Military history of the Soviet Union

Military history of the Soviet Union - Interwar period. See also: Interwar period Following the death of Lenin, the Soviet Union was enmeshed in a struggle for succession that pitted Trotsky and his policy of "world revolution" against Stalin and his policy of "socialism in one country." Thanks to his control over and support from the Party and state bureaucracy, Stalin prevailed and Trotsky was removed as war commissar in 1925, resulting in a turn away from the policy of spreading the revolution abroad in favour o ...

See also:

Military history of the Soviet Union, Military history of the Soviet Union - Tsarist and revolutionary background, Military history of the Soviet Union - Development of the structure ideology and doctrine of the Soviet military, Military history of the Soviet Union - Party control, Military history of the Soviet Union - Military counterintelligence, Military history of the Soviet Union - Political doctrine, Military history of the Soviet Union - Military-party relations, Military history of the Soviet Union - Military doctrine, Military history of the Soviet Union - Practical deployment of the Soviet military, Military history of the Soviet Union - Interwar period, Military history of the Soviet Union - World War II, Military history of the Soviet Union - The Cold War and conventional forces, Military history of the Soviet Union - The Cold War and nuclear weapons, Military history of the Soviet Union - Military-industrial complex and the economy, Military history of the Soviet Union - Collapse of the Soviet Union and the military, Military history of the Soviet Union - Timeline, Military history of the Soviet Union - Foreign military aid, Military history of the Soviet Union - Crimes against civilians, Military history of the Soviet Union - Notes

Read more here: » Military history of the Soviet Union: Encyclopedia II - Military history of the Soviet Union - Practical deployment of the Soviet military

The project had the benefit of much espionage information gathered from the Manhattan Project in the United States and United Kingdom (which the Russians had code-named Enormoz) by the spies Alan Nunn May, Klaus Fuchs and Theodore Hall, among others. However, the information was not shared freely among the project's scientists, and was used by Beria as a "check" on the accuracy of the scientists. After the United States used its atomic weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945, and published the Smyth Report outlining the basi ...

See also:

Soviet atomic bomb project, Soviet atomic bomb project - The beginnings, Soviet atomic bomb project - Administration and personnel, Soviet atomic bomb project - Espionage, Soviet atomic bomb project - Logistical problems the Soviets faced, Soviet atomic bomb project - Important Soviet nuclear tests, Soviet atomic bomb project - First Lightning, Soviet atomic bomb project - Joe Four, Soviet atomic bomb project - RDS-37, Soviet atomic bomb project - Tsar Bomba, Soviet atomic bomb project - Chagan

Read more here: » Soviet atomic bomb project: Encyclopedia II - Soviet atomic bomb project - Espionage

More realistically, the Russian military doctrine, then and now, has called for the reliance on the country's strategic nuclear forces as the primary deterrent against attack by a major power (such as NATO forces or the People's Republic of China). In keeping with this dictum, the country's nuclear forces have received adequate financing throughout the lean 1990s while the rest of the military was cash-starved and decayed. The military division in charge of the nuclear weapons is the Strategic Rocket Forces. The number of intercontinental ba ...

See also:

Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - Organization, Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - Resources, Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - Nuclear weapons, Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - Current challenges and problems

Read more here: » Armed Forces of the Russian Federation: Encyclopedia II - Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - Nuclear weapons

Main article: Imperial Russia History of Russia - Peter the Great. Peter I, the Great (1672–1725), consolidated autocracy in Russia and played a major role in bringing his country into the European state system. From its modest beginnings in the 14th century principality of Moscow, Russia had become the largest state in the world by Peter's time. Three times the size of Europe, it spanned the Eurasian landmass from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Much of its expansion had taken place in the 1 ...

