Why can soldiers' role in the February Revolution be called a cause of power change and not only sympathy?

Correct answer: Because their mutiny prevented the Tsar's repressive power from being enforced

Soldiers were not merely sympathetic observers during the February Revolution. At first, the government expected the army to obey orders and suppress the strikes and demonstrations. However, many soldiers were themselves exhausted by war, affected by shortages, and connected with the protesting population. When soldiers refused to fire or joined the uprising, the government lost the practical means to enforce its authority in Petrograd. This directly weakened the Tsar’s control and helped make a transfer of power possible.

The correct choice is A because the soldiers’ mutiny stopped the repressive machinery from operating effectively. If the army had remained loyal and followed orders, the government might have tried to crush the movement. The other choices describe actions unrelated to the revolution: soldiers were not spectators, palace donors, or foreign traders. Their change of allegiance was therefore a decisive political and military development.