The Russian Military's Role in Politics

Abstract

One of the most crucial challenges that democratizing states face is that of redefining civil-military relations and transforming the military into a force loyal to the new democratic system. In order to prevent the military from becoming a threat, democratizing governments must re-educate their military professionals and instill in them a sense of respect for democratic institutions and the multi-party system. The goal is to limit the military's role in politics and develop a tradition of an apolitical army. The problems facing Russia in this regard are multi- fold. It inherited from the USSR an officer corps for which loyalty to both the Soviet Union and the ruling Communist party was a prerequisite to professional advancement. Although civilian control over the military was strong, the top political leadership shared with the military elite a high respect for military power and hence accorded military programs and Armed Forces' needs a high priority. The Soviet Armed Forces were, in effect, the favorite son of the command economy.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1995
Accession Number
ADA421892

Entities

People

  • Ellen Jones
  • James H. Brusstar

Organizations

  • National Defense University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Employment
  • Governments
  • Law
  • Military Budgets
  • Military Commanders
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Personnel
  • National Governments
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Political Systems
  • Terrorists
  • Treaties
  • Ussr
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • International Relations and Conflict Resolution
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.