The Soviet High Command, 1967-1989: Personalities and Politics
by Dale R. Herspring
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The recent transformations in the USSR are nowhere more evident than in the Soviet military. Top-level military officers have been relieved of their positions, Gorbachev has warned of lean times for the military, the symbolic role of the armed forces has been downgraded, and the concept of "military sufficiency" points to major modifications in Soviet force structure. Contrary to some who see Gorbachev as a Sir Galahad out to slay the evil military high command, Dale Herspring concludes that show more the relationship between the highest Soviet political and military leaders is at the moment more symbiotic than conflictual. In this first in-depth study of the evolution of civil-military relations in the Soviet Union from 1967 to the present, he shows how the views of senior military officers have varied over time: currently, even if the members of the high command do not like all Gorbachev's changes, they understand the need for them and are prepared to live with them. As Herspring looks at the personalities and politics of eight top military figures, he reveals that the most important of them, Ogarkov, was the first senior Soviet military officer to understand the value of working with the political leadership. Ogarkov believed that the arms control and dtente processes, if carefully managed, could enhance the national security of the USSR. In Gorbachev, the Soviet military has found the type of individual that Ogarkov was seeking.Originally published in 1990.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905. show lessTags
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9 Works 98 Members
Dale R. Herspring is professor of political science at Kansas State University.
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, History, Politics and Government, General Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir, Business
- DDC/MDS
- 322.50947 — Society, government, & culture Political science Relation of the state to organized groups and their members Armed services Biography And History Europe
- LCC
- UA770 .H48 — Military Science Armies: Organization, distribution, military situation Armies: Organization, distribution, military situation By region or country
- BISAC
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- 20
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- 1,283,452
- Rating
- (3.83)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 5
