Using Primary Sources to Understand the 1917 Russian Revolution (GCSE History)
A key aspect of GCSE History courses is the ability to comprehend and analyse primary sources. Across all boards - AQA, Edexcel, OCR - answering questions based on primary sources is a substantial part of the exam. In this blog, expert tutor and PhD History student, Sarah Limb, unpacks how to approach primary sources and answer exam questions, using the example of the 1917 Russian Revolution.
Brief Overview of the 1917 Russian Revolution
In March 1917, Tsar Nicholas II abdicated as the Russian monarch, ending over three hundred years of Tsarist rule. A Dual Authority was subsequently established, with power shared between the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet. The Provisional Government was mostly composed of members of the Duma’s Provisional Committee, whilst the Petrograd Soviet was a council of workers, soldiers, and peasant deputies in the then capital city of Russia. The Petrograd Soviet became increasingly powerful and dominated the political scene, supported by industrial and communication workers, as well as the military. ‘Soviet Order Number One’ was issued by the Petrograd Soviet on 1 March 1917 and committed soldiers to following orders from the Provisional Government only if the Petrograd Soviet agreed. This essentially transferred power over the military from the Provisional Government to the Petrograd Soviet. Alexander Kerensky was a significant figure, the only person to be a member of both the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet. He was the Prime Minister of Russia from early July until the October Revolution in 1917.
The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, steadily gained power and influence throughout 1917, although they did not manage to gain majority support. Lenin had been exiled in Europe after his role in the 1905 Revolution, but he returned to Russia after the Tsar’s abdication in February 1917. Lenin advocated his own brand of Marxism, called Marxism-Leninism, which adapted Marxist principles to the specific Russian context. Marxism-Leninism emphasised the importance of a centralised party composed of professional revolutionaries in leading the proletariat to revolution and establishing a socialist, then communist, state.
The ‘Bolshevisation’ of the Soviets sped up after the Kornilov Rebellion in September-October 1917, with the more moderate Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries ousted. By the beginning of the October Revolution, the Bolsheviks occupied around 90% of the seats in the Petrograd Soviet and almost 60% in the Moscow Soviet. This laid the groundwork for the Bolshevik takeover.
By the end of October 1917, Lenin persuaded the Bolsheviks that they could seize power, despite leading Bolsheviks Ziminiev and Kamenev feeling that Russia wasn’t ready. Leon Trotsky organised the Red Guards in Petrograd and on the night of 25 October (Old Style), the Red Guard took control of the post offices, bridges, and banks. The next day, the Bolsheviks took control of railway stations and other targets, with very little opposition. They stormed the Winter Palace and arrested members of the Provisional Government. Kerensky escaped from Petrograd and tried to save his position with the support of loyal troops. This failed and he fled into exile, first in Paris and then in New York City. On 27 October, the Petrograd Soviet announced that the Provisional Government had been overthrown and that Russia would shortly withdraw from the First World War. The Bolshevik seizure of power from the Provisional Government marked the beginning of Russia’s Soviet era and the establishment of a communist state. This is a crucial event for GCSE History students to consider.
Primary Sources
Primary sources can tell us a lot, beyond the mere historical facts. The best way to approach a primary source in GCSE History is to think about both the content and the provenance (the information we are given about the source).
Content:
What does the source say?
What argument is the author making, or what version of events is the author putting across?
How is a certain event/individual/place described or pictured?
Provenance:
Nature: What is the source? Is it a letter, newspaper extract, diary entry, speech, poster, book extract, etc.?
Origin: Who wrote the source? When was it written or produced? Where was it written or produced?
Purpose: Why was the source written or produced? What intention did the author have? Who was the target audience?
We will now look at two primary sources about Lenin’s role in the 1917 Revolution and think about how we can adopt a critical, analytical approach.
Source 1
N.N. Sukhanov in his book about the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 which was published in 1922. Sukhanov was a Social Revolutionary who supported the formation of the Provisional Government following the abdication of the Tsar.
Lenin sounded dogmatic and dictatorial. I agreed with those who thought he had lunatic ideas, and I saw him as a lone man, isolated, standing outside the main group of revolutionaries. In 1917 he was so unacceptable to everyone that he did not seem at all dangerous. We never thought for a minute that Lenin would be able to conquer the revolution, the masses, the whole Soviet or even his own Bolsheviks.
