The recurring pattern
The recurring pattern

Russian rulers from Alexander II to Gorbachev usually reformed after pressure or failure. Military defeat, famine, revolution, or stagnation forced change, but the aim was normally to strengthen the state, not to hand power away.
Step-by-step lessons covering Edexcel A Level History The making of modern Russia, 1855–1991 for A Level History. Each lesson works through exam-style questions in Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 format. Build a secure grasp of the outline narrative for your breadth and depth periods first, since the source-evaluation and historical-interpretations questions that carry a large share of the marks depend on that contextual knowledge.