Nationalities in the Soviet Military: A Problem for Perestroika.
Abstract
There has been a continuing debate over the effect of the Soviet ethnic nationalities on the Red Army and Navy for many years. Recent disturbances, reported in far more detail than ever before under the impact of glasnost, have accentuated the problems. Perestroika, or restructuring, is being applied with tremendous pressure by General Secretary Mikail Gorbachev to all facets of Soviet society and government, including the military. This study examines the problems, their basis, their effect on the Soviet military, and the impact of perestroika on them. The roots of the nationalities problems lie in Tsarist Russian before the Revolution, and, despite their propaganda to the contrary, the Communists have not been able to solve them; in fact, their policies have probably exacerbated them. Today, the rate of growth of the non-Slavic people of the Soviet Union, primarily the Muslims, is far greater than that of the Slavs, and it is projected that they will soon be the majority. The military, through the conscription system and carefully controlled ethnic mixing, are attempting to carry out their tasking to be the instructors to the nation and to produce the 'new Soviet man', but they reflect the same problems as the country as a whole.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 31, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA195239
Entities
People
- Donald D. Dalziel
Organizations
- United States Army War College