Suchergebnisse

This article argues that the Soviet military during the reform period (between 1985-1991) expanded its participation in politics in terms of both the scope of issues involved and the means employed. In addition, the Soviet army during the same period also ended its years of relative insulation from society and underwent a process of civilianization, manifested in increased interactions with civilian society and unprecedented civilian intrustion in military affairs traditionally reserved exclusively for the military. These two developments provide crucial clues to the failed coup attempt in August 1991 in the former Soviet Union.

THE EVENTS THAT HAPPENED IN 1989 IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COMMUNIST WORLD ALL HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON; THE CONSPICUOUS ROLE PLAYED BY THE MILITARY. FEW STUDIES HAVE CONCENTRATED ON CHANGES WITHIN THE SOVIET ARMY AND ITS RELATIONS WITH THE COMMUNIST PARTY AND WITH CIVILIAN SOCIETY. THIS STUDY ANALYZES INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS IN THE ARMED FORCES AND CIVIL-MILITARY RELATIONS, AND ASSESSES THE CHANGING NATURE OF THE MILITARY IN CHINA AND THE USSR. THE DISCUSSION IS IN FIVE SECTIONS: PROPOSITIONS, DATA AND METHODOLOGY, DESCRIPTIVE FINDINGS, ANALYTICAL FINDINGS, AND FINALLY, THE OBSERVATIONS ON THE MILITARY.

Assessment based on quantitative analysis of references in the two countries' media, as reflected in the Daily Report of China and the Soviet Union published by the US Foreign Broadcasting Information Service (FBIS); three selected years between 1975 and 1989.