Russia, 1917–1953 – Dissent and Revolution, 1917: The February/March…

The idea

The February 1917 revolution was sparked by bread shortages and International Women's Day protests, rapidly escalating as the Petrograd garrison mutinied. The course of the revolution was largely spontaneous, highlighting severe issues of leadership as revolutionary parties were caught off guard. Lacking military support, Tsar Nicholas II was forced into abdication on 2 March. Power fell to a precarious Dual Authority: the Provisional Government, formed from the Duma to manage state affairs, and the Petrograd Soviet, representing workers and soldiers. The workings of this Dual Authority were inherently unstable, as the Soviet controlled the military through Order Number 1, severely limiting the Provisional Government's actual power.

What earns the marks

• Trace the course of the revolution from the initial bread riots and women's protests to the crucial mutiny of the Petrograd garrison.
• Analyse the spontaneous nature of the uprising and the absence of clear leadership from established revolutionary parties.
• Explain the political and military pressures that led directly to the Tsar's abdication on 2 March 1917.
• Evaluate the structural weaknesses of the Dual Authority, contrasting the formal power of the Provisional Government with the practical power of the Petrograd Soviet.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Confusing the February and October revolutions.

  Put it right: Ensure the February revolution is described as a largely spontaneous, mass uprising rather than a planned Bolshevik coup.

• Stating the Provisional Government was elected by the people.

  Put it right: Clarify that it was a self-appointed body formed from the remnants of the Fourth Duma, lacking true democratic legitimacy.

• Claiming the Petrograd Soviet wanted to govern immediately.

  Put it right: Explain that the Soviet initially supported the Provisional Government due to orthodox Marxist beliefs about the necessity of a bourgeois democratic phase.

Exam tips

• Emphasise the significance of the military mutiny; without the soldiers joining the crowds, the protests might have been suppressed by force.
• Use Soviet Order Number 1 as a concrete example to demonstrate how the Petrograd Soviet held the real military power in the Dual Authority.
• Discuss the 'issues of leadership' by noting the absence of key revolutionary figures like Lenin and Trotsky during the February events.