The history of the creation of a regular army in Russia. History The history of the creation of the Russian army of the Russian army
5th-8th centuries
The armament of the Eastern Slavs before the 9th century can mainly be judged only from foreign chronicles. Procopius of Caesarea, describing the Slavs of the 6th century, reports that they do not have armor, they are armed only with spears (we are talking about sulits), small shields. John of Ephesus reports a similar situation, only he does not mention shields. There is also no doubt about the use of Slavic-type axes, it can be assumed that many had bows. In addition, the Byzantines describe only a few East Slavic tribes, and weapons and subsequently in different regions of Rus' varied greatly. The Byzantines write that the Slavs often used sabotage tactics of war. The Slavs not only raided, but also participated as mercenaries in many wars on the side of Byzantium. The Slavs did not have cavalry. The Slavs were influenced by different peoples, but mostly they were Avars, Byzantines, Vikings.
IX-XIII centuries
The main part of the prince's army was the squad. It had a clear classification of people according to the level of experience and professionalism. She was divided into older and younger. The senior squad included not only Slavs, but also various Scandinavians who contributed to the formation of the Old Russian army. The younger one was divided into three subgroups: youths (military servants, which could be people of various nationalities), gridi (prince's bodyguards) and children's (children of older combatants). Later, new categories appeared in the younger squad - merciful (armed at the expense of the prince) and stepchildren (the prototype of the gentry). The system of official position is also known - after the prince came governors, then thousands, centurions, tenths. By the middle of the 11th century, the senior squad turned into a boyars. The number of squads is not exactly known, but it was small. One prince has hardly more than 2,000 people. For example, in 1093, the Grand Duke of Kyiv Svyatopolk had 800 youths. But, in addition to the professional squad, free community members from the common people and urban population. In the annals they are mentioned as warriors. The number of such a militia could be several thousand people. At the same time, women took part in some campaigns on an equal basis with men. The people living on the border combined crafts and agriculture with the functions of the border troops. Since the XII century, cavalry has been actively developing, which is divided into heavy and light. The Russians were not inferior to any of the European peoples in military affairs.
Sometimes foreigners were hired to serve. Most often they were Normans, Pechenegs, then Cumans, Hungarians, Berendeys, Torks, Poles, Balts, occasionally even Bulgarians, Serbs and Germans.
The bulk of the troops were infantry. But by that time there was already a cavalry formed to protect against the Pechenegs and other nomads, taking into account the Hungarian experience. There was also a good fleet, consisting of rooks.
Tactics used varied, although not very diverse. A common battle formation was the wall. From the flanks, she could hide behind the cavalry. The “regiment row” was also used - a three-link battle formation, divided into the center and flanks.
Armament varied, depending on the stratification. Swords were mainly used by senior combatants and gridis. Initially, they were swords of the Carolingian type, about 90 cm long. Archaeological evidence shows that many swords were French, which were used throughout Europe. The origin of many swords cannot be established. The oldest Russian-made sword found dates back to the 10th century. At the same time, Arab sources report that the production of swords was very well developed in Rus'. Battle axes of two types were very actively used - Varangian axes with long handles and Slavic infantry axes. Percussion weapons were widely used - maces with bronze or iron tops. Tassels were also very much used, but how secondary weapon, not the main one. In the 10th century, sabers took root in Southern Rus', more effective for fighting horse nomads. At first they were massive and slightly curved. In the 13th century, the use of the best type of percussion weapon, the six-finger, began. Another type of weapon was coinage and klevtsy. Of course, various knives were used, mainly scramasax and shoemaker. Oslops were more common weapons. In the militia, in case of poverty, cheap home-made weapons were also used - in particular, pitchforks, a flail and a wooden grip, which is sometimes incorrectly called a horn. The spears were of several types. "Armor-piercing" infantry; cavalry; from the street; anti-horse spears. Another type of weapon was the owl. Everyone knew how to use bows, since they are necessary for hunting. Crossbows were also used, but much less frequently. Throwing weapons are known in Rus' no later than the 10th century.
The main protective equipment was shields, teardrop-shaped or round. Helmets in Rus' have always traditionally been dome-shaped, with the exception of only a few. But the types of helmets were different - mostly conical and spheroconic. The same type was used for different peoples Asia. But there were also Western hemispherical types. Helmets were supplied with a coat to protect the face and an aventail to protect the neck at the back. As armor, chain mail was used, which was widespread already in the 10th century. Later, plate and scaly armor appeared and were more rare.
