AQA 1H: Tsarist and Communist Russia KS5 Lesson and Revision Resources (2026)

I've recently redrafted part of the AQA 1H (Tsarist and Communist Russia) materials which I planned a few years ago. The redrafted materials can be found here.

The original lesson and revision materials are still available here. These have been largely tweaked to make extra time for delivery and exam practice. The practice examination materials are not included in the files, but blank folders indicate where they can be delivered.

As before, the materials follow the AQA 1H exam specification, but also provide further content relating to specific areas of Russian and Soviet History, in particular regarding Jews and non-Russian nationalities, the 1917 Revolution, and the Holocaust on Soviet territory.

All enquiry questions, including the revision enquiries intended to be delivered at the end of Year 13, are fully bookleted.

Main Changes

• Introductory narratives have been implemented at the start of all enquiry questions
• Lesson texts have been reviewed and updated for technical and factual accuracy, and to correlate more closely with current scholarship
• Two enquiry questions have been redesigned (Year 13: 1 and 2) to focus on the civil war and NEP more closely, areas which our students have found trickier to grasp in previous teaching
• At least one lesson which primarily involves note taking has been turned into independent work tasks to be completed at home before feeding back in the next lesson, in order to save on teaching time and maximise exam practice time

The first two enquiry questions of the Year 13 content have been updated to focus more clearly on the civil war and NEP, areas which our students have found harder to grasp over the past two years.

More broadly, the lesson texts and materials have been updated to correlate more closely to current scholarship. There are some references to suggested further reading in for enquiry questions 3-9, about which I hope to be able to provide much more information soon!

Year 12 Enquiry Questions

1. How did the Tsars seek to restore and maintain their authority after 1855?
2. Could forces of change overcome forces of reaction by 1894?
3. Could Nicholas II halt Russia's modernisation, 1894-1914?
4. What made the early 20th century Russia's "age of revolution"?
5. Why was power so hard to hold in 1917?

Year 13 Enquiry Questions

1. How did war and conflict shape the early Soviet system, 1917-21?
2. In what ways was the NEP, 1921-1927, a 'retreat' from socialism?
3. How "totalitarian" was the USSR under Stalin?
4. Could Stalinism survive total war?
5. Could the Soviet Union be reformed after Stalin?

Revision Themes and Enquiry Questions

1. Politics and Authority, 1855-1917: What drove changes to power and authority, 1855-1917?
2. Politics and Authority, 1917-1964: How did revolution and reforms change power and authority in Russia after 1917?
3. Economy, 1855-1964: How did Russia and the USSR achieve economic modernisation by 1964?
4. Society and Culture, 1855-1964: What drove social and economic developments in Russia, 1855-1964?