DSST Soviet Union study plan

Outline the chronology of Soviet leaders from Lenin to Gorbachev, noting the years in power and the signature economic policies of each.

List the main features of the New Economic Policy (NEP) and explain why Lenin introduced it in 1921.

Identify the internal and external factors that contributed to the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Create a timeline that links the NEP period (1921–1928) to the later reform attempts of the 1980s.

Describe the structure of tsarist autocracy, including the roles of the Orthodox Church, nobility, and bureaucracy.

Summarize the causes and consequences of the 1905 Revolution and the October Manifesto.

Trace the events from the February Revolution to the October Revolution in 1917, identifying the roles of the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet.

Explain the main ideas of Lenin's April Theses and the Bolshevik slogan 'Peace, Land, Bread'.

Outline Stalin's rise to power and the key features of his pre-war domestic policies, including collectivization and the Five-Year Plans.

Identify the major purges and show trials of the 1930s and their impact on Soviet society and the military.

Summarize the causes and course of the Second World War on the Eastern Front, including the Nazi-Soviet Pact, Operation Barbarossa, and the Battles of Stalingrad and Kursk.

Explain the significance of the wartime alliance with Britain and the United States and the origins of the Cold War.

List the main features of post-war Stalinism, including the reconstruction of the economy, the continuation of the cult of personality, and the onset of the Cold War.

Describe the succession struggle after Stalin's death and Khrushchev's rise to power.

Explain Khrushchev's de-Stalinization policies, including the Secret Speech of 1956 and the Thaw in culture and society.

Summarize Khrushchev's foreign policy initiatives, such as peaceful coexistence and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Describe the main characteristics of the Brezhnev era, including 'stagnation', the nomenklatura system, and the policy of détente.

Explain the causes and consequences of the Soviet-Afghan War (1979–1989).

Outline Gorbachev's reforms: glasnost, perestroika, and demokratizatsiya, and assess their intended and unintended effects.

Identify the key events of the August 1991 coup and the subsequent collapse of the Soviet Union.

Review the major turning points in Russian history before 1917, focusing on the reforms of Alexander II and the industrialization under Witte.

Re-examine the NEP's mixed economy and its political and social consequences, including the rise of the Nepmen and the opposition within the Communist Party.

Compare the NEP with the policies of War Communism that preceded it and the command economy that followed.

Practice answering multiple-choice questions on these domains to identify remaining gaps.

Create a detailed timeline of the revolutionary year 1917, integrating political, social, and economic events.

Review Stalin's pre-war policies and their impact on Soviet society, using primary source excerpts (e.g., speeches, decrees).

Revisit the key battles and turning points of the Second World War on the Eastern Front, emphasizing their strategic significance.

Analyze how the experience of war shaped post-war Stalinist policies.

Synthesize the post-war period by comparing and contrasting the leadership styles and policies of Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev, and Gorbachev.

Evaluate the long-term factors that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union, drawing on evidence from all domains.

Complete a full-length practice test under timed conditions and review incorrect answers.

Identify three areas of weakness from the practice test and create a focused review plan for each.