The February Revolution in Petrograd

The cavalry refused to fire on demonstrators. Exam tip: link the soldiers' attitude with the Revolution.

During the February Revolution of 1917, the attitude of soldiers was crucial because the Tsar's government depended heavily on the army to maintain order. At first, troops were used against protesting workers, but many soldiers later refused to continue firing and joined the people. This change removed an important support of the monarchy and weakened the Tsar's authority. Therefore, option A is correct.

A revolution can become successful when the state loses control over its armed forces. The soldiers' mutiny and cooperation with the protesters made it difficult for the government to suppress the demonstrations. The other options are plainly unrelated: soldiers were not merely traders, their actions did not strengthen the Tsar, and they were not outside politics. Their decision to withdraw obedience was a turning point that contributed directly to the abdication of Nicholas II and the end of Tsarist rule.

Soldiers of infantry regiments joined the mutiny. Exam tip: treat soldiers' mutiny as a major event of February Revolution.

On 27 February during the February Revolution, workers and soldiers gathered at the Tauride Palace, the building associated with the Duma. This location became important because representatives of the Duma and revolutionary groups were present there, and the Petrograd Soviet was formed in the same broader setting. The gathering showed that authority was shifting away from the Tsarist government toward new representative and revolutionary bodies. It was therefore a significant political moment, not merely a meeting in an ordinary public building.

Option A, the Duma building, is the intended correct answer. The Winter Palace was the main imperial residence and was connected with later revolutionary events, but it was not the building identified in this question. A church building and a foreign bank have no such role in the February Revolution. In textbook wording, the Duma building often refers to the Tauride Palace, so the two descriptions should be understood together here.

The word ‘Soviet’ means a council or assembly. In the context of the Russian Revolution, the Petrograd Soviet was a council of representatives of workers and soldiers and played an important role during the February Revolution. A king’s palace is a place of royal residence, not a representative council. Exam tip: remember ‘Soviet = council of representatives.’

The Tsar’s abdication during the February Revolution brought the Provisional Government into existence. Its role was to administer Russia temporarily while a new political order was considered. The event did not restore absolute monarchy, transfer authority to the Church, or place Russia under foreign rule. Thus option A identifies the historically correct government.

Workers were troubled by difficult working conditions. Exam tip: connect workers' unrest with working conditions.

Food shortage greatly affected common people and workers. Exam tip: connect food crisis with public unrest.

The demand for democracy was linked with people's participation. Exam tip: connect democracy with political rights.

Workers reached Nevsky Prospekt for demonstrations. Exam tip: remember it as a demonstration site.

Curfew shows that the government feared the movement. Exam tip: write it as a method of government control.

The suspension of the Duma indicated a deepening political crisis and the increasing rigidity of the Tsarist government. Instead of using the representative assembly to respond to public anger, the government attempted to silence it while demonstrations and strikes were spreading. Option A is correct because this action revealed the regime’s unwillingness to compromise and its dependence on authoritarian measures. It did not mean that peasants had achieved a complete victory, that the First World War had ended, or that the Soviets had collapsed. In fact, the suspension made the government appear weaker and more isolated, while the cooperation of workers and soldiers further undermined tsarist authority and accelerated the fall of the monarchy.

The coming together of workers and soldiers indicated broad support for the movement against Tsarism. Workers had begun the protests over bread shortages, wages, war and political oppression, but the movement became much stronger when soldiers refused to suppress the crowds and joined them. Option A is correct because the unity crossed the boundary between civilians and the armed forces, making the government’s authority difficult to maintain. It did not represent a victory for the tsar; rather, it showed that his regime was losing control. It also did not begin the war or establish new church power. The alliance helped force Nicholas II to abdicate and enabled the formation of a Provisional Government.

The Petrograd Soviet was a council of elected representatives of workers and soldiers, and it gained major political influence during the February Revolution of 1917. Landowners and members of the royal family were linked to the old Tsarist order, not the Soviet’s main membership. Exam tip: remember a Soviet as a representative council of workers and soldiers.

Women were troubled by bread shortage and difficult life. Exam tip: connect women's protest with problems of life.

Soldiers were also troubled by war and hardships. Exam tip: link soldiers' unrest with the success of the movement.

After Tsarism the Provisional Government and Soviets both became influential. Exam tip: understand this as the new power situation.

In 1917 the February Revolution came first and the October Revolution later. Exam tip: remember the sequence of both phases.

The correct answer is A, Tsarist rule. The February Revolution of 1917 was directed against the autocratic monarchy headed by Tsar Nicholas II. Workers, soldiers and ordinary citizens were angered by food shortages, wartime suffering, poor working conditions and the refusal of the regime to introduce meaningful political reforms. Their protests weakened the authority of the Tsar, and he eventually abdicated. The French Parliament, American government and British king were not the rulers against whom this Russian uprising was directed. The key governing concept is that the February Revolution ended Tsarist autocracy and led to the formation of a Provisional Government.

Workers' areas were on the right bank and official royal areas on the left bank of the Neva. Exam tip: remember this spatial division.