When Tsar Nicholas II abdicated in February/March 1917, it felt like a new dawn for Russia. The Provisional Government, made up of liberal politicians from the old Duma, took charge, and Russia was declared the “freest country in the world.” Yet, just eight months later, this new government was swept away with barely a whimper, overthrown by the Bolsheviks in the October Revolution.

How did it all go so wrong, so fast? The answer is that the Provisional Government, faced with an impossible situation, made a series of catastrophic and avoidable mistakes. It failed to address the key demands of the Russian people, fatally underestimated its rivals, and ultimately sealed its own doom.

To write a top-grade essay on this topic, you need to be a political analyst, dissecting the key decisions and fatal blunders that led to the government’s collapse. You must explain why these were failures and how they created the perfect power vacuum for Lenin and the Bolsheviks to fill.

Step 1: Understand the AQA Question

The key word is “failures.” The examiners want you to analyse the government’s key mistakes. You are not just telling the story of 1917; you are building a case to explain why the government collapsed.

Potential AQA-style questions include:

• Explain the failures of the Provisional Government between March and October 1917. (12 marks)
• The decision to continue the First World War was the main reason for the failure of the Provisional Government. How far do you agree with this statement? (16 marks + 4 SPaG)
• Which of the following was the greater failure of the Provisional Government: its handling of the land issue or the Kornilov Affair? Explain your answer. (12 marks)

A top-grade answer will not just list the failures but will explain how they were interconnected and how each failure weakened the government and strengthened its enemies, particularly the Bolsheviks.

Step 2: The Core Knowledge You Must Discuss

Your essay must be built around the Provisional Government’s disastrous catalogue of errors.

Failure 1: The Problem of ‘Dual Power’ – Powerless from the Start

The Provisional Government was never truly in charge.

• Supporting Knowledge: From the very beginning, it had to share power with the Petrograd Soviet, a council of workers’ and soldiers’ deputies. This situation is known as ‘Dual Power’ or ‘Dual Authority’.
• The Impact: The Soviet controlled the capital’s essential services: the railways, the post and telegraph, and, crucially, the army. The Soviet had issued Order No. 1, which stated that soldiers should only obey the Provisional Government if the Soviet agreed. This meant the government could not do anything without the Soviet’s approval, making it look weak and powerless from day one.

Failure 2: Continuing the War – The Fatal Mistake

This was the single biggest and most destructive failure.

• Supporting Knowledge: The government, led by men like Milyukov and later Kerensky, felt honour-bound to continue the war alongside its allies, Britain and France. In June 1917, they launched a massive new attack, the June Offensive, which was a catastrophic failure, leading to hundreds of thousands of casualties.
• The Impact: This was a political disaster. The Russian people – the soldiers, the workers, the peasants – were desperate for peace. Continuing the war meant the food and fuel shortages in the cities got worse, and the army continued to disintegrate as soldiers deserted in their millions. The Bolsheviks were the only major party demanding an immediate end to the war, a message that became incredibly popular.

Failure 3: The Land Question – Alienating the Peasants

The government failed to address the number one demand of 80% of the population.

• Supporting Knowledge: The peasants wanted one thing: land. The Provisional Government told them they had to wait for a properly elected Constituent Assembly to decide how the land should be redistributed.
• The Impact: The peasants were not prepared to wait. All through 1917, they took matters into their own hands, seizing land from the nobility. The government lost control of the countryside and the support of the peasantry. Again, the Bolsheviks had a simple, effective slogan that resonated with the peasants: “Peace, Bread, Land!”

Failure 4: The Kornilov Affair (August 1917) – The Final Nail in the Coffin

This was the moment the government’s leader, Alexander Kerensky, committed political suicide.

