Why was the formation of the Petrograd Soviet not only an organisational event?

Correct answer: It gave workers and soldiers a new alternative centre of power

The Petrograd Soviet was more than an office or committee because it represented striking workers and soldiers who had become important political actors during the February Revolution. Through the Soviet, these groups could discuss demands, organise collective action and influence decisions about authority, food, war and public order. Its existence created a second centre of power alongside the Provisional Government, producing the situation often called dual power. Option A is correct because it identifies this new popular political authority. Options B and D are absurd institutions, while option C is incorrect because the war continued after the Soviet was formed.