See also:

History of Russia, History of Russia - Early history, History of Russia - Early East Slavs, History of Russia - Khazaria, History of Russia - Kievan Rus', History of Russia - Volga Bulgaria, History of Russia - Mongol Invasion, History of Russia - Golden Horde, History of Russia - Muscovy, History of Russia - The rise of Moscow, History of Russia - Ivan III the Great, History of Russia - Ivan IV the Terrible, History of Russia - Time of Troubles, History of Russia - The Romanovs, History of Russia - Peasant uprisings, History of Russia - Imperial Russia, History of Russia - Peter the Great, History of Russia - Ruling the Empire 1725–1825, History of Russia - Imperial Russia since the Decembrist Revolt 1825–1917, History of Russia - Russian Revolution, History of Russia - Russian Civil War, History of Russia - Soviet Union, History of Russia - Creation of the Soviet Union, History of Russia - War communism and the New Economic Policy, History of Russia - Changes in Russian society, History of Russia - Industrialization and collectivization, History of Russia - The Soviet Union on the international stage, History of Russia - The Khrushchev and Brezhnev years, History of Russia - Impending breakup of the Union, History of Russia - The emergence of the Russian republic in the Soviet Union, History of Russia - Russian Federation, History of Russia - Notes, History of Russia - Related histories

Read more here: » History of Russia: Encyclopedia II - History of Russia - Imperial Russia

Note: The nation of Iran has been referred to as "Persia" in the West since the time of the Persian Wars. The earliest Iranian peoples known to recorded history are the Parsua mentioned in an Akkadian text. For hundreds of years, Persia was the proper English term for Iran, and the name stuck in the minds of many foreigners long after Reza Pahlavi asked, in 1935, that his country be referred to by its native name. English-language official documents from the Persian Corridor period continue to make the word "Persia" completely ...

See also:

Persian Corridor, Persian Corridor - Background, Persian Corridor - Overthrow of the Shah, Persian Corridor - Anders' army, Persian Corridor - Supply efforts, Persian Corridor - Statistics, Persian Corridor - Supply routes, Persian Corridor - Personnel

Read more here: » Persian Corridor: Encyclopedia II - Persian Corridor - Background

Red Army - Civil War. Main article: Russian Civil War Red Army - Central Asia. Red Army - Far East. In 1934, Mongolia and the USSR, recognising the threat from the mounting Japanese military presence in Manchuria and Inner Mongolia, agreed to co-operate in the field of defence. On March 12, 1936, the co-operation increased with the ten-year Mongolian-Soviet Treaty of Friendshi ...

See also:

Red Army, Red Army - Early history, Red Army - Officer Corps, Red Army - Ranks and Titles, Red Army - General Staff, Red Army - Military Education, Red Army - Purges, Red Army - Doctrines and Weapons, Red Army - Major conflicts, Red Army - Civil War, Red Army - Central Asia, Red Army - Far East, Red Army - The Finnish Campaign, Red Army - Polish campaign, Red Army - World War II, Red Army - The Cold War, Red Army - The end of the Soviet Union

Read more here: » Red Army: Encyclopedia II - Red Army - Major conflicts

Red Army - Polish campaign. Main article: Polish September Campaign On September 1, 1939 Germany attacked Poland. In accordance to secret protocol annex to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact Germany asked Soviet Union on 3rd September[1] to engage its troops against Polish state. Molotov congratulated Germany on reaching Warsaw on 9th September[2] and assured Germany that Soviet Union will deploy its troops within the next few days[3]. He also informed German officials that to make Soviet in ...

See also:

Red Army, Red Army - Early history, Red Army - Officer Corps, Red Army - Ranks and Titles, Red Army - General Staff, Red Army - Military Education, Red Army - Purges, Red Army - Doctrines and Weapons, Red Army - Major conflicts, Red Army - Civil War, Red Army - West, Red Army - Central Asia, Red Army - Far East, Red Army - The Finnish Campaign, Red Army - World War II, Red Army - Polish campaign, Red Army - Eastern Front, Red Army - The Cold War, Red Army - The end of the Soviet Union

Read more here: » Red Army: Encyclopedia II - Red Army - World War II

Red Army - Civil War. Main article: Russian Civil War Red Army - West. Polish-Soviet War Red Army - Central Asia. Red Army - Far East. In 1934, Mongolia and the USSR, recognising the threat from the mounting Japanese military presence in Manchuria and Inner Mongolia, agreed to co-operate in the field of defence. On March 12, 1936, the co-operation increased with the ten-year Mongolian-Soviet Treaty of Friendshi ...

