The Kremlin and the High Command
Presidential Impact on the Russian Military from Gorbachev to Putin
Seiten
2006
|
With a New Preface by the Author
University Press of Kansas (Verlag)
9780700636785 (ISBN)
University Press of Kansas (Verlag)
9780700636785 (ISBN)
Choice Outstanding TitleThroughout its existence, the Red Army was viewed as a formidable threat. By the end of the Cold War, however, it had become the weakest link in the Soviet Union’s power structure. Always subordinate to the Communist Party, the military in 1991 suddenly found itself answering instead to the president of a democratic state. Dale Herspring closely examines how that relationship influenced the military’s viability in the new Russian Federation.
Herspring’s book is the first to assess the relationship between the Russian military and the political leadership under Presidents Mikhail Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin, and Vladimir Putin. He depicts an outmoded and demoralized military force still struggling to free itself from Cold War paradigms, while failing to confront not only debacles in Afghanistan and Chechnya but also a rise in crime and corruption within the ranks. He reveals how Gorbachev neglected the military to save Russia from internal collapse and Yeltsin reneged on continuing promises of support. And, while Putin claims a better understanding of the armed forces, he has severely tightened his control over the military while monitoring its struggle toward modernization.
Herspring argues that presidential leadership—or a significant lack thereof—has been the key variable determining the kind of military Russia puts in the field. It has been up to the president to ensure that the high command makes a successful transition to the new polity—otherwise combat readiness will decline and generals and admirals could become politicized. By focusing on how the high command has reacted to each president’s decisions and leadership style, Herspring shows that, in spite of the continued importance of the military’s bureaucratic structure, personality factors have assumed a much more important role than in the past.
The Kremlin and the High Command provides the most complete analysis to date of the Russian president’s influence on the Russian officer corps, the soldiers they lead, and their army’s combat readiness. Shedding light on the chaos that has plagued the USSR and Russia over the past 25 years, it also suggests how the often fraught relationship between the president and the high command must evolve if the Russian Federation is to evolve into a truly democratic nation.
Herspring’s book is the first to assess the relationship between the Russian military and the political leadership under Presidents Mikhail Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin, and Vladimir Putin. He depicts an outmoded and demoralized military force still struggling to free itself from Cold War paradigms, while failing to confront not only debacles in Afghanistan and Chechnya but also a rise in crime and corruption within the ranks. He reveals how Gorbachev neglected the military to save Russia from internal collapse and Yeltsin reneged on continuing promises of support. And, while Putin claims a better understanding of the armed forces, he has severely tightened his control over the military while monitoring its struggle toward modernization.
Herspring argues that presidential leadership—or a significant lack thereof—has been the key variable determining the kind of military Russia puts in the field. It has been up to the president to ensure that the high command makes a successful transition to the new polity—otherwise combat readiness will decline and generals and admirals could become politicized. By focusing on how the high command has reacted to each president’s decisions and leadership style, Herspring shows that, in spite of the continued importance of the military’s bureaucratic structure, personality factors have assumed a much more important role than in the past.
The Kremlin and the High Command provides the most complete analysis to date of the Russian president’s influence on the Russian officer corps, the soldiers they lead, and their army’s combat readiness. Shedding light on the chaos that has plagued the USSR and Russia over the past 25 years, it also suggests how the often fraught relationship between the president and the high command must evolve if the Russian Federation is to evolve into a truly democratic nation.
Dale R. Herspring is professor of political science at Kansas State University. Among his many books are The Pentagon and the Presidency: Civil-Military Relations from FDR to George W. Bush, Requiem for an Army, and Russian Civil-Military Relations.
Foreword, David M. GlantzPreface
1. Introduction
2. Gorbachev, the Coup, and the Military, March 1985-December 1991
3. Yeltsin and the Creation of the Russian Military, September 1991-December 1994
4. Chechnya, Military Disintegration, and Yeltsin, November 1994-June 1996
5. Yetlsin and the Military, July 1996-December 1999
6. Putin, the Generals, and the Stabilization of the Military, January 2000
7. Conclusion: Presidential Leadership and the Russian Military
Notes
Index
| Erscheinungsdatum | 16.11.2023 |
|---|---|
| Reihe/Serie | Modern War Studies |
| Verlagsort | Kansas |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 152 x 229 mm |
| Themenwelt | Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte ► Militärgeschichte |
| Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung | |
| ISBN-13 | 9780700636785 / 9780700636785 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Informationen gemäß Produktsicherheitsverordnung (GPSR) | |
| Haben Sie eine Frage zum Produkt? |
Mehr entdecken
aus dem Bereich
aus dem Bereich
von der Wiederbewaffnung bis zur Zeitenwende
Buch | Softcover (2025)
C.H.Beck (Verlag)
CHF 16,80
Deutschlands großer Volksaufstand
Buch | Softcover (2024)
Propyläen Verlag
CHF 30,80
