EDEXCEL A-LEVEL HISTORY
Russia 1917–91
From Lenin to Yeltsin
Option E | Model Essay Collection
Nine essays across Topics 1, 2, 3 and 4
© Marcus Soma 2026. All rights reserved. No part of this resource may be reproduced, redistributed or resold without the author’s permission.
,Contents
Topic 1: Communist Government in the USSR 1917–85
Q1. Was Stalin's consolidation of political control between 1928 and 1941 the main reason for his dominance in the USSR up to 1953?
Q2. How far do you agree that between 1964 and 1982, the primary cause of growing political stagnation was the reversal of Khrushchev's reforms?
Q3. How accurate is it to say that between 1928 and 1980 the Soviet government relied primarily on terror to maintain control?
Topic 2: Industrial and Agricultural Change 1917–85
Q4. How far do you agree that Stalin's Five-Year Plans had fundamentally transformed the Soviet economy by 1953?
Q5. How successful were Soviet economic policies in promoting economic development in the years 1917–41?
Topic 3: Control of the People 1917–85
Q6. “The Soviet Governments were consistently hostile to religious groups in the period 1921-1964” How accurate is this statement?
Q7. To what extent did the Soviet regime ensure that culture and the arts served the interests of the Communist Party between 1917 and 1953?
Topic 4: Social Developments 1917–85
Q8. To what extent did the lives of women in the USSR improve between 1917 and 1985?
Q9. To what extent was social policy successful at providing social stability in the Soviet Union between 1953 and 1985?
© Marcus Soma 2026. All rights reserved. No part of this resource may be reproduced, redistributed or resold without the author’s permission.
, Topic 1: Communist Government in the USSR 1917–85
Was Stalin's consolidation of political control between 1928 and 1941 the main reason for his dominance in the USSR up to 1953?
From 1928-53, Stalin increased his power over the Soviet Union despite the difficult circumstances of the War (1941-45). Whilst Stalin’s elimination of his
opponents in government and in the party certainly helped with keeping power it never removed potential opposition from the Soviet People. The Great
Terror was successful at doing this but only had limited effect from 1936-38. The most significant reason appears to be the Party-State relationship which
allowed Stalin to directly take control of the USSR.
Stalin’s elimination of his opponents in government and in the party were a significant factor in his consolidation of power. His role as the Rabkin
(investigated corruption in the Party and government) from 1924-28 allowed him to remove anyone who he saw as a threat to his political position and did
not see them as an asset to his desire to gain power. This certainly limited the level of opposition that he had in the party. However, strong opposition from
the left and the right remained and was clear that Stalin was fearful they could easily remove him from the party. This was the driving cause for the launch
of Show Trials. Several trials took place beginning in 1936 (16) and ended in 1938 (21) removed the in which his most vocal opponents from the left
(Zinoviev, Kamenev and supporters for the exiled Trotsky) and from the right (Bukharin) were found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. This not only
made organised opposition more difficult against Stalin, but it sent out a message to former members of Stalin’s opposition. This allowed Stalin to
implement his own economic policies and political policies in the Sovnarkom which would help him to keep power such as the Five-Year Plans and the
Soviet Constitution of 1938 which was not opposed to by members of his Party and by members of his government. Whilst it can be concluded that Stalin
had removed his opposition in the government and in the party, he had not removed any potential opposition which could appear from within the Soviet
population.
The Great Terror was a contributing factor which helped Stalin to build up power and keep it from 1934-1953. Stalin’s elimination of his opposition in
government and party did not remove the fear of potential opposition instead it worsened it. His belief that his power would be undermined by the Soviet
people was an instrumental factor in his launch of the Great Terror in 1934. Around 20 million Soviet Citizens were detained from their homes by the NKVD
(Secret Police) and sent to Gulags (labour camps) in Siberia, it was far from the political sphere of the USSR which in Stalin’s mind was necessary to help
him to keep power. By 1938, around 50% of the Gulag population had died, so this sent out a message to anyone in the Soviet population that they must
exactly follow and fully obey Stalin or face the consequences of death. This message was what allowed Stalin to stay in power during the Great Patriotic
War (1941-1945), despite Stalin’s military failure as the Chair on the council of minister, the Red Army struggled to fight against the Wehrmacht on the
Eastern front. Many citizens feared the consequences of deviating and thus would not speak out against him despite his lack of military competence. The
Great Terror undoubtedly did remove a large population of the Soviet Union and for those that remained were terrified of being imprisoned so looked to
follow Stalin despite the crumbling situation in the USSR during the War. It was only a temporary factor for Stalin’s power; many Soviet citizens merely
followed him because they feared that they would be removed from society if they did not follow exactly what he said.
The most significant and plausible reason was the Party-state relationship for Stalin’s power in the USSR between 1928-53. In 1928, he was the head of the
Sovnarkom (the Soviet Council) gave him a higher status compared to the rest of the Bolsheviks within the government. This was instrumental in allowing
him to push through his economic policies of rapid industrialisation and collectivisation under the Five-Year Plan with almost no opposition even from the
© Marcus Soma 2026. All rights reserved. No part of this resource may be reproduced, redistributed or resold without the author’s permission.
