What conclusion emerges from studying the bread demand and soldiers' mutiny together in the February Revolution?

Correct answer: Economic crisis and military discontent together weakened the regime

The February Revolution cannot be understood through one isolated event. Bread shortages and rising prices created anger among workers and families, while soldiers were tired, poorly supplied, and unhappy with the war and its conditions. When soldiers refused to continue defending the old order and joined the protesters, the government lost an important instrument of control. Economic suffering and military discontent therefore reinforced each other.

Option A is correct because it explains this combination. Trade policy alone, the Duma alone, or Church reform does not adequately account for the collapse of Tsarist authority. Bread protests showed the depth of social and economic crisis, while the soldiers’ mutiny weakened the regime’s ability to suppress it. Together, these developments helped turn demonstrations into a revolution and made the fall of the monarchy possible.