The Development of Russian Military Thought: the Russian Empire and the Soviet Period and Their Legacies
The Development of Russian Military Thought: the Russian Empire and the Soviet Period and Their Legacies

Summary/Abstract: Military thought and military issues traditionally played an important role in Russia’shistory. Even economic, political, social and educational reforms were mainlytriggered by the needs related to military issues – preparation for wars or unsuccessfulmilitary campaigns of the Russian Empire (between the 17th and 19th centuries againstPoland and Ottoman Turks and in the 20th century by Russia’s defeat in the waragainst Japan). It should be noted that the reforms during the reigns of Peter the Greatand Catherine II and also in the 19th century, were introduced under military andexternal security challenges. In this regard, after the seizure of power, despitetheir tremendous critics on Tsarist government militarization policies, Bolshevikshugely relied on military power too. The military affairs were doctrinalized duringthe Bolsheviks rule for the first time in Russian history.This paper analyzes the military thought in the Russian Empire in the endof the 19th century and its transformation during the first years of Soviet rulein the early 20th century. It also studies discussions among the Soviet politicaland military elite on theoretical and practical facets of the military and methodsof waging war in 1920s as well as explores the creation of the Russian non-linearwarfare theory, the only warfare concept of the Soviet Union which is recognizedworldwide. The paper concludes that the thought dating back to those periods isalso used in contemporary Russia.

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