Key term
Edexcel GCSE History 1HI0
Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88British depth
Topic overviewAnglo-Saxon government, economy and societyThe last years of Edward the Confessor and the succession crisisThe rival claimants for the throneThe Norman invasion, 1060–66Establishing control, 1066–87Anglo-Saxon resistance, 1068–71The legacy of resistance to 1087Revolt of the Earls, 1075The feudal system and the ChurchNorman government, 1066–88The Norman aristocracy, 1066–88William I and the succession
British America, 1713–83: Empire and RevolutionPeriod study
Topic overviewDevelopments in colonial societySlavery in North AmericaProblems within the coloniesThe impact of cultural developmentsWar in the coloniesThe aftermath of the French and Indian warAmerican colonist relations with Britain: growing opposition, 1765-75The War of Independence 1775-83Consequences of the war in America
Conflict in the Middle East, 1945–95Period study
Crime and Punishment in Britain, c1000–presentPaper 1 option
Topic overviewFactors driving change in crime and punishment, c1000–presentNature and changing definitions of criminal activity, c1000–c1500The nature of law enforcement and punishment, c1000–c1500Case study: the Church, sanctuary and trial by ordealNature and changing definitions of criminal activity, c1500–c1700The nature of law enforcement and punishment, c1500–c1700Case studies: the Gunpowder Plot and Matthew HopkinsNature and changing definitions of criminal activity, c1700–c1900The nature of law enforcement and punishment, c1700–c1900Case studies: Pentonville prison and Robert PeelNature and changing definitions of criminal activity, c1900–presentThe nature of law enforcement and punishment, c1900–presentCase studies: conscientious objectors and Derek Bentley
Early Elizabethan England, 1558–88British depth
Topic overviewThe situation on Elizabeth’s accessionThe ‘settlement’ of religionChallenge to the religious settlementThe problem of Mary, Queen of ScotsPlots and revolts at homeRelations with Spain, 1569–88Outbreak of war with Spain, 1585–88The Armada, 1588Education and leisure, 1558–88The ‘problem’ of the poorExploration and voyages of discoveryAttempted colonisation of Virginia
Henry VIII and His Ministers, 1509–40British depth
Topic overviewHenry VIII, Renaissance PrinceThe rise of Wolsey and his policiesWolsey’s foreign policy, 1509–29Wolsey, Catherine, the succession and annulmentCromwell’s rise to power, 1529–34The king’s marriages, 1529–40Cromwell and government, 1534–40The fall of CromwellThe break with RomeOpposition to, and impact of, Reformation, 1534–40The dissolution of the monasteriesThe Pilgrimage of Grace, 1536
London and the Second World War, 1939–45Paper 1 option
Mao’s China, 1945–76Modern depth
Topic overviewThe Civil War, 1945–49Communist rule, 1945–59Consolidating the CCP’s hold on power, 1951–52The Hundred Flowers campaign, 1956–57Early changes in agriculture, 1949–57Industry and the Five-Year Plan, 1953–57The Great Leap ForwardEconomic reform, 1962–65Reasons for the Cultural RevolutionThe Red Guards and the Red TerrorThe effects of the Cultural RevolutionThe end of the Cultural Revolution, 1968–76Communist control, 1949–76Family life and the role of womenEducation and health, 1949–76Cultural change, 1949–76
Medicine in Britain, c1250–presentPaper 1 option
Topic overviewFactors driving change in medicine, c1250–presentIdeas about the cause of disease and illness, c1250–c1500Approaches to prevention and treatment, c1250–c1500Case study: the Black Death, 1348–49Ideas about the cause of disease and illness, c1500–c1700Approaches to prevention and treatment, c1500–c1700Case studies: William Harvey and the Great Plague of 1665Ideas about the cause of disease and illness, c1700–c1900Approaches to prevention and treatment, c1700–c1900Case studies: Jenner’s vaccination and the 1854 cholera outbreakIdeas about the cause of disease and illness, c1900–presentApproaches to prevention and treatment, c1900–presentCase studies: penicillin and the fight against lung cancer
Migrants in Britain, c800–presentPaper 1 option
Topic overviewFactors driving change in migration to Britain, c800–presentThe context for migration, c800–c1500The experience and impact of migrants, c800–c1500Case study: York under the VikingsThe context for migration, c1500–c1700The experience and impact of migrants, c1500–c1700Case studies: Flemish and Walloon migrants, and the HuguenotsThe context for migration, c1700–c1900The experience and impact of migrants, c1700–c1900Case studies: Liverpool, and Jewish migrants in the East EndThe context for migration, c1900–presentThe experience and impact of migrants, c1900–presentCase studies: Bristol, and Asian migrants in Leicester
Notting Hill, c1948–c1970Paper 1 option
Russia and the Soviet Union, 1917–41Modern depth
