War and the revolutions of 1917: the impact of the First World War, the fall of the Tsar in February 1917, the Provisional Government, and the Bolshevik seizure of power in October 1917.

What this dot point is asking

You need to explain why Tsarism collapsed in February 1917, the weaknesses of the Provisional Government, and how the Bolsheviks seized power in October 1917. CCEA examiners reward precise knowledge of the impact of the First World War, the role of Lenin and Trotsky, and a judgement that distinguishes the underlying causes from the triggers in both revolutions.

The impact of the First World War

The February Revolution

By early 1917 hardship turned into revolt. In February 1917, strikes and bread protests in the capital, Petrograd, grew into mass demonstrations. The crucial moment came when the soldiers of the Petrograd garrison refused to fire on the crowds and joined them. With the army no longer behind him and the Duma demanding change, Nicholas II abdicated, ending over three hundred years of Romanov rule. Power passed to a Provisional Government.

The Provisional Government and dual power

The new government was weak from the start, sharing power with the Petrograd Soviet, the council of workers and soldiers, in an arrangement known as dual power.

• It made the fatal decision to continue the war, which remained deeply unpopular and went on going badly.
• It delayed land reform, frustrating the peasants who wanted the land at once.
• It allowed political freedom, which let Lenin return from exile (helped by Germany) in April 1917.

Lenin rejected cooperation and demanded that the Bolsheviks seize power, with the slogans "Peace, Bread, Land" and "All Power to the Soviets", which spoke directly to people's grievances.

The October Revolution

The Bolsheviks then issued decrees on peace and on land, fulfilling their promises and broadening their support, before facing the struggle to hold power.

Examples in context

Model causation paragraph. "The Tsar was overthrown in February 1917 because the war exposed and worsened every weakness of his regime, and finally turned the army against him. Defeats and millions of casualties, made worse by Nicholas taking command in 1915, were blamed on him, while food and fuel shortages brought hardship to the cities. When strikes and bread protests filled Petrograd, the decisive moment was the soldiers' refusal to fire on the crowds. The war was the underlying cause, eroding the regime's authority, but the army's refusal to defend the Tsar was the trigger that brought him down." This scores highly because it ranks the underlying cause against the trigger with precise evidence.

Try this

Q1. Why was the war blamed on the Tsar after 1915? [2 marks]

• Cue. Nicholas II took personal command of the army in 1915, so every defeat was now blamed on him directly.

Q2. What was dual power? [2 marks]

• Cue. The Provisional Government shared power with the Petrograd Soviet of workers and soldiers, weakening its authority.

Q3. What were the Bolsheviks' two main slogans in 1917? [2 marks]

• Cue. "Peace, Bread, Land" and "All Power to the Soviets", which spoke to people's grievances.