See also:

Red Army, Red Army - Early history, Red Army - Officer Corps, Red Army - Ranks and Titles, Red Army - General Staff, Red Army - Military Education, Red Army - Purges, Red Army - Doctrines and Weapons, Red Army - Major conflicts, Red Army - Civil War, Red Army - West, Red Army - Central Asia, Red Army - Far East, Red Army - The Finnish Campaign, Red Army - World War II, Red Army - Polish campaign, Red Army - Eastern Front, Red Army - The Cold War, Red Army - The end of the Soviet Union

Read more here: » Red Army: Encyclopedia II - Red Army - Major conflicts

Red Army - Ranks and Titles. The early Red Army abandoned the institution of a professional officer corps as a "heritage of tsarism" in the Revolution. In particular, the Bolsheviks condemned the word "officer" and used the word commander instead. The Red Army abandoned epaulettes and ranks, using purely functional titles such as "Division Commander", "Corps Commander", and similar titles. In 1924 it supplemented this system with "service categories", from K-1 (lowest) to K-14 (highest). The service categories es ...

See also:

Red Army, Red Army - Early history, Red Army - Officer Corps, Red Army - Ranks and Titles, Red Army - General Staff, Red Army - Military Education, Red Army - Purges, Red Army - Doctrines and Weapons, Red Army - Major conflicts, Red Army - Civil War, Red Army - West, Red Army - Central Asia, Red Army - Far East, Red Army - The Finnish Campaign, Red Army - World War II, Red Army - Polish campaign, Red Army - Eastern Front, Red Army - The Cold War, Red Army - The end of the Soviet Union

Read more here: » Red Army: Encyclopedia II - Red Army - Officer Corps

From around 1985 to 1990, the new leader of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev attempted to reduce the strain the Army placed on economic demands. The Army was slowly reduced in size. By 1989, Soviet troops had completely left their Warsaw Pact neighbors to fend for themselves. That same year, the war with Afghanistan ended and all remaining Soviet troops were extracted. By the end of 1990, the entire Eastern Bloc had collapsed under the wake of democratic revolution. As a result, Soviet citizens quickly began to turn against the Communist g ...

See also:

Red Army, Red Army - Early history, Red Army - Officer Corps, Red Army - Ranks and Titles, Red Army - General Staff, Red Army - Military Education, Red Army - Purges, Red Army - Doctrines and Weapons, Red Army - Major conflicts, Red Army - Civil War, Red Army - West, Red Army - Central Asia, Red Army - Far East, Red Army - The Finnish Campaign, Red Army - World War II, Red Army - Polish campaign, Red Army - Eastern Front, Red Army - The Cold War, Red Army - The end of the Soviet Union

Read more here: » Red Army: Encyclopedia II - Red Army - The end of the Soviet Union

The administrative head of the project was Stalin's former chief of security Lavrentii Beria, and its scientific head was the physicist Igor Kurchatov. The project started outside Moscow and later moved to the village of Sarov, which then disappeared from the maps for forty-five years. Other important figures were Yuli Khariton and the future dissident and lead theoretical designer of their hydrogen bomb, Andrei Sakharov. ...

See also:

Soviet atomic bomb project, Soviet atomic bomb project - The beginnings, Soviet atomic bomb project - Administration and personnel, Soviet atomic bomb project - Espionage, Soviet atomic bomb project - Logistical problems the Soviets faced, Soviet atomic bomb project - Important Soviet nuclear tests, Soviet atomic bomb project - First Lightning, Soviet atomic bomb project - Joe Four, Soviet atomic bomb project - RDS-37, Soviet atomic bomb project - Tsar Bomba, Soviet atomic bomb project - Chagan

Read more here: » Soviet atomic bomb project: Encyclopedia II - Soviet atomic bomb project - Administration and personnel

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, abbreviated USSR (Russian: Сою́з Сове́тских Социалисти́ческих Респу́блик (СССР) listen ▶ (help·info); tr.: Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik [SSSR]), more commonly known as the Soviet Union (Russian: Сове́тский Сою́з; tr.: Including:

