Russia, 1917–91: from Lenin to Yeltsin: Practice Questions

• a.

  To implement the Virgin Lands Scheme in order to expand the total area of arable land.

• b.

  To encourage the migration of urban workers to the countryside to support industrial growth.

• c.

  To remove a class of wealthier peasants perceived as a threat to collectivisation and state control of grain.

• d.

  To provide financial incentives for successful farmers to increase productivity for export.

• a.

  The use of psychiatric hospitals as a means of political control was abolished in favour of public trials and executions.

• b.

  The secret police was entirely disbanded and replaced by a volunteer ‘People’s Militia’ to ensure community-led justice.

• c.

  The KGB lost its primary function of monitoring the population, focusing exclusively on external espionage against the West.

• d.

  The KGB shifted toward ‘prophylactic’ measures and the targeted suppression of specific dissidents rather than mass random terror.

• a.

  It led to the immediate dissolution of the Petrograd Soviet to prevent a dual power structure.

• b.

  It oversaw the first major purge of the Red Army to remove potential supporters of the White movement.

• c.

  It formally established the Cheka as the primary organ for state security and the elimination of the bourgeoisie.

• d.

  It introduced the ‘Ban on Factions’ to ensure party unity and centralisation during the transition to the New Economic Policy.

• a.

  It stifled artistic innovation by mandating that all works must provide a positive, heroic depiction of Soviet life and party goals.

• b.

  It focused primarily on religious iconography to bridge the gap between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Communist Party.

• c.

  It encouraged the avant-garde movement to experiment with abstract forms to represent the complexity of the proletariat.

• d.

  It allowed for the open criticism of Stalin’s leadership as long as the work maintained a generally pro-communist tone.

• a.

  It saw a total abandonment of censorship, allowing for the widespread publication of dissident literature like The Gulag Archipelago.

• b.

  It led to political stagnation and the emergence of a gerontocracy, as officials were rarely removed from their positions.

• c.

  It accelerated the process of de-Stalinisation by encouraging younger, more radical reformers to take high-ranking party roles.

• d.

  It resulted in a significant decentralisation of power, giving individual factory managers the right to set their own prices.

Write your answer out first, then check it against the worked solution.

Write your answer out first, then check it against the worked solution.

Write your answer out first, then check it against the worked solution.

Write your answer out first, then check it against the worked solution.

Write your answer out first, then check it against the worked solution.