Source 2
From a book written by Leon Trotsky called ‘A History of the Russian Revolution’. It was published in 1930. Trotsky was a Bolshevik leader during the October Revolution and during the period of Lenin’s rule.
How important was Lenin? Can we say that the revolution would not have happened without him? No. But it is true that Lenin greatly speeded up the process. Lenin was much more clear-sighted than his comrades, and it happened that he understood better than others what was needed. If he had not managed to come to Petrograd, the October Revolution would not have taken place when it did.
Analysing the sources
Most primary source questions in the GCSE History exam require content analysis, provenance analysis, and a combination of both. The following example questions unpack how to approach these different skills.
1. How do Source 1 and Source 2 depict Lenin’s role in the 1917 Revolution?
This question is asking about source content. We want to think about how each source presents Lenin and his role in the Revolution. The best way to do this is to identify differences between the two sources.
Let’s take each source in turn. The message of Source 1 is that Lenin was perceived by many at the time as being overly radical, out of touch, and unpopular with a limited support base, but that he defied expectations and succeeded in leading the Revolution. In contrast, Source 2 suggests that Lenin was perceived more favourably at the time than Source 1 does. This source argues that Lenin was not necessarily crucial to the Revolution itself unfolding, but that his leadership and understanding of the Russian context was key. The main difference, therefore, between Source 1 and Source 2 in their depiction of Lenin’s role in the Revolution is the extent to which Lenin understood and orchestrated events. Source 1 presents Lenin as “isolated” with “lunatic ideas”, whilst Source 2 argues that Lenin was “more clear-sighted than his comrades”.
2. Why might Source 1 and Source 2 depict Lenin’s role in the 1917 Revolution differently?
This question is asking about the provenance. We need to think about the sources’ nature, origin, and purpose.
Source 1:
Nature: It is an extract from a book, published in 1922.
Origin: It is written by N.N. Sukhanov, a Socialist Revolutionary who supported the Provisional Government. This tells us that Sukhanov would have been opposed to the Bolsheviks and the socialist takeover in the 1917 Revolution. The book was written only a few years after the Revolution occurred, suggesting that Sukhanov’s memory of the events may have been fairly accurate. His account is most likely skewed or biased, however, due to his allegiance to the Provisional Government, who were overthrown by the Bolsheviks during the Revolution.
Purpose: The book from which this source is taken is about the Bolshevik Revolution. As it was written after the events took place, it is most likely a historical account. Its purpose, therefore, is to inform the reader about the events of the Revolution. It may also have been intended to encourage the reader to think negatively about the Bolsheviks, but we cannot know this definitively.
Source 2:
Nature: It is an extract from a book, published in 1930.
Origin: It is written by Leon Trotsky, who was a Bolshevik leader and worked closely with Lenin. We can already determine that this source will present the Revolution differently to Source 1. As a key figure in the Revolution, Trotsky may have wanted to portray Lenin as a figurehead and effective leader, but not to the extent that it diminished his own role. The book was published in 1930; by this point, Stalin was in power and Trotsky was exiled in Europe.
Purpose: Similarly to Source 1, the book from which the source is taken is a historical account of the Revolution. As we have already identified, Trotsky may have had an agenda in portraying the Revolution, and Lenin’s role therein, in a particular way.
Why, then, might Sukhanov and Trotsky have portrayed Lenin’s role in the Revolution differently? Sukhanov was supportive of the Provisional Government, who were overthrown by the Bolsheviks in the October Revolution under the direction of Lenin. Trotsky was a key Bolshevik leader and worked closely alongside Lenin, before he was ousted from the Party and ultimately exiled from the Soviet Union by Joseph Stalin. Their positions and allegiances lent themselves to different interpretations of Lenin’s role: Sukhanov was ideologically opposed to Lenin and the Bolsheviks, whilst Trotsky was a leading Bolshevik and thus presents Lenin as pivotal to the events of the Revolution.
By separating content analysis from provenance analysis, we can approach primary sources in GCSE History with a critical lens. Think about what the source is arguing and why it is making this argument, and then add your own historical knowledge and context to support your points.
