Interwar Period: Russia

Objectives Comprehend the factors that contributed to Russian

foreign policy during the interwar years.

Describe the factors that influenced Russian military doctrine during the interwar period

Each symbol indicates 100,000 dead

Russian Revolution In February 1917, citizens of St.

Petersburg led a mass protest against food shortages, living conditions and the Tsarist regime.

Nicholas ordered the police and military to intervene, however the military was no longer loyal to the Tsar.

By October , with chaos widespread; over 80,000 troops mutinied from the army to join the rioters

Faced with this crisis, Tsar Nicholas abdicated his throne, leaving Russia

without a head of state.

Russian Revolution One person keen to take advantage of

the chaotic state of affairs was Lenin who saw the opportunity to lead his party, the Bolsheviks, to power

By the end of October 1917, every key building in St. Petersburg was under Bolshevik control.

Shortly after the October Revolution, the Russian Civil War broke out between the 'Reds' (Communists) and the 'Whites' (Nationalists and other anti-Bolshevik groups).

After a bloody four year struggle Lenin and the Reds won, establishing the Soviet Union in 1922

Stalin’s Consolation of Power With all opposition gone, Stalin consolidated

power. In 1928 installed a system of central planning, which dictated everything from where factories should be built to how farmers should plant their crops.

During the 1930s, Stalin sought to eliminate all potential opposition. In 1933, he created the Central Purge Commission, which publicly investigated and tried members of the Communist Party for treason. In 1933 and 1934, 1,140,000 members were expelled from the party.

As many as 3 million Russians were killed.

Soviet Military Structure In 1936, in response to perceived Red

Army opposition to his policies, Stalin conducted a purge of the military.

Lasting almost 2 years the purge eliminated over 35,000 officers (half of their high ranking officers).

This left the Red Army inexperienced and deathly afraid of Stalin. He believed that political loyalty was far more important than military capability.

Stalin favored space over a strong defensive line

Soviet Military Strategy: Air Force

Doctrine centered on the “Deep Battle”

Soviet Union began the interwar period with the weakest Air Force, but by World War II had built a relatively effective force from the ground up.

Two very innovative Soviet air theorists emerged in the period

Mikhail Frunze (1885 - 1923)

Mikhail Tukhachevski (1893 - 1937)

Airpower

World’s 1st Airborne Forces

Combat Support Centered

The German Connection

From 1925 -1933 German Air Officers taught at the Soviet General Staff College

Germany tested new weapons designs (Versailles Treaty)

Germany trained new Soviet pilots

Spanish Civil War; Russia commits:

900+ aircraft, 1000+ men to conflict

1939 Non-Aggression Pact

Soviet Air Force: Eve of WWII

From 1938 to 1941 another series of purges eliminated any experience in the Russian military, especially in the air force (75% of Red Air Force officers “disappeared” between 1937-39)

Massive and never ending reorganizations

Given the complexity of strategic bombers and her industrial capability, Russia focused exclusively on tactical aircraft.

Russia would use its tactical air force in delaying strikes in front of the German advance

• The Kalinin K-7 was a real Russian

Bomber designed in 1933 by WW-I

aviator Konstatin Kalinin.

• Top speed: 145 mph

• Flew 11 test flights before crashing

• Kalinin was later tried for treason

and executed

Interwar Period: Russia

Battle proven (Spain)

Reliable Allies privy to military plans

Consistency of command and organization

Technologically advanced

Industrial base to produce highly-technical weapons

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Objectives Comprehend the factors that contributed to Russian

foreign policy during the interwar years.

Describe the factors that influenced Russian military doctrine during the interwar period