• Soviet Union - History
• Soviet Union - Politics
• Soviet Union - Leaders of the Soviet Union
• Soviet Union - Foreign relations
• Soviet Union - Republics
• Soviet Union - Related articles

Read more here: » Soviet Union: Encyclopedia - Soviet Union

Soviet atomic bomb project - First Lightning. The first Soviet atomic test was First Lightning on August 29, 1949, and was code-named by the Americans as Joe 1. It was a replica of the American Fat Man bomb whose design the Soviets knew from espionage. Soviet atomic bomb project - Joe Four. The first Soviet test of a hydrogen bomb was on August 12, 1953 and was nicknamed Joe 4 by the Americans; it was not a "true" fusion bomb (it was more like a "boo ...

See also:

Soviet atomic bomb project, Soviet atomic bomb project - The beginnings, Soviet atomic bomb project - Administration and personnel, Soviet atomic bomb project - Espionage, Soviet atomic bomb project - Logistical problems the Soviets faced, Soviet atomic bomb project - Important Soviet nuclear tests, Soviet atomic bomb project - First Lightning, Soviet atomic bomb project - Joe Four, Soviet atomic bomb project - RDS-37, Soviet atomic bomb project - Tsar Bomba, Soviet atomic bomb project - Chagan

Read more here: » Soviet atomic bomb project: Encyclopedia II - Soviet atomic bomb project - Important Soviet nuclear tests

. The Council of People's Commissars set up the Red Army by decree on January 15, 1918 (Old Style) (January 28, 1918), basing it on the already-existing Red Guard. The official Red Army Day of February 23, 1918 marked the day of the first mass draft of the Red Army in Petrograd and Moscow, and of the first combat action against the occupying imperial German army. February 23 became an important national holiday in the Soviet Union, later celebrated as "Soviet Army Day", and it continues as a day of celebration in present-day Ru ...

See also:

Red Army, Red Army - Early history, Red Army - Officer Corps, Red Army - Ranks and Titles, Red Army - General Staff, Red Army - Military Education, Red Army - Purges, Red Army - Doctrines and Weapons, Red Army - Major conflicts, Red Army - Civil War, Red Army - West, Red Army - Central Asia, Red Army - Far East, Red Army - The Finnish Campaign, Red Army - World War II, Red Army - Polish campaign, Red Army - Eastern Front, Red Army - The Cold War, Red Army - The end of the Soviet Union

Read more here: » Red Army: Encyclopedia II - Red Army - Early history

. The Council of People's Commissars set up the Red Army by decree on January 15, 1918 (Old Style) (January 28, 1918), basing it on the already-existing Red Guard. The official Red Army Day of February 23, 1918 marked the day of the first mass draft of the Red Army in Petrograd and Moscow, and of the first combat action against the occupying imperial German army. February 23 became an important national holiday in the Soviet Union, later celebrated as "Soviet Army Day", and it continues as a day of celebration in present-day Ru ...

See also:

Red Army, Red Army - Early history, Red Army - Officer Corps, Red Army - Ranks and Titles, Red Army - General Staff, Red Army - Military Education, Red Army - Purges, Red Army - Doctrines and Weapons, Red Army - Major conflicts, Red Army - Civil War, Red Army - Central Asia, Red Army - Far East, Red Army - The Finnish Campaign, Red Army - Polish campaign, Red Army - World War II, Red Army - The Cold War, Red Army - The end of the Soviet Union

Read more here: » Red Army: Encyclopedia II - Red Army - Early history

The Allies delivered all manner of materiel to the Soviets, from Studebaker US6 trucks to B-24 bombers. Most supplies in the corridor arrived by ship at Gulf ports and were carried north by rail or in truck convoys. Some goods were reloaded onto ships to cross the Caspian, others continued in trucks. United States forces in the corridor originally under the Iran-Iraq Service Command, later renamed the Persian Gulf Service Command (PGSC); this was the successor to the original United States Military Iranian Mission, which had been put ...

