AQA_2024: A-level History - Component 2N Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia, 1917–1953 (Merged Question Paper and Marking Scheme)

AQA_2024: A-level History - Component 2N Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia, 1917–1953 (Merged Question Paper and Marking Scheme) A-level HISTORY Component 2N Revolution and dictatorship: Russia, 1917–1953 Friday 7 June 2024 Materials For this paper you must have:  an AQA 16-page answer book. Instructions Afternoon Time allowed: 2 hours 30 minutes  Use black ink or black ball-point pen.  Write the information required on the front of your answer book. The Paper Reference is 7042/2N.  Answer three questions. In Section A answer Question 01. In Section B answer two questions. Information  The marks for questions are shown in brackets.  The maximum mark for this paper is 80.  You will be marked on your ability to: – use good English – organise information clearly – use specialist vocabulary where appropriate. Advice  You are advised to spend about: – 1 hour on Question 01 from Section A – 45 minutes on each of the two questions answered from Section B. IB/M/Jun24/G4006/E2 7042/2N A-Level History: Component 2N - Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia, 1917–1953 Exam Summary This component focuses on the political, social, and economic transformation of Russia from the 1917 revolutions to the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953. Key themes include:  The 1917 Revolutions: The February and October Revolutions that led to the collapse of the Tsarist regime and the rise of Bolshevik power under Lenin. The subsequent Civil War (1917 1922) between the Reds (Bolsheviks) and Whites (anti-Bolshevik forces) and the consolidation of Bolshevik rule.  Lenin’s Leadership (1917–1924): The establishment of a communist state, the implementation of policies like War Communism, the New Economic Policy (NEP), and the development of a one-party state under Lenin’s leadership. The political and economic challenges faced by the early Soviet Union, including resistance from both domestic and foreign enemies.  Stalin’s Rise to Power (1924–1929): The power struggle after Lenin’s death, the consolidation of Stalin's authority, and the political purges and manipulation of the Communist Party that ensured his dominance.  Stalinist Policies (1929–1953): The implementation of forced collectivization in agriculture, the industrialization of the Soviet economy, the Great Terror (1936–1938), and the establishment of a totalitarian state under Stalin’s rule. These policies resulted in mass suffering, including famines, purges, and widespread repression.  The Soviet Union in WWII: The Soviet Union's role in World War II, including the Nazi invasion in 1941, the resilience of the Soviet people, and the eventual victory over Germany in 1945, which significantly shaped Stalin's legacy. This exam evaluates the causes, events, and consequences of the Russian revolutions, the rise of Bolshevik power, and the creation of a totalitarian state under Lenin and Stalin, while analyzing the social, economic, and political changes in Russia during this period. 2 IB/M/Jun24/7042/2N Section A Answer Question 01. Source A From a statement issued by the Communist Party (CPSU) Congress, January 1924. The Congress had voted in favour of the policies of the triumvirate of Stalin, Kamenev and Zinoviev. The opposition headed by Trotsky has tried to accuse the party of a lack of democracy and excessive bureaucracy. Such direct attempts to discredit the party apparatus cannot lead to anything other than the separation of government institutions from the party. The opposition has revealed a completely un-Bolshevik approach to the question of party discipline. This is reminiscent of when Lenin had to struggle against the destructive views of intellectuals in questions of organisation and defend the foundations of proletarian discipline in the party. The opposition has violated the decision made by the Tenth Congress in March 1921 which prohibited the formation of factions within the party. They seek to make the Central Committee an intermediary between factions. This view of the party has nothing in common with Leninism. The opposition is a threat to the unity of the state apparatus. These factional moves by the opposition have strengthened the hopes of all enemies of the party. 5 10 Source B From a speech given whilst under arrest, to the CPSU Congress, by the economist, Preobrazhensky, 1934. Preobrazhensky was exiled in 1927, returned after denouncing Trotskyism, but was arrested. In the years 1923 to 1927, I was considered the chief economist of the Trotskyist Opposition. My works, including ‘New Economics’, which discussed ways of accumulating capital for industrialisation, were used as weapons in the struggle between Stalin and the Left Opposition led by Trotsky. My important error consisted in mechanically comparing our economy with western capitalism and showing a lack of faith in, and contempt for, the Russian peasantry. My views were shared by the Trotskyists, who were committed to ‘permanent revolution’, supporting the Comintern in fomenting world-wide revolution. Like me, the Trotskyists assumed that socialist change would be a rather long evolutionary process. I had parted company with true Leninism but events wholly disproved what I had asserted. Lenin’s views triumphantly became reality under Stalin’s leadership. Collectivisation, that is the essential point. Did I foresee collectivisation? I did not. What was needed was Stalin’s remarkable far-sightedness, his great courage in facing the problems and applying policies. 5 10 3 Source C From private notes of a conversation which he held with Nikolai Bukharin by Lev Kamenev, 11 July 1928. Kamenev’s notes were not published until 1993. Kamenev: Is the leadership struggle really serious? Bukharin: That’s precisely what I wanted to talk about. I feel that Stalin’s line is disastrous for the whole revolution. Both of us could be overthrown on account of it. The disagreements between us and Stalin are many times more serious than the disagreements my comrades and I used to have with you. Rykov, Tomsky and I are unanimous in declaring that it would be much better if you and Zinoviev were in the Politburo instead of Stalin. Stalin is an unprincipled intriguer who subordinates everything to the preservation of his own power. He changes his theory according to whom he needs to get rid of. We are becoming a police state. Despite the opposition to him in Leningrad, talk of removing Stalin frightens people and there is a terrible fear of a party split. When Stalin made some concessions he made it difficult for anyone to attack him. We don’t want to appear factionalists. 