Depth study: Russia, 1905–41 — IGCSE History (0470) questions by topic
Bolshevik consolidation runs through this depth study: Trotsky's fate under Stalin, the kulaks' reaction to collectivisation, and the hardships facing Russia's economy in the decade before 1914 are all written up as full accounts rather than short factual snippets.
Describe, discuss, explain, how-far and outline lead the command words, worth from 20 to 40 marks, with 32 questions on this page drawn from 2023 to 2025 papers, the largest set for this syllabus. Because how-far essays reward a balanced case across several factors rather than one, practise drafting full essay responses under timed conditions, then use instant marking to see how the scheme weighs a well-substantiated argument against a narrower single-factor answer.
What examiners look for
- Strong answers, according to the reports, examined the Red Army's role in consolidating Bolshevik rule alongside factors such as Lenin, Trotsky, War Communism, the NEP, the Cheka and the Red Terror, reaching a well-substantiated conclusion.
- Examiners praise essays that linked the Russo-Japanese War's socio-economic and political impact to the Bloody Sunday incident, then compared this with the wider 1905 Revolution, the peasant land issue and poor living and working conditions.
- Reports note that the strongest responses used detailed, well-supported examples rather than general assertions when weighing these causes against each other.
May–June 2025, Paper 11
Describe the reaction of the kulaks to the policy of collectivisation.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 12
Tsar Nicholas II often responded to threats to his rule with violence. What was Stolypin's 'necktie'?
Answer this question and get it marked →Stalin was prepared to be ruthless to win and maintain power. Describe the actions by Stalin that led to him becoming leader of the Soviet Union.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 13
Describe the experiences of industrial workers in the Soviet Union under Stalin.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 41
Write an account of Trotsky's contribution to the downfall of the Provisional Government.
Answer this question and get it marked →Write an account of how Trotsky was affected by Stalin's rise to power.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 42
Write an account of Stolypin's reforms.
Answer this question and get it marked →Write an account of the first Five-Year Plan.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 43
Write an account of the work of the Duma. [15]
Answer this question and get it marked →Write an account of Bolshevik economic policies between 1917 and 1921. [15]
Answer this question and get it marked →February–March 2024, Paper 42
Write an account of the economic problems facing Russia between 1905 and 1914.
Answer this question and get it marked →Write an account of Kerensky's role in the Provisional Government.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 12
The years 1917 to 1928 were turbulent ones for Russia. What was the Kronstadt Rising?
Answer this question and get it marked →Stalin made huge changes to Soviet agriculture and industry. Describe how villages were collectivised.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 42
Write an account of the revolution of March 1917.
Answer this question and get it marked →Write an account of the Russian Civil War.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 43
Write an account of the events of Bloody Sunday. [15]
Answer this question and get it marked →Write an account of the issues facing the Provisional Government after March 1917. [15]
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 42
Write an account of Rasputin’s role in Tsarist Russia.
Answer this question and get it marked →Write an account of the gulag system in Stalin’s Russia.
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 43
Write an account of the Kornilov Affair. [15]
Answer this question and get it marked →Write an account of the Bolshevik consolidation of power by 1924. [15]
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 13
In the period 1905 to 1917 attempts at reform achieved little. Describe the agricultural reforms introduced by Stolypin.
Answer this question and get it marked →From 1917 the Bolsheviks dominated Russia. What were the terms of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 42
How important was Stolypin in restoring the Tsar's authority after the events of 1905? Explain your answer.
Answer this question and get it marked →How significant was political opposition as a reason why Stalin launched the purges in the 1930s? Explain your answer.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 43
How important was the Russo-Japanese War as a cause of opposition to the Tsarist system of government up to 1914? Explain your answer. [40]
Answer this question and get it marked →How significant was the Red Army in the consolidation of Bolshevik rule between 1917 and 1921? Explain your answer. [40]
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 42
How important was the Petrograd Soviet in weakening the Provisional Government between March and November 1917? Explain your answer.
Answer this question and get it marked →How significant was collectivisation in changing life in the Soviet Union after 1928? Explain your answer.
Answer this question and get it marked →