One of the largest and most feared military forces in the world,
the Red Army was a key player in advancing the cause of Soviet
socialism. Rising out of revolutionary-era citizen militias, it
aspired to the greatness needed to confront its Cold War
adversaries but was woefully unprepared to change with the times.
In this first comprehensive study of the Soviet officer corps,
Roger Reese traces the history of the Red Army from Civil War
triumph through near-decimation in World War II and demoralizing
quagmire in Afghanistan to the close scrutiny it came under during
Gorbachev's reform era. Reese takes readers inside the Red Army to
reconstruct the social and institutional dynamics that shaped its
leadership and effectiveness over seventy-three years. He depicts
the lives of these officers by revealing their class origins, life
experiences, party loyalty, and attitudes toward professionalism.
He tells how these men were shaped by Russian culture and Soviet
politics--and how the Communist Party dominated every aspect of
their careers but never allowed them the autonomy they needed to
cultivate a high level of military effectiveness.
Despite its struggle to develop and maintain professionalism,
the officer corps was often hampered by factors inextricably
intertwined with the Soviet state: Marxist theory, revolutionary
ideology, friction between party and non-party members, and the
influence of the army's political administration organs. Reese
shows that by rejecting the Western bourgeois model of military
professionalism the state greatly limited its officer corps'
ability to develop a more effective military. While a sense of
group identity emerged among officers after World War II, it
quickly lost relevance in the face of postwar challenges,
especially the war in Afghanistan, which underscored fatal flaws in
command leadership.
"Red Commanders" offers new insight into the workings of a
military giant and also restores Leon Trotsky to his rightful place
in Soviet military history by featuring his ideas on building a new
army from the ground up. It is an important look behind the scenes
at a military establishment that continues to face leadership
challenges in Russia today.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
