Unit 1 examines Tudor England from the ascension of Henry VII in 1485 to the death of Elizabeth I in 1603. The themes explored include the establishment of the Tudor state under Henry VII, and the extension of political power during the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I in particular. The roles played by the monarchs themselves are considered, as is the nature of their interaction with the nobility, councils and parliaments of the era. Religious change, encompassing the Reformation, policies of ‘Bloody’ Mary and the Religious Settlement of Elizabeth I are also scrutinised, as are international relations and England’s growing prominence as a European and world power. Unit 2 examines Russia from 1917 to 1953. This turbulent period of history takes in the causes and immediate consequences of the Russian Revolution in October 1917; an event which established the world’s first communist government under Lenin and the Bolsheviks. The early trials faced by this new regime during the Civil War that followed - particularly the increasing brutality and centralisation of government - are considered, before students explore the impact of Lenin’s death in 1924 and the reasons for the subsequent rise of Josef Stalin thereafter. The transformation of the Russian state under Stalin during the 1930s is then examined, including the impact of the policies of Collectivisation and the Five Year Plans, as well as the Great Terror. Russia’s rise to prominence as a global power – a position consolidated by the ‘Great Patriotic War’ against Nazi Germany – is also explored, as is the position and reputation of Stalin up to his death in 1953. Unit 3 consists of a single piece of coursework on the evolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Although guidance is offered by staff, students are required to undertake a considerable amount of independent research into the issues and produce a piece of written work of no more than 4,500 words.