Moscow Rus
XIV-XVI centuries
By virtue of various reasons, the main of which is the influence of Asian peoples (especially the Mongols), the importance of cavalry increases sharply. The entire squad becomes a horse and by this time is gradually transformed into a noble militia. On military tactics the Mongols also had a great influence - the mobility of the cavalry and the use of deceptive techniques increased. That is, the basis of the army is quite numerous noble cavalry, and the infantry goes by the wayside.
Firearms in Rus' began to be used from the end of the XIV century. Exact date unknown, but it is believed that this happened under Dmitry Donskoy no later than 1382. With the development of field firearms, heavy cavalry lost its importance, but light cavalry could effectively resist it, which, in particular, was shown by the battle on Vorskla. At the end of the 15th century, they changed from a feudal militia to a permanent all-Russian army. Its basis was the noble local cavalry - the sovereign's service people, united in regiments under the command of the grand ducal governors. But at first they did not have firearms. It was used by gunners and pishchalniks, the first information about which dates back to the beginning of the 15th century. At the same time, the Cossacks were formed.
XVI-XVII centuries
Under Ivan the Third, a system of military recruitment for temporary service was introduced. Detachments of pishchalniks were formed from the urban population. From the village - auxiliary infantry detachments - the field army. A clear system for collecting military people was developed. The military command was the grand princely governors. The noble cavalry was equipped with handguns, convenient for shooting while riding. Under Ivan the Fourth, a streltsy army appears. Sagittarius - quite numerous (several thousand) infantry, armed with squeakers. Recruited from among urban and rural residents. The total number of troops in the middle of the XVI century could be increased to 300 thousand people. The nobles supplied from one hundred-quarters of the good land one man at a time with full armor and a horse. For long trips - with two horses and supplies for the summer. The landowners supplied one person from 50 households, or from 25 households if necessary. The army usually assembled by March 25th. Those who did not appear at the appointed place were deprived of the estate. The displaced (merchants, foreigners, clerks, etc.) received a salary for their service - such troops were called fodder.
Russian firearms were presented various guns and squeakers. At first, guns were imported from Europe, but at the end of the XV - early XVI century, we organize our own large-scale production of firearms. There is information about their export to other countries. There were squeaks different types and appointments - both manual and easel. There were multi-barreled squeaks. In the 1660s, Russian cannon makers produced rifled squeakers, which were not common due to the difficulty of making them.
Melee weapons have not lost their importance, since it took a considerable time to reload firearms. First of all, sabers and reeds were used, pernachi and some other weapons were also used. Protective equipment almost lost its role, but was still retained due to hand-to-hand combat. To protect the head, helmets and shishaks were used, in particular, erihonki, as well as iron hats.
Imperial period
Late XVII - first half of XIX
Back in the 30s of the 17th century, “regiments of the new system” appeared, that is, soldier, reiter and dragoon regiments, formed according to the Western European model. By the end of the century, their number amounted to more than half the number of all troops, which amounted to over 180 thousand people (not counting more than 60 thousand Cossacks). The reform of the army was carried out under Peter the Great. In 1698-1699, the archery regiments were disbanded, instead of which regular soldiers were formed. Preparing for the war with Sweden, Peter ordered in 1699 to make a general recruitment and begin training recruits according to the model established by the Preobrazhensky and Semyonovites. This first recruitment set gave Peter 25 infantry regiments and 2 cavalry - dragoons. At first, he formed the officers from his friends, who in the past were part of the "amusing regiments", and later from the nobility. The army was divided into field (infantry, cavalry, artillerymen, engineering troops), local (garrison troops and landmilitia) and irregular (Cossacks and steppe peoples) troops. In total, its number exceeded 200 thousand people. In the infantry it was about twice more people than in cavalry. In 1722 a system of ranks, the Table of Ranks, was introduced.
Armament was also changed to the European way. The infantry was armed with smoothbore guns with bayonets, swords, cleavers, and grenades. Dragoons - carbines, pistols and broadswords. The officers also had pierced halberds, not the best weapons for combat. The uniform was changed in a similar way.
On October 20, 1696, the Boyar Duma decided to establish a navy. The ships were built with the help of European engineers, and by 1722 Russia had a good fleet of 130 sailing and 396 rowing ships.
After that, until the middle of the 19th century, there were no particularly serious changes in the structure of the army. In the second half of the 18th century, huntsmen appeared in the infantry, and cuirassiers and hussars appeared in the cavalry. The flintlock guns of the 1753 model were adopted for service. Alexander Vasilievich Suvorov made a significant contribution to the system of training troops. In 1810, on the initiative of A. A. Arakcheev, military settlements began to be used. By 1853, the size of the army was about 31 thousand officers, 911 thousand soldiers in the regular, 250 thousand in the irregulars.
