SHP Advanced History Core Texts are the Schools History Project's acclaimed new books for A level History. These books apply SHP's two decades of curriculum development experience to the challenge of helping students make the leap from GCSE to A level. They offer: - clear and penetrating narrative - comprehensively explaining the content required for examination success - thought provoking and relevant activities that explore the content and help students think analytically about the subject - thorough exam preparation through carefully designed tasks that address the distinctive requirements of A Level history - a wide range of revision strategies including structured content summaries Additional features include: - A focus route pathway for independent learners - Learning Trouble Spots - which address common misunderstandings - diagrammatic summaries of key areas of content and historical issues - accessible summaries of recent historical debates. A comprehensive advanced core text on Russia from 1900 to the 1950s. It offers students an insight into the causes of the Russian Revolution in 1917; the nature, the achievements and failure of Lenin's and Stalin's regimes; and the ongoing historiographical debate about this period and the current reinterpretations of it. The book is the third in the European Dictatorships trilogy from the Schools History Project. It provides examination preparation for A level students and also includes a range of students' helps to bridge conceptual and skills gaps between GCSE and A Level. There is practical guidance on essay writing and revision, along with decision-making exercises and source-based investigations.

Table of Contents:
Section 1 Why were the Bolsheviks so successful in October 1917?: what led to the downfall of the tsar?; who took control of Russia after the February Revolution?; was the provisional government doomed from the beginning?; was the Bolshevik seizure of power in October 1917 inevitable?. Section 2 The consolidation of the Bolshevik state 1917-1924: how did the Bolsheviks survive the first few months in power?; why did the Bolsheviks win the civil war?; how was the Bolshevik state consolidated between 1921 and 1924?. Section 3 From Lenin to Stalin: how significant is Lenin?; why did Stalin emerge as the sole leader of Russia?. Section 4 How did Stalin transform the economy of the USSR in the 1930s?: why did Stalin make the Great Turn?; collectivization; how well planned were the Five-Year Plans?. Section 5 How did Stalin control the USSR?: how far was Stalin responsible for the Great Purges?; the cult of the personality. Section 6 Soviet Security or spreading revolution? Soviet foreign policy 1921-1939: Alone in a hostile world - how did the Soviet foreign policy develop 1921-1933; why did the Soviet Union come to terms with Hitler?. Section 7 Soviet society in the 1920s and 1930s: was Soviet culture transformed by the October Revolution?; was there a Great Retreat in the 1930s?; was Stalinism Lenin's baby?.