Paper 3, Option 38.1: The making of modern Russia, 1855–1991 - 3 The end of the Romanovs and the triumph of the Bolsheviks, 1916–18 — Edexcel A-Level History
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Paper 3, Option 38.1: The making of modern Russia, 1855–1991 - 3 The end of the Romanovs and the triumph of the Bolsheviks, 1916–18 explained
Paper 3, Option 38.1: The making of modern Russia, 1855–1991 - 3 The end of the Romanovs and the triumph of the Bolsheviks, 1916–18 covers 3 specification points, including Impact of defeat and suffering, 1916–17; the… and The importance of the Petrograd Soviet, Lenin….
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Impact of defeat and suffering, 1916–17; the murder of Rasputin; reasons, events and significance of the February Revolution; the end of Tsardom, the Provisional government and relations with the Petrograd Soviet.
This topic examines how military defeat and civilian suffering in 1916–17 undermined the Tsarist regime, the murder of Rasputin as a symptom of court dysfunction, the February Revolution's causes, events and significance, the fall of Tsardom, and the Provisional Government's troubled relationship with the Petrograd Soviet. Defeats at the front, food shortages and inflation eroded loyalty. Rasputin's murder exposed elite conspiracy. In February 1917, strikes and protests in Petrograd, army mutiny and Duma pressure forced Nicholas II's abdication. The Provisional Government and Petrograd Soviet then competed for authority, creating dual power.
The reasons for the October Revolution: the importance of the Petrograd Soviet, Lenin and Trotsky; the difficulties of, and mistakes made by, the Provisional government.
This topic analyses why the Bolsheviks seized power in October 1917. It examines the Petrograd Soviet's role as a rival authority, Lenin's leadership, Trotsky's organisation of the Military Revolutionary Committee, and the Provisional Government's difficulties and mistakes, including continuing the war and delaying elections. The Soviet's Order No. 1 undermined the government. Lenin's April Theses rejected cooperation. Trotsky planned the takeover. While the July Days repression temporarily weakened the Bolsheviks, the government's disastrous June Offensive and the Kornilov Affair ultimately destroyed its authority, allowing the Bolsheviks to act.
The Bolsheviks in power, 1917–18: concessions and violence; dissolving the Constituent Assembly and setting up the Cheka and the Red Army; making peace with Germany.
After seizing power in October 1917, the Bolsheviks faced the challenge of consolidating a minority revolution. They made concessions to secure support: the Decree on Land legitimised peasant seizures, and the Decree on Workers' Control gave factory committees a role. But they also used violence: the Cheka was established in December 1917 to suppress counter-revolution and sabotage, and the Red Army was created in early 1918 to defend the regime. When elections to the Constituent Assembly in November 1917 produced a Socialist Revolutionary majority, the Bolsheviks dissolved the assembly in January 1918. In March 1918, they signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, making peace with Germany at the cost of vast territories. These measures show how the Bolsheviks combined ideological flexibility with coercion to survive.
Your focus
- Explain how defeat and suffering in 1916–17 contributed to the collapse of Tsardom.
- Describe the reasons, events and significance of the February Revolution, including the murder of Rasputin.
- Analyse the relationship between the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet, and the significance of dual power.
Show all 9 objectives
- Explain the importance of the Petrograd Soviet, Lenin and Trotsky in the October Revolution.
- Analyse the difficulties and mistakes of the Provisional Government that contributed to its downfall.
- Evaluate the relative significance of different factors in explaining the Bolshevik seizure of power in October 1917.
- Describe the key decrees and institutions established by the Bolsheviks between October 1917 and March 1918.
- Explain why the Bolsheviks dissolved the Constituent Assembly and how this affected their claim to democratic legitimacy.
- Evaluate the extent to which the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a necessary but costly peace for the Bolshevik regime.
Paper 3, Option 38.1: The making of modern Russia, 1855–1991 - 3 The end of the Romanovs and the triumph of the Bolsheviks, 1916–18 exam tips
Marking Points
- Explains how military failures and the massive casualties of the 1916 Brusilov Offensive (a costly advance, not a defeat) alongside actual defeats drained morale and intensified discontent among soldiers and civilians.
- Analyses the impact of food shortages, inflation and transport breakdown in Petrograd, linking economic suffering to protest.
- Assesses the murder of Rasputin as evidence of elite loss of confidence in the Tsarina and the autocracy, not merely a personal scandal.
