Why did the Provisional Government fall and the Bolsheviks seize power in 1917, and how did they hold it?
Unit 2 Option (e.g. Y219 Russia 1894 to 1941): the February Revolution and dual power, the failures of the Provisional Government, the October Revolution and the Bolshevik seizure of power, and the survival of the regime in the Civil War.
An OCR A-Level History Unit 2 non-British period study guide to the Russian revolutions of 1917. Covers the February Revolution and dual power, the failures of the Provisional Government, Lenin and the October Revolution, and how the Bolsheviks survived the Civil War through War Communism and Trotsky's Red Army, with the two-part essay skills the paper rewards.
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What this dot point is asking
For the Russia option, 1917 is the hinge of the period. You study the February Revolution and dual power, the failures of the Provisional Government, the October Revolution and the Bolshevik seizure of power, and how the regime survived the Civil War. Unit 2 tests AO1, through a part (a) on significance and a part (b) ranking causes, so you need precise knowledge and the ability to weigh factors.
The answer
The February Revolution and dual power
The failures of the Provisional Government
The Provisional Government fell because it failed on the issues that mattered most:
- It continued the war, launching the disastrous June offensive (1917), which destroyed its popularity.
- It delayed land reform, alienating the peasantry who were seizing land anyway.
- It lost authority in the Kornilov affair (August 1917), when, to defend Petrograd against a feared military coup, it armed the Bolsheviks, who emerged as the city's defenders.
Lenin, October and the seizure of power
Surviving the Civil War
The Bolsheviks held power through the Civil War (1918 to 1921). They won because:
- The Whites were divided, geographically scattered and lacked a common programme or popular cause, and were tainted by foreign intervention.
- The Reds controlled the centre, the railways, the industrial heartland and the resources, giving them unity and supply.
- War Communism, the Red Terror (the Cheka) and Trotsky's Red Army mobilised the war effort ruthlessly.
Examples in context
A model part (a) answer on Lenin's return would judge it as a decisive turning point in Bolshevik strategy (the April Theses redirected the party towards seizing power) while noting that the conditions for success, the war and the Provisional Government's failures, were created independently of Lenin.
Try this
Q1. Assess the reasons why the Bolsheviks won the Civil War of 1918 to 1921. [20 marks]
- What the marker wants. An AO1 essay ranking the reasons (White disunity and lack of a common cause, Red control of the centre and railways, War Communism and the Red Terror, Trotsky's leadership), with precise evidence and a judgement on the decisive factor.
Q2. What were the Bolsheviks' two main slogans in 1917? [2 marks]
- Cue. "Peace, Bread, Land" and "All Power to the Soviets", which gave the party a clear and popular programme after Lenin's return in April.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR H505 Y219 201810 marksAssess the significance of Lenin's return to Russia in April 1917 for the Bolshevik seizure of power.Show worked answer →
The shorter part (a) of the two-part question (AO1), worth 10 marks, judging the significance of one factor.
Significance. Lenin's April Theses ("Peace, Bread, Land" and "All Power to the Soviets") gave the Bolsheviks a clear, popular programme and committed them to seizing power rather than cooperating with the Provisional Government, redirecting the party decisively.
Balance. Other factors mattered: the failures of the Provisional Government, the war, Trotsky's organisation of the seizure. The top level judges Lenin's return as a turning point in Bolshevik strategy while setting it against these conditions.
OCR H505 Y219 202020 marksAssess the reasons why the Bolsheviks were able to seize power in October 1917.Show worked answer →
The longer part (b) of the two-part question (AO1), worth 20 marks, a ranked analysis of causes.
Provisional Government failures. It continued the unpopular war (the failed June offensive), delayed land reform and lost authority after the Kornilov affair, when it armed the Bolsheviks to defend Petrograd.
Bolshevik strengths. Lenin's leadership and programme, Trotsky's organisation through the Military Revolutionary Committee, and the slogan "All Power to the Soviets" gave them direction and a base in the Petrograd Soviet.
Judgement. The seizure succeeded because of the Provisional Government's collapse of authority and the Bolsheviks' exploitation of it; the top level ranks these and judges whether weakness or Bolshevik action was decisive.
Related dot points
- Unit 2 Option (e.g. Y219 Russia 1894 to 1941): the rule of Nicholas II and the problems of Tsarism, the 1905 revolution and its aftermath, the impact of war and the road to revolution.
An OCR A-Level History Unit 2 non-British period study guide to Russia from 1894 to 1941. Covers the rule of Nicholas II and the problems of Tsarism, the 1905 revolution and the Dumas, Stolypin's reforms, and the strains of the First World War that led to 1917, with the two-part essay skills the paper rewards.
- Unit 2 Option (e.g. Y219 Russia 1894 to 1941): Stalin's rise to power after Lenin's death, collectivisation and the Five Year Plans, and the Great Terror and the consolidation of the Stalinist state.
An OCR A-Level History Unit 2 non-British period study guide to Stalin and the Soviet state from 1928 to 1941. Covers Stalin's rise to power after Lenin's death, collectivisation and the famine, the Five Year Plans and rapid industrialisation, and the Great Terror and show trials, with the two-part essay skills the paper rewards.
- Unit 2 Option (e.g. Y221 Democracy and Dictatorships in Germany 1919 to 1963): the impact of the Depression, the rise of Nazi support, the failure of presidential government, and Hitler's appointment as Chancellor in 1933.
An OCR A-Level History Unit 2 non-British period study guide to the collapse of Weimar and the rise of Hitler from 1929 to 1933. Covers the impact of the Depression, the growth of Nazi support, the failure of presidential government under Bruning, Papen and Schleicher, and the intrigue that made Hitler Chancellor, with the two-part essay skills the paper rewards.
- Unit 2: the two-part question, managing the shorter part (a) on the significance of one factor and the longer part (b) on a wider analytical judgement, both testing AO1 under time pressure.
An OCR A-Level History Unit 2 guide to the two-part essay. Explains how to manage the shorter part (a) on the significance of one factor and the longer part (b) on a wider analytical judgement, how to time the answers, and the AO1 essay skills the non-British study rewards, with a worked example.
- AO3 interpretation skills: analysing a historian's argument, emphasis and use of evidence, and evaluating which interpretation is more convincing in the light of context, rather than assessing reliability.
An OCR A-Level History skills guide to analysing historical interpretations for AO3. Explains how to identify a historian's argument, emphasis and use of evidence, how interpretations differ, and how to judge which is more convincing in the light of context, with a worked example transferable to the Unit 3 interpretations essay.
Sources & how we know this
- OCR A Level History A (H505) specification — OCR (2015)