The Concept of Discipline in the Soviet Armed Forces: A Paradox for the New Soviet Man.

Abstract

This thesis is an examination of discipline in the Soviet armed forces. A review of the historical development of the concept of discipline reveals an interesting paradox. Throughout Russian and Soviet history there is a consistent pattern to rely on physical punishment to impose discipline that continues to the present day. This is in contrast to regulations and reforms seemingly designed to limit the use of physical punishments for disciplinary purposes. The reliance on punishment is in further contrast to the successful methods employed by Alexander Suvorov to impose discipline. The examination of discipline in the Soviet armed forces also reveals a second paraodx. This paradox arises due to the Soviet Marxist-Leninist insistence for quantification to provide scientific solutions, while discipline is recognized as an unquantifiable morale factor of war. An examination of current disciplinary problems in the Soviet armed forces highlights this point. Keywords: Dialectics; Cybernetics.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 1985
Accession Number
ADA156872

Entities

People

  • R. N. Smith

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Combat Readiness
  • Communism
  • Control Systems
  • Governments
  • Health Services
  • Human Rights
  • Management Personnel
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Science
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychology
  • Standards
  • Students
  • Ussr
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Political Science/ International Relations/ European Studies
  • Strategic Security Studies