The February Revolution in Petrograd

The correct answer is C, imposed curfew. A curfew restricts people from moving or gathering in public during specified hours, so authorities use it as a coercive measure to limit demonstrations and regain control of streets. In Petrograd, the government attempted to contain the growing unrest through such restrictions, but repression did not remove the underlying causes: food shortages, wartime hardship, factory conflict and opposition to Tsarist rule. Distributing land, raising wages and holding an election would have been policy or reform measures, not the immediate restrictive response described here. The important concept is that repression can temporarily limit public activity but may intensify anger when grievances remain unresolved.

The government tried repression through cavalry and police. Exam tip: remember the state response.

On 25 February 1917, Tsar Nicholas II suspended the Duma, Russia's elected legislative body. This action failed to contain the protests and political crisis in Petrograd. The Cheka, Red Army and Comintern were created after the Russian Revolution, so they did not exist at that time. Exam tip: Remember the suspension of the Duma as an important event in the February Revolution.

The suspension of the Duma increased opposition among leaders. Exam tip: treat it as political reaction against Tsarism.

The correct answer is A, they returned to the streets again. The demonstrations in Petrograd did not disappear after the government attempted to control them. On 26 February, crowds continued to occupy the streets, showing that the movement had become broad, persistent and difficult for the Tsarist authorities to suppress. Continued public action also encouraged soldiers to question orders and eventually support the protesters, which accelerated the collapse of the old regime. The alternatives describe events that did not occur: demonstrators did not all hide, become ministers or leave Russia. The governing idea is the escalation of a mass movement—repeated street action can reveal that governmental authority is losing obedience and control.

During the February Revolution, a major economic demand of demonstrators in Petrograd was bread and better wages. War, inflation, and food shortages had made life difficult for workers and ordinary people. Expanding foreign trade would not have addressed their immediate problems of hunger and low pay. Exam tip: link the February Revolution with bread shortages, rising prices, and workers’ unrest.

The February Revolution of 1917 was directed against the autocratic Tsarist system and demanded political as well as economic change. Workers and other protesters wanted an accountable government, civil freedoms and an end to arbitrary rule; therefore, the demand for democracy is the correct answer. The movement was also connected with shortages of bread, poor working conditions and the suffering caused by the First World War. Option B is opposite to the protesters’ intention because they opposed, rather than strengthened, Tsarist autocracy. Options C and D are not recognised political aims of the February Revolution. Thus, democracy best expresses its political demand.

Soldiers' mutiny was decisive because the Tsarist government depended on the army to suppress demonstrations and restore order. When soldiers refused to fire on protesters and many joined them, the government lost much of its coercive strength. This made it difficult for the authorities to control Petrograd and greatly weakened the position of the Tsar and his administration.

Option A is correct because the government's repressive power declined when soldiers stopped supporting it. Option B states the opposite. Option C is wrong because the food crisis did not end immediately, and option D confuses the role of the Duma with the military events. The mutiny helped turn the protests into a successful revolution by removing the government's main means of force. Thus, A follows directly.

Due to soldiers' mutiny the government could not suppress protesters. Exam tip: remember the breaking of soldiers' loyalty.

After the February Revolution of 1917, Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate, bringing Tsarist rule to an end. A Provisional Government was then formed. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed in 1918, and the Soviet Union was formed in 1922, so neither was the immediate political result of the February Revolution. Exam tip: link the February Revolution with the fall of Tsarism and the formation of the Provisional Government.

The sequence of both revolutions is different. Exam tip: connect February with end of Tsarism and October with Bolshevik power.

The physical layout of Petrograd reflected the unequal social structure of late Tsarist Russia. Workers commonly lived in crowded industrial districts near factories, while wealthier groups occupied more comfortable and fashionable parts of the city. This separation showed that people’s living conditions, occupations and access to urban facilities differed according to social class. Therefore, option D, class division, is correct. Option A is incorrect because the city did not show complete equality; the contrast between workers’ neighbourhoods and elite areas demonstrated inequality. Options B and C do not describe the social meaning of the city’s layout: Petrograd was not simply an example of foreign rule or rural life.

Heavy snow and severe cold worsened the existing crisis in Petrograd during February 1917. Transport became difficult, supplies could not move easily, and shortages of fuel and food became more serious. Ordinary people therefore faced longer queues, hunger, cold homes and greater insecurity. These conditions increased public anger and helped turn economic hardship into mass demonstrations. Option A is correct because it combines the immediate difficulties of daily life and food supply. Option B is irrelevant to the revolutionary crisis, while option C does not describe the experience of the city’s population. Option D is also incorrect: harsh weather did not increase the Duma’s political power; the central issue was worsening hardship among the people.

The correct answer is mutual unity among workers. In Petrograd in February 1917, workers supported one another’s strikes against poor conditions, food shortages, and wartime hardship. This turned separate factory protests into a wider movement. The Tsar did not reward workers; discontent was directed against his government. Exam tip: link the spread of February Revolution strikes with worker solidarity and bread shortages.

In a sympathy strike workers stand with other workers' demands. Exam tip: connect it with workers' solidarity.

During the February Revolution in Petrograd, ordinary people faced serious shortages of food, especially bread. Wartime disruption, transport difficulties, inflation, and inadequate supplies made basic necessities expensive and difficult to obtain. The demand for bread therefore expressed a wider food and economic crisis among workers and other urban residents. It was not merely a complaint about the royal palace or maritime affairs. Option C is correct because it directly identifies the crisis experienced by common people. Although political opposition and war also contributed to the revolution, the bread demand clearly revealed immediate hardship in daily life and helped turn worker protests into a broader challenge to Tsarist rule.

During the February Revolution, workers in Petrograd were dissatisfied with poor working conditions, long hours, and economic hardship. They demanded better working conditions and shorter working hours, so option A is correct. Longer hours or lower wages would increase exploitation, not meet workers’ demands. Exam tip: link workers’ demands in the Russian Revolution with better wages, shorter hours, and improved working conditions.

In February 1917, people in Petrograd faced economic hardship, including food shortages, high prices, and low wages. They also blamed the Tsarist autocracy for these conditions, so economic demands became connected with political demands for democracy and the end of Tsarist rule. Options B and C are incomplete because the revolution involved both economic and political discontent. Exam tip: link “bread” with economic hardship and “democracy/end of Tsarism” with political demands.

During the February Revolution of 1917, workers moving towards the city centre showed that the protest was no longer confined to factories or working-class areas. It had reached near government buildings and major centres of authority, increasing pressure on the Tsarist regime. Option C states the opposite situation. Exam tip: when a mass protest reaches centres of power, its political impact usually becomes stronger.

In February 1917, many soldiers in Petrograd refused to fire on the demonstrators and joined them. The Tsarist government could no longer rely on the army to suppress the protests, so its control weakened rapidly. Soldiers firing on demonstrators would have strengthened repression, not weakened it. Exam tip: remember the soldiers’ mutiny as a key reason for the collapse of Tsarist rule.