World History Essays

During this period the USA was increasingly concerned with its global position and the need to contain the growing threat of international communism. The period started badly with the ‘fall’ of China to communism in 1949. The measure of US success in the Cold War at this time depends upon perception of the American position […]

During the period after the collapse of the Tsarist regime of Nicholas II, and the rise of the Bolshevik party headed by Lenin and then Stalin, Russia underwent serious, complex and far reaching reforms both physically through industrial revolution and economic planning but also as a society, particularly under Stalin.Under Stalin Russian Society underwent a […]

I think that Stalin’s political powerbases were one of the main reasons he emerged as leader of Soviet Russia by the end of 1929. Obviously there were other factors that aided him, such as the alliances he formed, and even his personality. Obviously I don’t think that it was all down to one factor alone […]

This article presents some preliminary empirical findings about the impact of the great terror in Leningrad (city and oblast’). The sheer scale of the purges makes a quantitative analysis of their impact viable, even within a very limited time span and within a defined geographical region. Leningrad itself offers an interesting case study because of […]

1. In Source A, the reasons for the German defeat at Stalingrad are not explained adequately. However, it does state some of the causes. Such as ‘Troops without ammunition or food’, the fact that they were ‘without dressings or drugs’ for the wounded soldiers. The other reasons for the defeat that are not stated are […]

The Cold War was not acctually a physical war faught between two or more Countries, it was a conflict between Cummunism and Capitalism that was mainly between Russia (Communsits) and The United States of America ( Capitalism).Both had different opinions on how a Country should be run, Russia believing in a Dictatorship whileAmerica believed in […]

To answer this question with total understanding as to Orwell’s vision, we must first be aware of his personal feelings towards the revolution that took place in Russia, and translate it to, in ‘Animal Farm’, the rebellion of a group of farm animals. And in ‘1984’ Watson’s need of rebellion. Orwell’s vision of society in […]

The government in USA was deeply unhappy with the Communism’s expansion to eastern Europe, which seemed to go further and further, threatening the power of capitalism. Traditionally America’s policy was based on isolationism, but the threat of Communism expansion made the Americans realise that this was no longer possible if it wanted to have a […]

Cuba is the least to blame for causing this crisis, though it still did have a part in causing the crisis due to some of its hostile actions. Firstly, it nationalized all American businesses in Cuba by taking over their businesses for the country instead to receive its profits. Also, it was responsible on behalf […]

In the 1920’s the soviet economy was failing disastrously the revolution and the civil war had devastated the soviet economy and the economic output was less than that under the Tsar. There were Famines followed by high prices and hyperinflation and major crises like the scissors crisis. Stalin instigated a series of vast five year […]

October 1962, saw the world on the brink of a Nuclear War which was thankfully avoided. One of the consequences of this was that both sides wished to get that close again, and it left Kennedy and America as the winners in the eyes of most independent spectators. Hence, both powers played key roles prior […]

Many millions of simple peasants were unnecessarily caused untold misery by Stalin’s collectivization policy, which is widely believed to have ruined Russian agriculture. The focus of this essay is to assess whether Stalin’s collectivisation programme during the 1930s was a successful “revolution from above” as he claimed, or an excessively ruthless and ineffective policy. “Revolution […]

Joseph Stalin was born in Georgia in 1879. Stalin was educated in a religious college but was expelled for revolutionary activities. He then became a member of the Bolshevik Party, he used to organise bank robberies and was jailed a few times. After the November revolution Stalin was given more power and was promoted by […]

The main changes that Stalin made to industry during his reign were to disestablish Lenin’s N.E.P. (new economic policy), introduce his five-year plans (this affected agriculture as well as industry), and to take the economy under state control: this is called nationalization.With a policy of nationalization, Stalin had replaced the prospect of privatization, a key […]

Through the 1920s peasants provided the Soviet government with many problems. The argument about the future of NEP was largely to do with how the government should treat the peasants. It was an argument that had already split the politburo in two.Early in 1928 Stalin announced that the USSR was 2 million tonnes short of […]

1. Explain why according to Source D “four to five million people perished”?Richard Service states in Source D that four to five million people perished “from ‘dekulakisation’ and grain seizures.” Dekulakisation refers to the annihilation of the entire class of kulaks, which were ‘rich peasants’. Kulaks were peasants who were somewhat better off than other […]

Stalin was in control of Russia for nearly 30 years, from 1924, after the death of the Bolshevik leader, Lenin, to 1953, when Stalin, himself, died. He was incredibly brutal, and sent many innocent people to their deaths, or to “gulags” (Russian concentration camps). He had his critics tortured, or removed and was the cause […]

These purges were his method of removing those who had previously opposed him and also those he believed may oppose him in the future. These alleged criminals against the state were either imprisoned, exiled or shot and ranged from high party officials and members of the military through to ordinary citizens. The purges began in […]

Question 1 Source A portrays Stalin negatively, as it was made by one of his adversaries. The image is a satirical travel poster showing stacks of human skulls, with Stalin inviting people to “Visit the USSR’s pyramids.” The caption has dark humor and irony, as the mentioned “pyramids” are actually made up of human skulls. […]

Operation Barbarossa had many major and some more minor factors which led to the early success and eventually the ultimate failure of the invasion. The Germans initial quick invasion using their Blitzkrieg tactics and the element of surprise against the Russians allowed them to get very close to Moscow. However the most important reason for […]

With the collapse of the USSR, which marked the conclusion of the largest socio-economic experiment in recent history, Russia was poised for the most transformative changes it had ever experienced. Despite predictions of a teleological development path towards a Western-style market economy and liberal democracy throughout Russia, the reality has shown stark regional differences in […]

The start of détente in 1962 was triggered by the Cuban Missile Crisis. Here, U2 spy planes from the USA spotted nuclear missile sites and freight ships carrying nuclear missiles from the USSR to Cuba. These missiles would be in striking range to the majority of the USA. Russia pulled back just in time after […]