Topic overviewThe growth of opposition to the tsar in early 1917The February RevolutionThe Provisional GovernmentThe Bolshevik RevolutionEarly consolidation of power, 1917–18The Civil War, 1918–21Moves towards totalitarianism, 1917–24Economic and social change, 1918–24The struggle for power, 1924–28The use of terror in the 1930sPropaganda and censorship, 1924–41The Cult of StalinAgriculture and collectivisation, 1924–41Changes in industry, 1924–41Life in the Soviet UnionThe position of women and ethnic minorities
Spain and the ‘New World’, c1490–c1555Period study
Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941–91Period study
Topic overviewEarly tension between East and WestThe development of the Cold WarThe Cold War intensifiesIncreased tension between East and WestCold War crises, 1958–70Reaction to crisis, 1958–70Attempts to reduce superpower tensions in the 1970sThe end of détente and the ‘Second Cold War’The collapse of Soviet control of Eastern Europe, 1985-91
The American West, c1835–c1895Period study
Topic overviewIndigenous peoples of the Plains: their beliefs and ways of lifeMigration and early settlementConflict and tension, c1835–c1862The development of settlement in the WestRanching and the cattle industryChanges in the ways of life of Indigenous peoples of the PlainsChanges in farming, the cattle industry and settlementConflict and tension, c1876–c1895Indigenous peoples of the Plains: the destruction of their ways of life
The British Sector of the Western Front, 1914–18: Injuries, Treatment and the TrenchesPaper 1 option
Topic overviewThe British sector of the Western Front and the trench systemConditions requiring medical treatment on the Western FrontMedical treatment on the Western FrontExperiments in surgery and medicine on the Western FrontMedicine in the early twentieth centurySources for a Western Front enquiry
The Reigns of King Richard I and King John, 1189–1216British depth
Topic overviewThe feudal system, 1189–1216Kingship and succession, 1189–1216Royal government and financesEnglish society, 1189–1216The nature of crusadingRichard and the Third CrusadeAftermath of the crusadeRichard, John and the loss of NormandyThe dispute with the PapacyWorsening relations with the baronsMagna Carta and the First Barons’ WarEngland in 1216
The USA, 1954–75: Conflict at Home and AbroadModern depth
Topic overviewThe position of Black Americans in the early 1950sDevelopments in education, 1954–60The Montgomery Bus Boycott and its impact, 1955–60Opposition to the civil rights movementDevelopments, 1960–62Peaceful protests and their impact, 1963–65Malcolm X and Black Power, 1963–70The civil rights movement, 1965–75Reasons for US involvement in the conflict in Vietnam, 1954–63Escalation of the conflict under JohnsonThe nature of the conflict in Vietnam, 1964–68Changes under Nixon, 1969–73Opposition to the warSupport for the warThe peace process and end of the warReasons for the failure of the USA in Vietnam
Warfare and British Society, c1250–presentPaper 1 option
Topic overviewFactors driving change in warfare, c1250–presentThe nature of warfare, c1250–c1500The experience of war, c1250–c1500Case studies: the battles of Falkirk and AgincourtThe nature of warfare, c1500–c1700The experience of war, c1500–c1700Case study: the Battle of Naseby, 1645The nature of warfare, c1700–c1900The experience of war, c1700–c1900Case studies: the battles of Waterloo and BalaclavaThe nature of warfare, c1900–presentThe experience of war, c1900–presentCase studies: the Somme and the Iraq War
Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918–39Modern depth
Topic overviewThe origins of the Republic, 1918–19The early challenges to the Weimar Republic, 1919–23The ‘Golden Years’: recovery of the Republic, 1924–29Changes in society, 1924–29Early development of the Nazi Party, 1920–22The Munich Putsch and the Nazi Party, 1923–28The growth in support for the Nazis, 1929–32How Hitler became Chancellor, 1932–33The creation of a dictatorship, 1933–34The police state, 1933–39Controlling and influencing attitudesOpposition, resistance and conformityNazi policies towards womenNazi policies towards the youngEmployment and living standardsThe persecution of minorities
Whitechapel, c1870–c1900: Crime, Policing and the Inner CityPaper 1 option
Russia and the Soviet Union, 1917–41
- 16 subtopics
- 45 things to know
- Paper 3
- Paper 3, one modern depth study of four
What Russia and the Soviet Union, 1917–41 covers
Russia and the Soviet Union, 1917–41 is examined in Paper 3, Modern depth study. It covers the growth of opposition to the tsar in early 1917, the February Revolution, the Provisional Government, the Bolshevik Revolution, early consolidation of power, 1917–18, the Civil War, 1918–21, moves towards totalitarianism, 1917–24, economic and social change, 1918–24, the struggle for power, 1924–28, the use of terror in the 1930s, propaganda and censorship, 1924–41, the Cult of Stalin, agriculture and collectivisation, 1924–41, changes in industry, 1924–41, life in the Soviet Union and the position of women and ethnic minorities.
