AQA AS HISTORY 7041/1H TSARIST AND COMMUNIST RUSSIA VERSION 1.0 FINAL QUESTION PAPERS & MERGED MARKING SCHEME | JUNE 2023

Extract A In the chaos of October 1905, Nicholas promised Russia a government that was constitutional in character. Although the right to vote was still restricted, there was an elected Duma and individuals could meet and organise themselves openly, as well as take an active role in political life. The first Duma held fairly moderate views and the second even more so. By 1907 order had been restored and between 1907 and 1914 Russia enjoyed a period of political calm during which wounds began to heal. The process of modernisation and industrialisation resumed its course and the government took steps to change the country’s agrarian structure. Intellectual and cultural life revived. The period was one of dazzling creativity in many areas. Adapted from M Raeff, Understanding Imperial Russia, 1984 5 Extract B After the high hopes of 1905, the following years of Duma government proved a disappointment to the reformers. Confusion reigned at the centre of government. Muddled thinking and backward-looking influences overshadowed any positive developments, bringing much dissatisfaction. The projects prepared for the second Duma by Stolypin never became law in their original form, or failed altogether because there was no commitment to reform on the part of the Tsar, his ministers or the members of the State Council. Anti-liberal forces and the right wing of the Duma held out against change. The Lena massacre, the Rasputin scandal and the dismissals and suspensions of university professors and students deepened the impression of a regime which lacked wisdom and firm control. Adapted from H Rogger, Russia in the Age of Modernisation and Revolution 1881–1917, 1983 5 10 0 1 With reference to these extracts and your understanding of the historical context, which of these two extracts provides the more convincing interpretation of Russia in the years 1905 to 1914? [25 marks