Soldiers joining workers in the February Revolution indicated what?

Correct answer: Weakening of state power

The direct answer is B: soldiers joining the workers indicated that state power, especially Tsarist authority, was weakening. In the February Revolution, workers protested against war hardships, food shortages, and autocratic rule. At first soldiers were expected to obey orders and suppress the demonstrations. When many soldiers refused to fire and instead joined the workers, the government lost an important instrument of control. The reasoning is: workers protest → the regime orders repression → soldiers refuse and join them → the state cannot enforce obedience effectively → Tsarist power weakens. Option A is the opposite of the evidence; soldiers joining protesters showed declining, not rising, support for the Tsar. Option B is correct because the government’s coercive power was being lost. Option C is wrong because the Duma was not simply ended by this act; the key immediate sign was the weakening of the autocracy. Option D is wrong because factory privatization had no connection with soldiers joining workers. This event helped make the February Revolution successful and contributed to the Tsar’s abdication. Memory cue: when soldiers leave the ruler and join protesters, the ruler’s power is collapsing.