Crises and tensions (e.g., the Ruhr Crisis; Corfu Incident; German hyperinflation)

Changing relations between the major powers: Britain, France, Germany, the USSR, and USA

The extent of opposition to the Tsarist rule

Key events of the 1905 Revolution (e.g., ‘Bloody Sunday’, wider risings, and The October Manifesto)

The nature of the Tsarist regime: pressures for change (social, economic, and political) and the reaction of Nicholas II to them

Nicholas II as a war leader: implications of personal leadership of the war effort

Political, social, and economic effects of the First World War, impact of military defeats

The Revolution of February and the abdication of Nicholas II

Crises of the Provisional Government

The formation and purpose of the Provisional Government

Lenin’s leadership of the Bolsheviks

The key events of the October Revolution