How far was the continuation of the war the main reason for growing support for the Bolsheviks in 1917? Explain your answer. [40]

This question asks you to evaluate how far the continuation of the war was the main reason for growing Bolshevik support in 1917. You must weigh the war's impact against other factors that drove support for the Bolsheviks.

Arguments that the war was the central reason:

• The Provisional Government's decision to remain in the First World War was deeply unpopular among soldiers, workers, and peasants. The Bolsheviks were the only major party to demand an immediate end to the war.
• The failed June Offensive of 1917 led to mass desertions. By autumn, an estimated 2 million soldiers had deserted. Entire units refused to fight, and military discipline was collapsing.
• The Bolshevik slogan "Peace" directly addressed the most pressing concern of millions of Russians. No other party offered such an unequivocal position on ending the war.
• The war caused food shortages in the cities, severe economic disruption, inflation, and enormous casualties, creating desperate conditions that made radical solutions attractive.
• The war also discredited the Provisional Government, which was seen as continuing the failed policies of the Tsar by persisting with an unpopular and losing conflict.

Arguments that other factors also drove Bolshevik support:

• The demand for land redistribution ("Land") appealed powerfully to the vast peasant majority. Peasants had waited for meaningful land reform since the emancipation of the serfs in 1861, and the Provisional Government had delayed action.
• Food shortages and inflation ("Bread") in the cities created anger among urban workers that went beyond the war itself. Industrial workers demanded better conditions and higher wages.
• Lenin's return in April 1917 and his April Theses gave the Bolsheviks a clear, radical programme at a time when other parties offered compromise and coalition. His leadership was a catalyst for growth.
• The Kornilov Affair (August 1917) boosted Bolshevik credibility enormously. When the Bolsheviks helped defend Petrograd against Kornilov's apparent coup attempt, they gained both weapons and popular respect as defenders of the revolution.
• The Bolsheviks' organisational strength in factories and military units enabled effective recruitment and propaganda. They built networks in the places where discontent was strongest.

Reaching a conclusion:

The continuation of the war was probably the single most important factor because it undermined the Provisional Government's legitimacy, created the material suffering that drove people towards radical solutions, and gave the Bolsheviks their most powerful rallying point. However, the war alone did not guarantee Bolshevik success. It was the Bolsheviks' ability to offer a clear alternative through effective leadership, simple slogans, and strong organisation that converted popular discontent into political support. The war created the opportunity; the Bolsheviks seized it.

Mark scheme guidance: Level 5 answers (33-40 marks) will analyse the connection between the war and other factors rather than treating them as separate lists. For example, the war caused food shortages (linking "Peace" to "Bread"), and the war's unpopularity made Lenin's anti-war stance attractive (linking the war to Bolshevik leadership). The strongest answers show how factors interacted, not just that they existed.