What did soldiers refusing orders in the February Revolution show?

Correct answer: Tsarist control was weakening

A government depends partly on the obedience of its army. During the February Revolution, some soldiers refused to fire on protesting people and began to support the workers instead. This was a major sign that the Tsar could no longer rely on the military to maintain order. Once soldiers stopped obeying commands, the authorities lost an important instrument of repression, and the revolutionary movement became much stronger. The event showed that the crisis had reached the structure of Tsarist power itself.

Option A is correct because refusal to obey orders showed that Tsarist control was weakening. Option B says the opposite of what happened. Option C is incorrect because workers’ protests and demands continued rather than ending. Option D is also incorrect: the Provisional Government emerged after the old authority collapsed, not before this loss of military obedience. The soldiers’ change of allegiance was therefore a crucial reason the February Revolution succeeded.