Examiner’s Specific Advice

This question is testing your knowledge and your ability to communicate it effectively. There is no source material involved. You are required to explain motives for a particular theme, why Stalin promoted ‘Socialism in One Country’. You are not expected to explain all possible motives, but you should certainly find two or three. Therefore the question requires no more than a ‘mini-essay’ of probably two or three paragraphs at most, certainly not a full-length essay. You should aim to give a brief explanation for each motive. A high-level answer might include a brief summary and possibly a conclusion tying the motives together, identifying different types of motive (e.g. personal, political, economic etc.) or deciding whether one motive was more important than others.
 
The examiner is not looking for sophisticated interpretations, but brief, clear explanations.

Exemplar Question

2 (03) Explain why Stalin supported the policy of ‘Socialism in One Country’ in the mid-1920s. [12 marks]

Plan

• Introduction - what was Socialism in One Country?
• 1920s context – Stalin’s position
• Political motives
• Economic motives
• Personal motives
• Conclusion – making the links

View Exemplar Answer 1

View Exemplar Answer 2