Russia 1917–91
From Lenin to Yeltsin
Option E | Model Essay Collection
Nine essays across Topics 1, 2, 3 and 4
© Marcus Soma 2026. All rights reserved. No part of this resource may be reproduced, redistributed or resold without the author’s permission.
,Contents
Topic 1: Communist Government in the USSR 1917–85
Q1. Was Stalin's consolidation of political control between 1928 and 1941 the main reason for his dominance in the USSR up to 1953?
Q2. How far do you agree that between 1964 and 1982, the primary cause of growing political stagnation was the reversal of Khrushchev's reforms?
Q3. How accurate is it to say that between 1928 and 1980 the Soviet government relied primarily on terror to maintain control?
Topic 2: Industrial and Agricultural Change 1917–85
Q4. How far do you agree that Stalin's Five-Year Plans had fundamentally transformed the Soviet economy by 1953?
Q5. How successful were Soviet economic policies in promoting economic development in the years 1917–41?
Topic 3: Control of the People 1917–85
Q6. “The Soviet Governments were consistently hostile to religious groups in the period 1921-1964” How accurate is this statement?
Q7. To what extent did the Soviet regime ensure that culture and the arts served the interests of the Communist Party between 1917 and 1953?
Topic 4: Social Developments 1917–85
Q8. To what extent did the lives of women in the USSR improve between 1917 and 1985?
Q9. To what extent was social policy successful at providing social stability in the Soviet Union between 1953 and 1985?
© Marcus Soma 2026. All rights reserved. No part of this resource may be reproduced, redistributed or resold without the author’s permission.
, Topic 1: Communist Government in the USSR 1917–85
Was Stalin's consolidation of political control between 1928 and 1941 the main reason for his dominance in the USSR up to 1953?
From 1928-53, Stalin increased his power over the Soviet Union despite the difficult circumstances of the War (1941-45). Whilst Stalin’s elimination of his
opponents in government and in the party certainly helped with keeping power it never removed potential opposition from the Soviet People. The Great
Terror was successful at doing this but only had limited effect from 1936-38. The most significant reason appears to be the Party-State relationship which
allowed Stalin to directly take control of the USSR.
Stalin’s elimination of his opponents in government and in the party were a significant factor in his consolidation of power. His role as the Rabkin
(investigated corruption in the Party and government) from 1924-28 allowed him to remove anyone who he saw as a threat to his political position and did
not see them as an asset to his desire to gain power. This certainly limited the level of opposition that he had in the party. However, strong opposition from
the left and the right remained and was clear that Stalin was fearful they could easily remove him from the party. This was the driving cause for the launch
of Show Trials. Several trials took place beginning in 1936 (16) and ended in 1938 (21) removed the in which his most vocal opponents from the left
(Zinoviev, Kamenev and supporters for the exiled Trotsky) and from the right (Bukharin) were found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. This not only
made organised opposition more difficult against Stalin, but it sent out a message to former members of Stalin’s opposition. This allowed Stalin to
implement his own economic policies and political policies in the Sovnarkom which would help him to keep power such as the Five-Year Plans and the
Soviet Constitution of 1938 which was not opposed to by members of his Party and by members of his government. Whilst it can be concluded that Stalin
had removed his opposition in the government and in the party, he had not removed any potential opposition which could appear from within the Soviet
population.
The Great Terror was a contributing factor which helped Stalin to build up power and keep it from 1934-1953. Stalin’s elimination of his opposition in
government and party did not remove the fear of potential opposition instead it worsened it. His belief that his power would be undermined by the Soviet
people was an instrumental factor in his launch of the Great Terror in 1934. Around 20 million Soviet Citizens were detained from their homes by the NKVD
(Secret Police) and sent to Gulags (labour camps) in Siberia, it was far from the political sphere of the USSR which in Stalin’s mind was necessary to help
him to keep power. By 1938, around 50% of the Gulag population had died, so this sent out a message to anyone in the Soviet population that they must
exactly follow and fully obey Stalin or face the consequences of death. This message was what allowed Stalin to stay in power during the Great Patriotic
War (1941-1945), despite Stalin’s military failure as the Chair on the council of minister, the Red Army struggled to fight against the Wehrmacht on the
Eastern front. Many citizens feared the consequences of deviating and thus would not speak out against him despite his lack of military competence. The
Great Terror undoubtedly did remove a large population of the Soviet Union and for those that remained were terrified of being imprisoned so looked to
follow Stalin despite the crumbling situation in the USSR during the War. It was only a temporary factor for Stalin’s power; many Soviet citizens merely
followed him because they feared that they would be removed from society if they did not follow exactly what he said.
The most significant and plausible reason was the Party-state relationship for Stalin’s power in the USSR between 1928-53. In 1928, he was the head of the
Sovnarkom (the Soviet Council) gave him a higher status compared to the rest of the Bolsheviks within the government. This was instrumental in allowing
him to push through his economic policies of rapid industrialisation and collectivisation under the Five-Year Plan with almost no opposition even from the
© Marcus Soma 2026. All rights reserved. No part of this resource may be reproduced, redistributed or resold without the author’s permission.