Second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries
The Crimean War of 1853 - 1856 showed the shortcomings of domestic weapons. Namely, with the spread steam engines steamboats were invented, which included Russian fleet there were only 16; and the mass production of rifled weapons became possible, but in Russia their number was also insignificant. Therefore, in 1860-1870, military reforms were carried out under the leadership of D. A. Milyutin. The first steps to reorganize the army were taken during the Crimean War. In 1855, by decree of the tsar, a “Commission for the Improvement of the Military Unit” was created. It was given the task of revising the charters, discussing the issues of rearmament of troops, improving physical and combat training. On November 9, 1861, General D. A. Milyutin was appointed Minister of War; on January 15, 1862, he presented a report to Alexander II, in which the main principles, goals and objectives of military reform were formulated. In 1864, a military district reform was carried out. 15 military districts were created on the territory of Russia. As a rule, the governor-general was appointed commander of the district troops. Each district was at the same time a body of military command and military administration. This made it possible to quickly command troops and quickly mobilize them. With the creation of districts, the Ministry of War got rid of a wide range of duties that were now performed by the commanders, only those management issues that mattered to the entire army remained in its jurisdiction. The General Staff was created. The recruiting system has been replaced by universal conscription. On January 1, 1874, the "Charter on all-class military service" was adopted. In accordance with it, the entire male population, without distinction of condition, was subject to military service from the age of 21. The term of active service in the ground forces was 6 years and 9 years in reserve, in the navy, respectively - 7 years and 3 years. There was a rearmament. Transition to rifled breech-loading weapons. In 1868, the American Berdan rifle was adopted, in 1870, the Russian Berdan rifle No. 2. In 1891, the Mosin rifle. Since 1861, the production of armored steam ships began, and from 1866 - submarines. By 1898, the Russian navy, which consisted of the Baltic, Black Sea fleets, the Caspian and Siberian fleets, had 14 battleships, 23 coastal defense battleships, 6 armored cruisers, 17 cruisers, 9 mine cruisers, 77 destroyers, 96 destroyers, 27 gunboats boats.
At the beginning of the 20th century, there was an active development military equipment. In 1902 in Russian army armored cars appear, in 1911 - military aviation, in 1915 - tanks. But officials preferred to use foreign developments than to support Russian inventors. Therefore, many successful projects, such as the Porokhovshchikov tank, and the machine gun, did not receive application. However, for example, Sikorsky's aircraft were produced and were no worse than foreign ones. But still, most serial equipment was supplied with components of French, English, American or Italian production or development. The Maxim machine gun, new 76-152 mm caliber guns, and Fedorov assault rifles were put into service. But still, the equipment was extremely lacking, although in terms of combat training the Russian army was not inferior to the armies of Western European countries. By the First World War, its number reached 1,423,000 people, and after mobilization it amounted to 5,338,000 people; it was armed with 6,848 light and 240 heavy guns, 4,157 machine guns, 263 aircraft, over 4,000 vehicles.
Russian Army in the Civil War 1917-1922
Russian officer cadres Imperial Army formed the basis of the armies of the White movement, in which many parts of the Russian Imperial Army were revived.
Volunteer army, 1917-1920
Formed on January 8, 1919 as a result of unification for a joint struggle against the Bolshevik government Volunteer army and the army of the Great Don Army.
Soviet period
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federative Socialist Republic began to form in 1917 in the form of detachments of the Red Guards and had no historical continuity from the old Russian Army. The official founding date of the Red (Soviet) Army is February 23, 1918. The officers of the Russian Imperial Army made a significant contribution to their formation. In the years civil war the armament of the Red Army was no different from the armament of the White Army. After the formation of the USSR, first on the basis of foreign models, and later - on their own developments, there was a further development of firearms, armored vehicles, aviation and navy. In 1937, rockets were adopted, and a little later, multiple launch rocket systems. The Great Patriotic War led to a significant development of military equipment. After it, Marshal G.K. Zhukov began to form special forces sabotage detachments, and nuclear weapons were also developed. The USSR Armed Forces consisted of the following types: strategic missile troops, air defense troops, ground forces, air force, navy, logistic forces of the armed forces, border and internal troops.
Federal period, since 1991
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (AF of Russia) is a military organization of the Russian Federation, designed to defend the Russian state, protect the freedom and independence of Russia, one of the most important weapons political power. The Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces is the President of Russia.
Part Armed Forces The Russian Federation includes the ground forces, the air force, the navy, as well as such separate branches of the military as the space and airborne troops and the Strategic Missile Forces. The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are one of the most powerful in the world, numbering more than a million people, they are distinguished by the presence of the largest arsenal in the world nuclear weapons and a well-developed system of means to deliver it to its targets.
