ABSTRACT

The Russian experience in World War I provided important lessons for the nascent Red Army of the 1920s. The post-World War II era ushered in a wave of political theorizing in the West that compared the Soviet Union under Stalin to Germany under Hitler, characterizing both as totalitarian regimes. A military culture conducive to innovation was also present in the Soviet Union for at least half of the interwar period. In sum, civilian intervention in military affairs was a mixed blessing for the Red Army. While there is considerable evidence of tensions between the Supreme Economic Council and the Red Army, there is also evidence of harmony between the military and some bureaus within Supreme Economic Council (VSNKh). The Russian army's technological backwardness—painfully revealed in the Great War—was an underlying motive of innovation. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.