- Narrates the February Revolution's events: International Women's Day strikes, the Volynsky Regiment mutiny, the Duma's Provisional Committee and the Tsar's abdication.
- Evaluates the significance of February 1917: the end of the Romanov dynasty and the creation of dual power between the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet.
- Examines the Provisional Government's early reforms and its decision to continue the war, and how this shaped relations with the Soviet.
- Explains the Petrograd Soviet's importance as a competing power centre, including its issue of Order No. 1 and its role in mobilising workers and soldiers.
- Analyses Lenin's contribution: his return in April 1917, the April Theses, and his insistence on soviet power and opposition to the Provisional Government.
- Assesses Trotsky's role as chairman of the Petrograd Soviet and organiser of the Military Revolutionary Committee, which coordinated the seizure of power.
- Evaluates the Provisional Government's difficulties: continuing the war, postponing land reform and elections, and failing to solve food and fuel shortages.
- Examines the mistakes of the Provisional Government, such as the June Offensive, and notes that while the July Days crackdown temporarily weakened the Bolsheviks, it failed to resolve underlying crises.
- Explains how the Kornilov Affair armed the Red Guards and discredited the Provisional Government, creating the opportunity for the October Revolution.
- Explains that concessions such as the Decree on Land and Workers' Control were designed to win popular support and divide opponents.
- Analyses the significance of dissolving the Constituent Assembly in January 1918 as a rejection of democratic legitimacy in favour of one-party rule.
- Assesses the role of the Cheka, founded in December 1917, in establishing a system of revolutionary terror to eliminate opposition.
- Evaluates the creation of the Red Army in early 1918 as a necessary step to defend the revolution and later to fight the Civil War.
- Explains the terms and consequences of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918, including the loss of Ukraine, the Baltic provinces, and Finland, and the political impact of making peace with Germany.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Use precise dates and names, such as 23 February 1917 (International Women's Day) and the Volynsky Regiment, to support causal arguments.
- 💡When discussing dual power, explain the competing authorities and give an example of their conflict, such as the Soviet's Order No. 1 versus the Provisional Government's continuation of the war.
- 💡Use specific evidence, such as the April Theses, Order No. 1, the June Offensive and the Kornilov Affair, to support arguments about causation.
- 💡Compare the relative importance of Lenin, Trotsky and the Provisional Government's mistakes, reaching a substantiated judgement.
- 💡Use precise dates and names to show chronological understanding, such as December 1917 for the Cheka and March 1918 for Brest-Litovsk.
- 💡Link each measure to the Bolshevik aim of consolidating power, explaining how it addressed immediate threats or secured support.
- 💡When discussing violence, distinguish between the Cheka's extrajudicial actions and the Red Army's military role, and consider their impact on Bolshevik control.
Common Mistakes
- Treating Rasputin's murder as the main cause of the February Revolution; instead, it should be presented as a symptom of elite disaffection that weakened the regime's authority.
- Assuming the February Revolution was a single organised event; it should be described as a spontaneous protest that escalated through military mutiny and political action.
- Confusing the Provisional Government with the Petrograd Soviet; the former was a self-appointed body of Duma politicians, while the latter represented workers and soldiers and issued Order No. 1.
- Overlooking the impact of defeat and suffering in 1916–17; these must be integrated as underlying pressures, not treated as separate from political collapse.
- Attributing the October Revolution solely to Lenin; instead, the roles of Trotsky, the Petrograd Soviet and the Provisional Government's failures must be integrated.
- Assuming the Petrograd Soviet was always Bolshevik-controlled; it should be noted that it became Bolshevik-majority only in September 1917.
- Ignoring the Provisional Government's mistakes; these must be analysed as reasons for its loss of authority, not merely background.
- Claiming the July Days strengthened the Bolsheviks; correction: the July Days crackdown temporarily weakened them, and it was the later Kornilov Affair that revived their fortunes.
- Confusing the sequence of events: the Constituent Assembly was dissolved after the Bolsheviks lost the election, not before; correct by placing the election in November 1917 and dissolution in January 1918.
- Assuming the Cheka was created after the Civil War began; correct by noting it was established in December 1917, before the main Civil War conflicts.
- Overlooking that the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a separate peace with Germany and its allies, not a general armistice; correct by specifying it was signed on 3 March 1918 and ended Russia's participation in the First World War.