This book analyzes the historical and contemporary political roles of armies in the majority of the world's Communist countries, stressing the problems faced and overcome by Communist parties in the creation and development of legitimate and effective armies. The authors, all area specialists, explore the sources of the dramatic differences between the highly visible and powerful political roles of the Chinese, Vietnamese, and Cuban armies, the small but increasing political role of the Soviet army, and the minimal political roles of most Eastern European armies. Emphasized are such variables as the nature of revolution, the role of civil war, and the extent of external interference (particularly from the Soviet Union). The authors show how these variables are key factors in determining the path of army political development.
Also of Interest -- Toward A Typology of Communist Civil-Military Relations -- The Soviet Army -- The Chinese Army -- The Cuban Army -- The Vietnamese Army -- The Yugoslav Army -- The Polish Army -- The Czechoslovak Army -- The Romanian Army -- The Mongolian Army -- The Chinese Militia -- Conclusion
JONATHAN R. ADELMAN, editor, is an assistant professor in the Graduate School of International Studies, University of Denver. He has written The Revolutionary Armies (1980) and will edit a companion volume, Terror and Communist Politics (1982), for Westview. His articles have appeared in a number of journals, including Survey, Armed
