Soldiers in the Proletarian Dictatorship: The Red Army and the Soviet Socialist State, 1917-1930

397 Pages·1993·20.63 MB·English

by  Mark Hagen

THIS BOOK HAS BEEN SUPPORTED BY A GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE
HUMANITIES, AN INDEPENDENT FEDERAL AGENCY.
Copyright © 1990 by Cornell University
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First published 1990 by Cornell University· Press.
First printing, Cornell Paperbacks, 1993.
International Standard Book Number 0-8014,.;2420-8 (cloth)
International Standard Book Number 0-8014-8127-9 (paper)
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 89-36148"
Printed in the United States of America
Librarians: Library of Congress cataloging information
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SOLDIERS IN THE
PROLETARIAN
DICTATORSHIP
The Red Army and the
Soviet Socialist State,
1917-1930
Mark von Hagen
Studies of the Harriman Institute
CORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS
Ithaca and London
STUDIES OF THE HARRIMAN INSTITUTE
Columbia University
The Harriman Institute, Columbia University, sponsors the Studies of the
Harriman Institute in the belief that their publication contributes to schol
arly research and public understanding. In this way the Institute, while not
necessarily endorsing their conclusions, is pleased to make available the re
sults of some of the research conducted under its auspices. A list of the
Studies appears at the back of the book.
SOLDIERS IN THE
PROLETARIAN DICTATORSHIP
for my parents

Contents
Illustrations ix
Preface xi
Terms and Abbreviations xv
Introduction 1
Part One. Revolution, Civil War, and Peace
1 Building a Socialist Army, February 1917-March 1919 13
Soldiers and Revolution 13
The Brief Era of the Volunteer Army 21
The Politics of the Conscript Army 36
Pressures for Reform 50
2 War and the Soviet State, April 1919-November 1920 67
Desertion and the Peasant Question 67
The Army and the Party 80
Soldiers' Culture and Political Work 89
A Breathing Space and Civilian-Military Conflicts 114
The Final Struggle 121
3 From War to Peace, November 1920-December 1922 127
The Dilemmas of Demobilization 127
The Army under Siege 132
The Tenth Party Congress 137
Defining Culture and Politics 152
Political Work in the Peacetime Army 163
The Crisis in Discipline 175
viii Contents
Part Two. The Frunze Reforms
4 The Context of Reform, January 1923-February 1924 183
Communist Ethics and Generational Conflict 185
Trotsky's Struggle for Power 195
5 Militarization: Officers and Soldiers 206
Militia Compromise and Conscription 206
The Remaking of the Officer Corps 210
Trade Union Methods and Iron Discipline 220
6 Peasants, Civilians, and Army Politics 231
Rural Politics and the Peacetime Army 231
Militarization of the Civilian Populace 240
The Party and Komsomol 252
Part Three. A School of Socialism
7 Militarization and Sovietization: Political Culture
in the Postreform Army 271
Toward the Two-Year Program 271
The Army as Family and School 279
Soviet Patriotism and Leninism 288
8 The Red Army and the Worker-Peasant Alliance,
1925-1930 295
Cadres for the Countryside 295
Soldiers and Collectivization 308
Conclusion 326
Bibliography 344
Index 359
Illustrations
Leon Trotsky 26
Nikolai Podvoiskii 33
Woe to the deserter! 7 4
The deserter's nightmare 75
Literacy campaign 97
Description of a Red Army club 105
A military correspondent checks the daily press 108
A Red Army man points to his article in a wall newspaper 109
Comrades! Fight infection! Wipe out lice! 116
What do "health groups" do in the Red Army? 117
Comrades, to work! (demobilization poster) 128
Sergei Gusev 133
A political worker distributes literature in a Red Army club 169
A political lesson during summer maneuvers 170
Andrei Bubnov 201
Mikhail Frunze 204
Plenary session of the Revolutionary Military Council
of the USSR, November 1924 220
Members of the Revolutionary Military Council
of the USSR, 1925 221
Kliment Voroshilov 244
The Red Army is the school of citizenship 277
Morning exercises in a Red Army barracks 280
Red Army men reading letters from home 283