See also:

Persian Corridor, Persian Corridor - Background, Persian Corridor - Overthrow of the Shah, Persian Corridor - Anders' army, Persian Corridor - Supply efforts, Persian Corridor - Statistics, Persian Corridor - Supply routes, Persian Corridor - Personnel

Read more here: » Persian Corridor: Encyclopedia II - Persian Corridor - Supply efforts

The available manpower for the various branches of the Armed Forces was estimated at 36 million in 2003. According to Russian reports, in FY 2002, there was about a 40% increase in arms procurement spending. However, even this increase is not enough to make up for the budget shortfalls of the previous decade. Russia's struggling arms producers will, therefore, intensify their efforts to seek sales to foreign governments. As of 2005, some 330,000 young men are brought into the army via conscription in two call-ups each year. Conscripts ...

See also:

Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - Organization, Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - Resources, Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - Nuclear weapons, Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - Current challenges and problems

Read more here: » Armed Forces of the Russian Federation: Encyclopedia II - Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - Resources

Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Russians have discussed rebuilding a viable, cohesive fighting force out of the remaining parts of the former Soviet armed forces. A new Russian military doctrine, promulgated in November 1993, implicitly acknowledges the contraction of the old Soviet military into a regional military power without global imperial ambitions. In keeping with its emphasis on the threat of regional conflicts, the doctrine calls for a Russian military that is smaller, lighter, and more mobile, with a higher degree of pr ...

See also:

Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - Organization, Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - Resources, Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - Nuclear weapons, Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - Current challenges and problems

Read more here: » Armed Forces of the Russian Federation: Encyclopedia II - Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - Current challenges and problems

Red Army - Ranks and Titles. The early Red Army abandoned the institution of a professional officer corps as a "heritage of tsarism" in the Revolution. In particular, the Bolsheviks condemned the word "officer" and used the word commander instead. The Red Army abandoned epaulettes and ranks, using purely functional titles such as “Division Commander”, “Corps Commander”, etc. In 1924 it supplemented this system with “service categories”, from K-1 (lowest) to K-14 (highest). The service categories essen ...

See also:

Red Army, Red Army - Early history, Red Army - Officer Corps, Red Army - Ranks and Titles, Red Army - General Staff, Red Army - Military Education, Red Army - Purges, Red Army - Doctrines and Weapons, Red Army - Major conflicts, Red Army - Civil War, Red Army - Central Asia, Red Army - Far East, Red Army - The Finnish Campaign, Red Army - Polish campaign, Red Army - World War II, Red Army - The Cold War, Red Army - The end of the Soviet Union

Read more here: » Red Army: Encyclopedia II - Red Army - Officer Corps

Main article: History of post-Soviet Russia By the mid-1990s Russia had a system of multiparty electoral politics. But it was harder to establish a representative government because of two structural problems—the struggle between president and parliament and the anarchic party system. Although Yeltsin had won plaudits abroad for casting himself as a democrat to weaken Gorbachev, his conception of the presidency was highly autocratic. He either acted as his own prime minister (until June 1992) o ...

See also:

History of Russia, History of Russia - Early history, History of Russia - Early East Slavs, History of Russia - Khazaria, History of Russia - Kievan Rus', History of Russia - Volga Bulgaria, History of Russia - Mongol Invasion, History of Russia - Golden Horde, History of Russia - Muscovy, History of Russia - The rise of Moscow, History of Russia - Ivan III the Great, History of Russia - Ivan IV the Terrible, History of Russia - Time of Troubles, History of Russia - The Romanovs, History of Russia - Peasant uprisings, History of Russia - Imperial Russia, History of Russia - Peter the Great, History of Russia - Ruling the Empire 1725–1825, History of Russia - Imperial Russia since the Decembrist Revolt 1825–1917, History of Russia - Russian Revolution, History of Russia - Russian Civil War, History of Russia - Soviet Union, History of Russia - Creation of the Soviet Union, History of Russia - War communism and the New Economic Policy, History of Russia - Changes in Russian society, History of Russia - Industrialization and collectivization, History of Russia - The Soviet Union on the international stage, History of Russia - The Khrushchev and Brezhnev years, History of Russia - Impending breakup of the Union, History of Russia - The emergence of the Russian republic in the Soviet Union, History of Russia - Russian Federation, History of Russia - Notes, History of Russia - Related histories

Read more here: » History of Russia: Encyclopedia II - History of Russia - Russian Federation