• Supporting Knowledge: General Kornilov, the new commander-in-chief of the army, attempted to lead a military coup to crush the Petrograd Soviet and restore order. Kerensky, fearing Kornilov was trying to overthrow him, panicked.
• The Impact: Kerensky’s response was a catastrophic blunder. He asked the Bolsheviks – the very people he was supposed to be fighting – to help defend the city. He released Bolshevik prisoners and, crucially, armed their militia, the Red GuardsRed Guards Full Description:The Red Guards were the instrument through which the leadership bypassed the established bureaucracy to unleash chaos on society. Encouraged to “rebel is justified,” these groups engaged in humiliated public “struggle sessions,” violent raids on homes, and the physical abuse of teachers, intellectuals, and local officials. Critical Perspective:The mobilization of the Red Guards represented the weaponization of the youth against the older generation. It exploited the idealism and energy of students, channeling it into mob violence and destruction. This resulted in a “lost generation” who were denied formal education and sent to the countryside, their futures sacrificed for a political power struggle.  . The Bolsheviks successfully stopped Kornilov’s troops, emerging as the saviours of the revolution.
• The Consequences: This was a disaster for the government in three ways:
  1. Kerensky’s reputation was destroyed. He looked weak and foolish.
  2. The army’s leadership felt betrayed and would no longer support him.
  3. The Bolsheviks, who had been disgraced and weakened after a failed uprising in July (the ‘July Days’), were now re-armed, rehabilitated, and seen as heroes.

Step 3: How to Structure Your A-Star Essay

Organise your points to show how each failure weakened the government and strengthened the Bolsheviks.

The Introduction

Your opening paragraph should state your argument clearly.

1. Set the context: the hope of February/March turning to the chaos of October.
2. State your main argument (your thesis): that the government made a series of critical errors, with the decision to continue the war being the most fundamental.
3. Outline the key failures you will discuss.

Example Introduction:

The Provisional Government, which took power in March 1917, was born with the promise of a new democratic Russia but was dead within eight months. Its collapse was not inevitable, but the result of a series of profound failures. This essay will argue that while the government was fatally weakened from the start by the problem of ‘Dual Power’, its most catastrophic failure was the decision to continue the First World War. This single mistake exacerbated all other problems, alienated the population, and created the perfect conditions for the Bolsheviks to seize power.

The Main Body Paragraphs (PEEL Structure)

Use the PEEL structure to analyse each failure.

• Point: Start with a sentence stating the failure you are discussing.
• Evidence: Provide specific knowledge (e.g., June Offensive, ‘Dual Power’, Kornilov Affair).
• Explain: Explain why this was a failure and what impact it had.
• Link: Link your point back to the main question and the rise of the Bolsheviks.

Example PEEL Paragraph:

(Point) The government’s final and most suicidal failure was Kerensky’s handling of the Kornilov Affair, which armed his enemies and destroyed his own authority. (Evidence) In August 1917, fearing a military coup from General Kornilov, Kerensky panicked and asked the Bolsheviks for help, releasing their prisoners and giving weapons to their Red Guard militia to defend Petrograd. (Explanation) The impact of this was a triple disaster for the government. It made Kerensky look weak and dependent on extremists, it alienated the army leadership who now despised him, and, most importantly, it re-armed and re-legitimised the Bolsheviks, who were now hailed as the saviours of the revolution. (Link) This was the point of no return. Having armed the Bolsheviks and lost the support of the army, the Provisional Government was now effectively defenceless, creating the ideal circumstances for Lenin to launch his successful coup just two months later.

The Conclusion

Your conclusion should summarise your argument and offer a final, powerful thought.

1. Recap the main failures.
2. Reiterate your main thesis about the war being the central error.
3. Finish with a “big picture” statement about the government creating a power vacuum.

Example Conclusion:

In conclusion, the Provisional Government failed because it was unable and unwilling to meet the fundamental demands of the Russian people. Its authority was fatally compromised from the beginning by the Petrograd Soviet, and its failure to solve the land question lost it the support of the peasants. However, its most disastrous failure was the decision to continue the war, a policy that bled the country dry and alienated the soldiers and workers. This culminated in the Kornilov Affair, a final act of desperation that left the government defenceless and its main rival, the Bolsheviks, armed and popular. The Provisional Government was not so much overthrown as it simply collapsed, creating a power vacuum that Lenin and the Bolsheviks, the only party offering a clear alternative, were more than ready to fill.

Step 4: Common Mistakes to Avoid

• The “Just a Story” Trap: Don’t just narrate the events of 1917. For every event, you must explain why it was a failure and what impact it had on the government’s stability.
• Forgetting ‘Dual Power’: You must explain the concept of ‘Dual Power’ and Order No. 1. It shows the government was weak from its very first day.
• Underestimating the War: The decision to continue the war is the thread that connects almost all the other failures. Make its central importance clear in your argument.

By carefully analysing the government’s series of catastrophic misjudgements, you can write a sophisticated and compelling essay that is sure to achieve a top grade.