the light of differing interpretations, how convincing do you find the view that the USSR collapsed in 1991 because of a nationalist resurgence in the Soviet bloc?

To explain your answer, analyse and evaluate the material in both extracts, using your own knowledge of the issues.

How accurate is it to say that Stalin’s use of terror in the 1930s was fundamentally similar to Lenin’s use of terror in the years 1918–24?

How far do you agree that the successes of Soviet economic policy outweighed the failures in the years 1945–64?

How accurate is it to say that Soviet government restrictions on artistic and cultural expression remained unchanged in the years 1917–85?

How significant was employment for the promotion of a stable Soviet society in the years 1953–85?

Study Extracts 1 and 2 in the Extracts Booklet before you answer this question.

In the light of differing interpretations, how convincing do you find the view that the USSR collapsed in 1991 because of the consequences of Gorbachev’s political reforms?

To explain your answer, analyse and evaluate the material in both extracts, using your own knowledge of the issues.

How accurate is it to say that the nature of government under Lenin and Stalin was markedly different?

How far do you agree that the benefits of Stalin’s economic policies outweighed the costs in the years 1928–50?

How accurate is it to say that the status of women was transformed under Soviet rule in the years 1917–85?

How significant was the role of the secret police in maintaining communist control in the years 1917–85?

Study Extracts 1 and 2 in the Extracts Booklet before you answer this question.

In the light of differing interpretations, how convincing do you find the view that the USSR collapsed in 1991 because Gorbachev’s confidence in his reform policies ‘proved gravely misplaced’ (Extract 1, line 9)?

To explain your answer, analyse and evaluate the material in both extracts, using your own knowledge of the issues.