Preparatory work

*If you are having trouble accessing any of the documents/articles etc., then please email pmead@swbgs.com directly* 

The Tudors: England 1485-1603

Purchase a copy of:

• Oxford AQA History for A Level: The Tudors: England 1485-1603. (Core textbook) 

• The Early Tudors: England 1485-1558 (SHP Advanced History Core Texts) 

Preparatory tasks (A Google document version of all of the tasks listed below can be found here):

1. Read through the introduction on 'The political context in 1485' (The first 3 pages of the core textbook). Make a note of some of the key themes that will be explored throughout a study of the Tudors.

2. Use the scanned sheet entitled ‘Causes of Wars of the Roses and lessons for Henry’ to make a list of causes of the Wars of the Roses. List examples to support the causes.

3. Summarise the ‘two sides’ for the Wars of the Roses using the scanned sheet entitled ‘Two sides’. You can either do this in the form of notes, or you can create a storyboard to chart the Wars of the Roses if you prefer!

4. Use all of the information from the scanned sheets to complete a pre-prepared table.

5. Carry out some further research on the Wars of the Roses and answer the question - what sort of country did Henry VII inherit? Divide notes into the categories of religion, society, economy and politics. Should only be around an A4 page of notes.

6. Read Henry VII and the Shaping of the Tudor State article. Use the article and a little extra research to answer -  In what ways did Henry VII's experiences before 1485 influence the ways he ruled England? This should be between 1/2 page and 1 page.

7. Read John Guy's chapter on Henry VII (taken from The Tudors).  

Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia, 1917-1953

Purchase a copy of:

• Oxford AQA History for A Level: Revolution and Dictatorship: Russia, 1917-1953.

• Russia under Tsarism and Communism 1881-1953 Second Edition (SHP Advanced History Core Texts)

Preparatory tasks (A Google document version of all of the tasks listed below can be found here):

Pre-1917 Summer Work - What were the problems facing the tsarist regime at the turn of the twentieth century?

The Russian Empire and its people

1. Read pages 4-5 this scan and identify the aspects of Russia that made it a difficult country to govern at the end of the nineteenth century. 

The social structure of tsarist Russia

2. How was Russian society structured? Read pages 6-7 of this scan and create an annotated pyramid to show how Russian society was structured. 

3. What features of Russian society were likely to cause problems for the tsarist government in the first decade of the twentieth century?

How was Russia governed under the tsars? 

4. Read pages 8-9 of this scan and make notes on:

• How Russia was governed under the tsars

• The three main principles underpinning the tsarist system

• The importance of the role of the Orthodox Church

• The difference between the Westerners and Slavophiles

Tsar Nicholas II, Tsarina Alexandra and Grigori Rasputin

5. Read Chapter 1 of Orlando Figes’ book,  A People’s Tragedy. Entitled 'The Dynasty', this will provide you with  an extremely useful grounding on Tsar Nicholas II as a ruler, the Tsarina, as well as the mysterious monk, Grigori Rasputin. It will also greatly assist with your understanding of the long-term sources of discontent which culminated in the overthrow of the Tsar during the February Revolution of 1917. Once you have read it, answer the following structured questions:

• Why, according to Orlando Figes, was Tsar Nicholas II an ineffective ruler?

• What was his style of governance (in order to preserve his autocratic/absolutist power)? 

• Why was Tsarina Alexandra a problem? 

• Who was Rasputin, and why was he able to exert such a huge influence over the Tsar and Tsarina? (Tip: The Spala miracle)

• How influential did Rasputin become at the royal court?

• Why, despite such widespread opposition to Rasputin's presence at the royal court, would the Tsar not get rid of him?

Modernisation: Witte’s economic policy, 1892-1903

Key questions:

• Who was Sergei Witte and how did he try to modernise the Russian economy?

• How successful was he?

• Why did modernisation pose a threat to the tsarist regime?

6. Read pages 15-17 of this scan and fill out the table to evaluate the policies of Witte.

7. How successful was Witte?

8. Read page 17. Why did modernisation pose a threat to the tsarist regime?

Round-up

9. Explain whether or not you think that a revolution was inevitable at the turn of the twentieth century.

Recommended books to read over the summer for Revolution and dictatorship (and into Year 12):

1. Robert Service, The Last of the Tsars: Nicholas II and the Russian Revolution

2. Robert Service, Lenin: A Biography

3. Robert Service, Trotsky: A Biography

4. Sheila Fitzpatrick, The Russian Revolution

5. Orlando Figes, Revolutionary Russia, 1891-1991