THE POLITICAL POSITION OF THE SOVIET ARMY SINCE STALIN,
Abstract
The relationship of the Soviet Army to the Communist Party and its leaders has always been complex and generally unsatisfactory to all concerned. The security of the Soviet state demands that there be powerful armed forces at its disposal. But while the Party is a minority elite group, the armed forces are national in character and the Communists have always disrupted the people. The masters of the Soviet Union who cannot forget that the armed forces, by their nature, are potentially the strongest element in the state, have consequently always feared Bonapartism. The Party therefore has to subordinate the military to its will and to control it very closely. Various party organizations and the special department of the security police have maintained such controls at all levels of the armed forces. Although always extensive, the actual degree of party control has varied with the leadership's views concerning the loyalty of the armed forces as well as with the requirements of military efficiency. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 23, 1958
- Accession Number
- AD0606907
Entities
People
- Leon Goure
Organizations
- RAND Corporation