Where it is assessed
Paper 3
Modern depth study, 30% of the GCSE, one option of four.
Check the Pearson Edexcel specification ↗The 16 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- The growth of opposition to the tsar in early 1917Peasant land hunger, workers' slums, the bread shortage of 1916–17, inflation and wages, the socialist parties, Tannenberg, Nicholas II at the front, the war economy, the suspended Duma and conscription's effect on the countryside.Open →
- The February RevolutionThe strikes of February 1917, the Putilov lockout, the crowds' demands, the Tsar's order to fire, the garrison's mutiny and what followed, Nicholas at Mogilev, his train halted at Pskov and his abdication.Open →
- The Provisional GovernmentPrince Lvov's temporary government and the promised Constituent Assembly, Dual Control and the Petrograd Soviet, Soviet Order Number 1 and its effect, Kerensky's posts, the failed June offensive, peasant land seizures, and the Kornilov Revolt and why it helped the Bolsheviks.Open →
- The Bolshevik RevolutionLenin's return in the sealed train, the April Theses, 'Peace, Bread, Land', rising Bolshevik membership, the July Days and their aftermath, the Red Guards' seizure of Petrograd, Trotsky's Military Revolutionary Committee, the Winter Palace, Lenin's part in the October rising and why it succeeded.Open →
- Early consolidation of power, 1917–18The Decrees on Land and Peace, promises to workers, nationalised banks, the end of titles, the Constituent Assembly and its closure, the banning of rival parties, the Romanovs' deaths and the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.Open →
- The Civil War, 1918–21The Reds and the Whites, why civil war broke out in 1918, foreign intervention, the Czech Legion, the White commanders Kolchak, Denikin and Yudenich, the effects on ordinary Russians, Trotsky's contribution, the Bolsheviks' territorial advantages, White weaknesses and how intervention helped the Reds.Open →
- Moves towards totalitarianism, 1917–24The Cheka, the Red Terror and its victims, what terror achieved and cost, the Kronstadt Mutiny of 1921 and its crushing, the Politburo, the ban on factions and the creation of the USSR.Open →
- Economic and social change, 1918–24Why War Communism was introduced, state-run industry and grain requisitioning, why it was hated, Lenin's change of course, the New Economic Policy and its critics and results, and policy on women, education and religion.Open →
- The struggle for power, 1924–28Stalin's post as General Secretary and his weaknesses, Trotsky's strengths and weaknesses, Kamenev and Zinoviev, Bukharin and the New Economic Policy, Socialism in One Country, Lenin's funeral, how Stalin defeated his rivals one at a time and where they stood by 1928.Open →
- The use of terror in the 1930sThe murder of Kirov in 1934, why Stalin purged the party and who was caught up, the purge of the armed forces and its cost, the wider consequences, the NKVD and night-time arrests, the gulags and their conditions, and the show trials of 1936–1938 and why they were held in public.Open →
- Propaganda and censorship, 1924–41Socialist realism and the fate of artists who ignored it, rewritten history, obedience taught in schools and youth movements, the attack on religion, control of the press and Pravda, and the 1936 Constitution's promises.Open →
- The Cult of StalinWhat the cult was and why Stalin wanted it, how it shielded him from blame and justified the terror, portraits, faked links to Lenin, renamed cities, writers and film-makers, Pravda and the plain tunic.Open →
- Agriculture and collectivisation, 1924–41The grain problem under the New Economic Policy, why industry needed farming changed, the kolkhoz and the state farm, Machine Tractor Stations, the kulaks, peasant resistance, the Ukrainian famine, and what collectivisation achieved and cost.Open →
- Changes in industry, 1924–41Why Stalin wanted speed, industry under the New Economic Policy, Gosplan, the first Five-Year Plan and Magnitogorsk, the later plans, failing managers, Stakhanov and his movement, and the achievements and failures of industrialisation.Open →
- Life in the Soviet UnionCrowded town housing, harsh factory work and what workers gained, life on a collective farm, internal passports, rationing and queues, the groups who did best and those who suffered most, the gap between skilled and unskilled wages, and new chances for able young people from poor homes.Open →
- The position of women and ethnic minoritiesStalin's family policy and why earlier freedoms were reversed, women's double burden of work and home, the jobs women took, help for working mothers, women's political position, early policy towards the nationalities, Russification under Stalin, the deportation of frontier peoples and the suppression of minority religions and customs.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
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How did strikes in Petrograd in February 1917 turn into the fall of the Tsar?
