How to structure exam question: ‘Trotsky was just as significant as Lenin to the success of the Bolsheviks in the period 1903-1924.’ Assess the validity of this view.

Introduction: Pick one side - yes or no. Mention your arguments and make it extremely clear which one supports your argument the most.
Paragraph 1: Lenin as the figurehead of the Bolsheviks --> 1917, October Revolution, flexibility during the NEP. To think about: he was absent from Russia during most years pre-1917
Paragraph 2: Lenin as a theorist --> publications pre-1917 (Pravda, Iskra, What is to be Done), Marxism-Leninism, April Theses, War Communism and the NEP
Paragraph 3: Trotsky's role in organising the party during the October Revolution and the Civil War --> Chairman of the Petrograd Soviet and head of MRC, Commissar for War, Commissar for Foreign Affairs (Brest Litovsk!), propaganda
Paragraph 4: Trotsky's (limited) role as a theorist --> was a Menshevik before!! Main idea was permanent revolution (but later abandoned..)
Conclusion: reiterate your argument and your points, honing in on the one specific point that is the most important to your argument.

Answered by Anna G. History tutor

1962 Views

See similar History A Level tutors

Related History A Level answers

All answers ▸

What were the causes and contributing factors of the European Reformation in the sixteenth century?


To what extent did nationalism pose as a challenge to British imperial rule in colonial India in the years 1885-1947?


How should I start an independent research project (coursework)?


How far was the February Revolution of 1917 due to Nicholas II’s own weaknesses?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo
Cookie Preferences