AQA · A-Level · History
Course version: 7042 · Version from Sept 2017
How and with what results did the economy develop and change?
Full specification wording
1H Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964 – consequence in this period through the following key questions:: How and with what results did the economy develop and change?
To understand how the Russian economy developed and changed between 1855 and 1964, you must analyse the methods used by both Tsarist and Communist regimes and evaluate their results.
Checked against the AQA 7042 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 3 of 6
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
To understand how the Russian economy developed and changed between 1855 and 1964, you must analyse the methods used by both Tsarist and Communist regimes and evaluate their results. Tsarist ministers like Witte and Stolypin drove industrialisation through foreign loans and attempted agrarian reform to create a class of prosperous peasants. Conversely, Communist leaders utilised state-directed methods, notably Stalin’s Five-Year Plans and forced collectivisation, to rapidly industrialise at immense human cost. You must assess the results of these differing approaches, comparing the limited, uneven growth under the Tsars with the massive, yet structurally flawed, heavy industrial output and agricultural stagnation under Soviet rule.
What earns the marks
- Identify specific economic policies used by Tsarist ministers, such as Witte's Great Spurt, and Communist leaders, such as Lenin's New Economic Policy.
- Evaluate the methods of implementation, contrasting Tsarist reliance on foreign capital with Soviet state-directed command economics and coercion.
- Assess the results of industrial development, noting the shift from uneven Tsarist growth to the USSR becoming a global industrial superpower.
- Analyse the results of agricultural changes, comparing the limited success of Stolypin's reforms with the devastating human and economic consequences of Stalinist collectivisation.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Treating the Tsarist and Communist economies in isolation.
Put it right: Explicitly compare the methods and results across the 1917 divide to show continuity and change.
Assuming Soviet economic policies were entirely successful.
Put it right: Acknowledge the massive growth in heavy industry alongside the chronic failures in agriculture and consumer goods.
Ignoring the 'how' part of the question.
Put it right: Ensure you detail the specific mechanisms of change, such as foreign loans under Witte or Gosplan under Stalin, rather than just listing outcomes.
Exam tips
- Use specific statistical evidence, such as coal or grain production figures, to substantiate claims about economic results.
- When evaluating results, differentiate between industrial and agricultural outcomes, as regimes often succeeded in one while failing in the other.
- Structure thematic essays by comparing the role of the state in driving economic change under both Tsars and Commissars.
Try the lesson
The start of the 1H Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964 – consequence in this period through the following key questions:: How and with what results did the economy develop and change? lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
Which of the following was a primary method used by Sergei Witte to stimulate Russian industrial development in the 1890s?
Listen
To understand how the Russian economy developed and changed between 1855 and 1964, you must analyse the methods used by both Tsarist and Communist regimes and evaluate their results. Tsarist ministers like Witte and Stolypin drove industrialisation through foreign loans and attempted agrarian reform to create a class of prosperous peasants. Conversely, Communist leaders utilised state-directed methods, notably Stalin’s Five-Year Plans and forced collectivisation, to rapidly industrialise at immense human cost. You must assess the results of these differing approaches, comparing the limited, uneven growth under the Tsars with the massive, yet structurally flawed, heavy industrial output and agricultural stagnation under Soviet rule. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Identify specific economic policies used by Tsarist ministers, such as Witte's Great Spurt, and Communist leaders, such as Lenin's New Economic Policy. Evaluate the methods of implementation, contrasting Tsarist reliance on foreign capital with Soviet state-directed command economics and coercion. Assess the results of industrial development, noting the shift from uneven Tsarist growth to the USSR becoming a global industrial superpower. Analyse the results of agricultural changes, comparing the limited success of Stolypin's reforms with the devastating human and economic consequences of Stalinist collectivisation. A common slip: Treating the Tsarist and Communist economies in isolation. Instead, explicitly compare the methods and results across the 1917 divide to show continuity and change. Exam tip: Use specific statistical evidence, such as coal or grain production figures, to substantiate claims about economic results.
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
Industrialisation and modernisation
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Agricultural reform and collectivisation
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The role of the state in the economy
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Continuity and change across the 1917 divide
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See every definition
- Industrialisation and modernisation
- Driven by Tsarist ministers through foreign loans and by Communist leaders through state-directed methods, it produced limited, uneven growth under the Tsars and massive heavy industrial output under Soviet rule.
- Agricultural reform and collectivisation
- Attempted agrarian reform to create a class of prosperous peasants gave limited success, while forced collectivisation brought devastating human and economic consequences and agricultural stagnation.
- The role of the state in the economy
- Tsarist reliance on foreign capital contrasts with Soviet state-directed command economics and coercion, including Stalin's Five-Year Plans and Gosplan.
- Continuity and change across the 1917 divide
- The methods and results of the Tsarist and Communist economies must be explicitly compared across the 1917 divide rather than treated in isolation.
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