Stalin was prepared to be ruthless to win and maintain power.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2025). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] He became General Secretary of the party in 1922.
2. [1] He made sure Trotsky missed Lenin's funeral, while he attended.
3. [1] He put his own supporters in positions of power in the party organisation.
4. [1] He supported 'Socialism in One Country'.
5. [1] Stalin presented himself as a humble ordinary peasant.
6. [1] He associated himself very closely with Lenin.
7. [1] He managed to outmanoeuvre other leaders such as Trotsky and Bukharin.
8. [6] Level 4: Explains two reasons.
9. [4-5] Level 3: Explains one reason.
10. [5] Stalin set up a cult of personality by having his image everywhere – pictures, statues and posters. He did this because he wanted to identify himself with Russia. He wanted people to see himself and Russia as the same thing. People's loyalty to Russia would then get transferred to him, and to be disloyal to him meant being disloyal to the country.
11. [2-3] Level 2: Identifies or describes valid reason(s); addresses the question but does not explain.
12. [1] It was used to keep himself in power.
13. [1] To make himself look good.
14. [1] To consolidate his position and remove independent thinking.
15. [1] To show that Russia and Stalin were the same thing.
16. [1] To win the loyalty of the Russian people.
17. [1] To make himself god-like.
18. [1] Level 1: Writes about the topic but does not address the question.
19. [1] Stalin had his pictures everywhere and places were named after him.
20. [10] Level 5: Explains both sides and supports a valid judgement on 'how far'.
21. [10] The Purges might have benefited Stalin and helped him to get rid of anyone that was a danger to him, but they did not benefit the Soviet Union. So many people were purged in the army and in industry that Russia lost many able people who could have contributed to the country.
22. [7-9] Level 4: Explains both sides.
23. [4-6] Level 3: Explains one side.
24. [6] The Purges did benefit Stalin. He was always worried about rivals in the Party, and he used the Purges to get rid of them and keep his own position safe. Some rivals were murdered and hundreds of thousands of people were arrested and put in labour camps. Important people who could threaten Stalin like Bukharin and Kamenev went on trial. These were show trials and there was no chance of them being found not guilty. Their purpose was to show everybody what happened to you if you threatened Stalin.
25. [6] OR There were ways in which the Purges did not benefit the Soviet Union. Stalin purged so many officers in the army that when the Second World War started it did not have enough leaders. In areas like universities, industry and business the large number of people purged took away thousands of intelligent people who could have benefited the country.
26. [2-3] Level 2: Identifies or describes valid points; addresses the question but does not explain.
27. [1] Stalin got rid of his rivals.
28. [1] Stalin was able to show how powerful he was.
29. [1] People did not dare to oppose Stalin.
30. [1] Slave labour in the gulags contributed to the Soviet economy.
31. [1] The army lost many officers.
32. [1] Industry and business lost many capable people.
33. [1] People with independent thinking and intelligent minds were lost to the country.
34. [1] Level 1: Writes about the topic but does not address the question.
35. [1] The Purges were very vicious, and Stalin turned on a lot of people that he had worked with.