Kristina Soukupova, BA, MA, PhD University of West Bohemia, Plzen Summer 2013 Session

Armed Forces and Society

Part II: Communist States

Content
Introduction
Communist CMR Theory - An Overview

Presentations:
Communist CMR Czech Republic

Discussion with a Guest from ACR

Conclusion

Introduction
What or Whom Does the Military Serve?

Itself? The state? The society? Humanity? The regime in power?

The Classics
Roman Kolkowicz
The Soviet Military and the Communist Party (1985)
Strongly influenced by Huntington - professionalism Focus on control of the military relations between the military and the communist elites military evolved over several decades and held a monopoly over technical knowledge and the party established an effective system of control over the military Insisted that there is a conflict between the elites just like Huntington

The Classics
Timothy J. Colton
Commissars, Commanders and Civilian Authority: Structure of Soviet Military Power (1979)
Disagreed with Kolkowicz and Huntington CMR is In the Soviet Union are different from the one in the US Saw Communist party as an intrusive political apparatus that held the military organization together on a number of levels (ethnic, institutional, social) and relatively under control

Military elite frames policy

Military would without communist party disintegrate

The Classics
William Odom
The Party Military Connection: A critique. in D.R. Herspring & I. Volgyes. (eds) Civil-Military Relations in Communist Systems. Boulders. Westview. 1978 the military is an administrative arm of the Party,
Not separate from and competing with it the Party the military elite has very little say in framing policies acknowledges the validity of Kolkowitczs notion of control but argues that army and party share fundamental values Theory valid for USSR, but less so for the rest of Warsaw Pact

The Trinity
Govnt

Social Contract
Representation Protection

Civilians

Military

Conclusion
CMR in Communist states have different dynamics than in democracies There is no clear separation of CivilMilitary line blurred through the Communist Party Communist Party is a defining factor, but mechanisms of control differ from country to country