A Level History chapter 4: AS: The Russian Revolution, 1894-1921 MCQs with answers
By Team Megalecture · Updated 4 Nov 2026
44 exam-style questions on AS: The Russian Revolution, 1894-1921, each with the answer and a short explanation. Ten of them are below to try. The chapter test draws ten fresh questions each time and is marked the moment you finish, with your score by topic.
The causes and outcomes of the 1905 Revolution up to 191412 questions
The February Revolution of 191710 questions
How and why the Bolsheviks gained power in October 191710 questions
Bolshevik consolidation of power, 1917-192112 questions
Ten AS: The Russian Revolution, 1894-1921 questions with answers
Try each one, then open the answer. These ten stay the same; the test draws new ones every time.
1. What did the Fundamental Laws of April 1906 establish?
A
that ministers were answerable to the Duma, which could dismiss them
B
that the Tsar kept 'supreme autocratic power' and could rule by decree
C
that all adult men would have an equal and secret vote in Duma elections
D
that land would be redistributed to the peasants
Show answer
Answer: B. Issued just before the First Duma met, the Laws reasserted the Tsar's authority, and Article 87 let him rule by decree between sessions.
2. Who was the first head of the Provisional Government?
A
Prince Lvov
B
Kerensky
C
Milyukov
D
Rodzianko
Show answer
Answer: A. Prince Georgy Lvov led it until July 1917, when Kerensky took over. Milyukov was foreign minister and Rodzianko was chairman of the Duma.
3. How did Lenin return to Russia in April 1917?
A
by ship from Britain with Allied permission
B
in a sealed train through Germany from Switzerland
C
on foot from Finland
D
by train across Siberia from exile in Vladivostok
Show answer
Answer: B. Germany let Lenin travel through its territory, hoping he would weaken Russia's war effort. He arrived at the Finland Station in Petrograd.
4. Which territories did Russia lose under the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (March 1918)?
A
Central Asia, including Turkestan and the Kazakh steppe
B
the Baltic provinces, Poland, Finland and Ukraine
C
Siberia and the Far East
D
Moscow and its surrounding provinces
Show answer
Answer: B. Russia lost huge areas in the west with much of its population, farmland, coal and industry.
5. What was the 1903 split in the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party mainly about?
A
whether to support the government in the war against Japan
B
whether to work through the peasant commune on the road to socialism
C
whether to take part in elections to the Duma under the October Manifesto
D
organisation: Lenin wanted a small party of professional revolutionaries
Show answer
Answer: D. Lenin's Bolsheviks wanted a tight, disciplined party, while the Mensheviks favoured broader membership. The October Manifesto came in 1905.
6. What did the Petrograd Soviet's Order No. 1 (March 1917) state?
A
that all land belonged to the peasants who worked it
B
that the Soviet had dissolved the Duma and the Provisional Government
C
that soldiers must stop fighting and the war should end at once without annexations
D
that soldiers should obey the Soviet if its orders clashed with the government's
Show answer
Answer: D. Order No. 1 gave the Soviet real influence over the army and created 'dual power' with the Provisional Government.
7. What did the sailors of Kronstadt demand in March 1921?
A
the return of the Tsar
B
the restoration of the Constituent Assembly under the Kadets
C
free elections to soviets and an end to Bolshevik dictatorship
D
an immediate war against Poland to spread the revolution
Show answer
Answer: C. Once seen as heroes of 1917, the sailors called for 'soviets without Bolsheviks'. The Red Army crushed the rising.
8. What did Lenin call for in his April Theses of 1917?
A
critical support for the Provisional Government until the war was won
B
a coalition government of all the socialist parties in the Soviet
C
early elections to a new Duma under a democratic franchise
D
no support for the Provisional Government; all power to the Soviets
Show answer
Answer: D. Lenin rejected cooperation with the Provisional Government, demanded an end to the war and transfer of land, which set the Bolsheviks apart from other socialists.
9. Which was an important reason for Red victory in the Civil War?
A
large-scale military support for the Reds from Britain, France and the USA
B
Red control of the industrial heartland and the central railways
C
the Whites' united leadership under one commander
D
the support of the Left SRs throughout
Show answer
Answer: B. The Reds held Moscow and Petrograd with their railways and factories, while White armies were spread around the edges and poorly coordinated. Allied help went to the Whites.
10. What was the significance of the Lena goldfields shootings of 1912?
A
they led directly to Stolypin's assassination in Kiev that year
B
they sparked a new wave of strikes that grew until 1914
C
they ended the Fourth Duma
D
they caused the split in the Social Democrats
Show answer
Answer: B. Troops killed striking miners, and protest strikes spread, showing that worker unrest was rising again before the war. Stolypin had been killed in 1911.
AS: The Russian Revolution, 1894-1921: questions students ask
How many AS: The Russian Revolution, 1894-1921 MCQs are there?
44, each with the answer and a short explanation, across 4 topics: The causes and outcomes of the 1905 Revolution up to 1914, The February Revolution of 1917, How and why the Bolsheviks gained power in October 1917, Bolshevik consolidation of power, 1917-1921. Every chapter test draws ten of them, so you can take it many times.
Is the A Level History chapter 4 test free?
Yes. The test, the answers and the explanations are free and need no sign-up. Sign in only if you want your scores kept across devices.
How is the chapter test marked?
The moment you press Finish: your score, the right answer and an explanation for every question, and the ones you got wrong saved in My mistakes to retry.
