Which events defined the October Revolution in 1917?

• A. November 1917; Storming of the Winter Palace; Dissolution of the Provisional Government; Decrees on Land and Peace.
• B. March 1917; Bloody Sunday; Formation of Provisional Government; Decrees on Land and Peace.
• C. January 1918; Brest-Litovsk and New Economic Policy.
• D. June 1917; July Days; Formation of Soviets.

Answer: (B)

The moment that defines the October Revolution is the Bolshevik seizure of power in Petrograd in late October 1917, followed by immediate moves that consolidated their rule. The key actions are the storming of the Winter Palace and other government sites, which signaled that the Bolsheviks had taken control of the government; the dissolution of the Provisional Government, marking a transfer of authority from the old ruling body to the Bolshevik-led Soviets; and the Decrees on Land and on Peace, which put the revolutionary program into effect—land reform for peasants and an end to Russia’s participation in World War I. These events together distinguish October from the earlier February/March upheaval and from later developments like Brest-Litovsk or the NEP. Keep in mind the calendar flip: the October events happened on October 25–26, 1917 (Julian calendar), which is November 7–8 in the Gregorian calendar.