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How did Stalin's purges reach the armed forces, and how did the secret police and the camps work?
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Who held power in Petrograd after the Tsar abdicated, and how was that power shared?
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What did the Kronstadt sailors demand in 1921?
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What was socialist realism?
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What did Russian peasants want most in the years before 1917?
Who and when
What did the Decree on Land do?
Who and when
Who were the Reds and the Whites?
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What did War Communism mean for industry?
Evaluation
Which post gave Stalin his greatest advantage?
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What is meant by the Cult of Stalin?
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What problem with the New Economic Policy pushed Stalin to change farming?
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What was Gosplan?
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What was housing like in the towns in the 1930s?
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Why were the freedoms of early Soviet family law reversed in the 1930s?
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Why were living conditions so bad for town workers by 1917?
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What set off the strikes in Petrograd in February 1917?
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Who took charge of Russia once the Tsar had gone?
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How did Lenin get back to Russia in April 1917?
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What did the Decree on Peace call for?
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What was the Czech Legion?
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What was the Cheka?
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What was grain requisitioning?
Evaluation
What were Trotsky's strengths?
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Which murder in 1934 was used to justify the purges?
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How was religion attacked in Stalin's Soviet Union?
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How did the Cult of Stalin protect him from blame?
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Why did building new industry depend on changing farming first?
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What did the first Five-Year Plan concentrate on?
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What was work like in Soviet factories in the 1930s?
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What help was given to Soviet mothers in work in the 1930s?
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What happened to the bread supply in Russian cities during the winter of 1916–17?
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Which huge Petrograd engineering works had already locked out its striking men?
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What is meant by 'Dual Control'?
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What slogans summed up what the Bolsheviks were offering?
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What did the Bolshevik government promise workers in its first weeks?
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Name two White commanders and say where they attacked from.
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What was the Red Terror?
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How were people paid and fed while War Communism lasted?
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What did Bukharin argue for?
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Who was caught up in Stalin's purges?
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How was the press controlled in Stalin's Soviet Union?
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How did the Cult of Stalin help justify the terror?
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What was a kolkhoz?
Take Russia and the Soviet Union, 1917–41 further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Petrograd Soviet vs Provisional Government
Petrograd Soviet: the elected council of workers and soldiers speaking for the factories and garrison. Provisional Government: the temporary ministry of Duma liberals under Prince Lvov.
July Days vs Kornilov Revolt
July Days: the failed 1917 rising of workers, soldiers and sailors demanding Soviet power. Kornilov Revolt: the commander-in-chief's march on Petrograd to crush the Soviet.
War Communism vs New Economic Policy
War Communism: grain requisitioning and state-run factories under military discipline from 1918. New Economic Policy: a tax in kind on peasants with small trade back in private hands from 1921.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What did Russian peasants want most in the years before 1917?
Model answer
More land of their own, because most farmed small strips with backward methods and struggled to feed their families.
- 2
Why were living conditions so bad for town workers by 1917?
Model answer
Rapid industrial growth had crammed them into overcrowded, filthy slums, and they faced long hours, low wages and dangerous machinery.
- 3
What happened to the bread supply in Russian cities during the winter of 1916–17?
Model answer
Bread became scarce and dear because the railways broke down and grain stayed in the countryside, so people queued for hours in freezing weather.
- 4
What effect did wartime inflation have on workers' wages?
Model answer
Prices rose far faster than pay, so real earnings fell and many workers could no longer afford bread or fuel.
- 5
Which parties gained support among discontented workers and peasants?
Model answer
Socialist parties such as the Bolsheviks, Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries, who promised peace, food and the landlords' estates.
- 6
What happened to the Russian army at Tannenberg in 1914?
Model answer
It was crushed by the Germans and its commander shot himself, a humiliating defeat in the very first weeks of the fighting.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Russia and the Soviet Union, 1917–41 revision questions
- What does Russia and the Soviet Union, 1917–41 cover in Edexcel GCSE History?
- 16 subtopics: the growth of opposition to the tsar in early 1917, the february revolution, the provisional government, the bolshevik revolution, early consolidation of power, 1917–18, the civil war, 1918–21, moves towards totalitarianism, 1917–24, economic and social change, 1918–24, the struggle for power, 1924–28, the use of terror in the 1930s, propaganda and censorship, 1924–41, the cult of stalin, agriculture and collectivisation, 1924–41, changes in industry, 1924–41, life in the soviet union and the position of women and ethnic minorities. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Russia and the Soviet Union, 1917–41 organised?
- By the Edexcel 1HI0 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Russia and the Soviet Union, 1917–41, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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