5 10 0 1 With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context, assess the value of these three sources to an historian studying the leadership struggle in the years 1924 to 1929. [30 marks] Turn over for Section B IB/M/Jun24/7042/2N Turn over ► 4 IB/M/Jun24/7042/2N Section B Answer two questions. 0 2 To what extent had Bolshevik authority been established in Russia by the end of 1917? [25 marks] 0 3 ‘In the 1930s, Stalin’s Five Year Plans were a failure.’ Assess the validity of this view. [25 marks] 0 4 ‘Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War was entirely due to Stalin’s wartime leadership.’ Assess the validity of this view. [25 marks] END OF QUESTIONS Copyright information For confidentiality purposes, all acknowledgements of third-party copyright material are published in a separate booklet. This booklet is published after each live examination series and is available for free download from Permission to reproduce all copyright material has been applied for. In some cases, efforts to contact copyright-holders may have been unsuccessful and AQA will be happy to rectify any omissions of acknowledgements. If you have any queries please contact the Copyright Team. Copyright © 2024 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. A-level HISTORY 7042/2N Component 2N Revolution and dictatorship: Russia, 1917–1953 Mark scheme June 2024 Version: 1.0 Final MARK SCHEME – A-LEVEL HISTORY – 7042/2N – JUNE 2024 Mark schemes are prepared by the Lead Assessment Writer and considered, together with the relevant questions, by a panel of subject teachers. This mark scheme includes any amendments made at the standardisation events which all associates participate in and is the scheme which was used by them in this examination. The standardisation process ensures that the mark scheme covers the students’ responses to questions and that every associate understands and applies it in the same correct way. As preparation for standardisation each associate analyses a number of students’ scripts. Alternative answers not already covered by the mark scheme are discussed and legislated for. If, after the standardisation process, associates encounter unusual answers which have not been raised they are required to refer these to the Lead Examiner. It must be stressed that a mark scheme is a working document, in many cases further developed and expanded on the basis of students’ reactions to a particular paper. Assumptions about future mark schemes on the basis of one year’s document should be avoided; whilst the guiding principles of assessment remain constant, details will change, depending on the content of a particular examination paper. No student should be disadvantaged on the basis of their gender identity and/or how they refer to the gender identity of others in their exam responses. A consistent use of ‘they/them’ as a singular and pronouns beyond ‘she/her’ or ‘he/him’ will be credited in exam responses in line with existing mark scheme criteria. Further copies of this mark scheme are available from Copyright information AQA retains the copyright on all its publications. However, registered schools/colleges for AQA are permitted to copy material from this booklet for their own internal use, with the following important exception: AQA cannot give permission to schools/colleges to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a third party even for internal use within the centre. Copyright © 2024 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. 2 MARK SCHEME – A-LEVEL HISTORY – 7042/2N – JUNE 2024 Level of response marking instructions Level of response mark schemes are broken down into levels, each of which has a descriptor. The descriptor for the level shows the average performance for the level. There are marks in each level. Before you apply the mark scheme to a student’s answer read through the answer and annotate it (as instructed) to show the qualities that are being looked for. You can then apply the mark scheme. Step 1 Determine a level Start at the lowest level of the mark scheme and use it as a ladder to see whether the answer meets the descriptor for that level. The descriptor for the level indicates the different qualities that might be seen in the student’s answer for that level. If it meets the lowest level then go to the next one and decide if it meets this level, and so on, until you have a match between the level descriptor and the answer. With practice and familiarity, you will find that for better answers you will be able to quickly skip through the lower levels of the mark scheme. When assigning a level, you should look at the overall quality of the answer and not look to pick holes in small and specific parts of the answer where the student has not performed quite as well as the rest. If the answer covers different aspects of different levels of the mark scheme you should use a best fit approach for defining the level and then use the variability of the response to help decide the mark within the level, ie if the response is predominantly Level 3 with a small amount of Level 4 material it would be placed in Level 3 but be awarded a mark near the top of the level because of the Level 4 content. Step 2 Determine a mark Once you have assigned a level you need to decide on the mark. The descriptors on how to allocate marks can help with this. The exemplar materials used during standardisation will help. There will be an answer in the standardising materials which will correspond with each level of the mark scheme. This answer will have been awarded a mark by the Lead Examiner. You can compare the student’s answer with the example to determine if it is the same standard, better or worse than the example. You can then use this to allocate a mark for the answer based on the