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Introduction
At all times of the Russian state, military service has been a matter of honor for every citizen, and faithful service to one's Fatherland has been the highest meaning of a soldier's life and service.
Loyalty to duty and oath, dedication, honor, decency, self-discipline - these are the traditions of the Russian army. They were rightfully valued by our fathers and grandfathers, who walked the fiery roads of the Great Patriotic War. But lately, the desire to serve in the armed forces of the Russian Federation has somewhat decreased. With what it is connected, it is difficult to say. In order to find out the reason for the current situation, it is advisable to consider the history of the formation of the armed forces of the Russian Federation.
From the foregoing, the relevance of the following research topic follows: "The history of the creation of the armed forces of the Russian Federation."
The purpose of the work is to study the history of the creation of the armed forces of the Russian Federation.
To achieve this goal, it is necessary to solve the following tasks:
Consider the history of the formation of the Russian army during the reign of Peter I;
To study the features of the development of the armed forces during the period of the Soviet Union;
To study the current stage of development of the armed forces of the Russian Federation.
The methodological basis of the study is the works of the following authors: V.O. Klyuchevsky, T.N. Nerovnya, T.M. Timoshina and others.
The history of the formation of the Russian army under Peter I
The period of the Russian army under the reign of Peter I deserves special attention, because. at that moment the navy of the Russian Empire was created.
The beginning of the reform of the armed forces dates back to the second half of the 17th century. Even then, the first Reiter and soldier regiments of the new system were created from subordinate and "eager" people (i.e. volunteers). But there were still relatively few of them, and the basis of the armed forces was still the noble cavalry cavalry and archery regiments. Although the archers wore a uniform uniform and weapons, the monetary salary they received was negligible. Basically, they served for the benefits provided to them in trade and craft, therefore they were tied to permanent places of residence. Streltsy regiments, neither in their social composition nor in their organization, could be a reliable support for the noble government. They also could not seriously resist the regular troops Western countries, and, consequently, were not a sufficiently reliable tool for solving foreign policy problems.
Therefore, Peter 1, having come to power in 1689, was faced with the need for a radical military reform and the formation of a mass regular army.
The core of the military reform was two guards (former "amusing") regiments: Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky. These regiments, staffed mainly by young nobles, became at the same time a school for officer cadres for the new army. Initially, a bet was made on the invitation to the Russian service of foreign officers. However, the behavior of foreigners in the battle of Narva in 1700, when they, led by the commander-in-chief von Krui, went over to the side of the Swedes, forced this practice to be abandoned. Officer positions began to be filled mainly by Russian nobles. In addition to the training of officer cadres from soldiers and sergeants of the guard regiments, personnel were also trained at the bombardment school (1698), artillery schools (1701 and 1712), navigation (1698) classes and engineering schools (1709) and Naval Academy (1715). It was also practiced to send young nobles to study abroad. The rank and file was originally recruited from the number of "hunters" (volunteers) and subordinate people (serfs, who were taken from the landowners). By 1705, the order of recruitment had finally taken shape. They were recruited one by one from every 20 peasant and township households every 5 years or every year - one from 100 households. Thus, a new duty was established - recruitment for the peasantry and townspeople. Although the top tenants - merchants, breeders, manufacturers, as well as the children of the clergy were exempted from recruitment duty. After the introduction of the poll tax and the census of the male population of taxable estates in 1723, the order of recruitment was changed. Recruits began to be recruited not from the number of households, but from the number of male taxable souls. The armed forces were divided into a field army, which consisted of 52 infantry (including 5 grenadier) and 33 cavalry regiments, and garrison troops. Artillery was included in the infantry and cavalry regiments. Klyuchevsky V.O. Russian history. - M.: Enlightenment, 2003. - p. 23
The regular army was maintained entirely at the expense of the state, dressed in a uniform state-owned uniform, armed with standard state-owned weapons (before Peter 1, the noblemen-militias had weapons and horses, and the archers had their own). Artillery guns were of the same standard caliber, which greatly facilitated the supply of ammunition. After all, earlier, in the XVI - XVII centuries, the cannons were cast individually by cannon makers who served them. The army was trained according to uniform military regulations and instructions. The total number of the field army by 1725 was 130 thousand people, in the garrison troops, designed to ensure order within the country, there were 68 thousand people. In addition, to protect the southern borders, the landmilitia was formed as part of several irregular cavalry regiments with a total strength of 30 thousand people. Finally, there were also irregular Ukrainian and Don Cossack regiments and national formations (Bashkir and Tatar) totaling 105-107 thousand people.
The system of military administration has changed radically. Instead of numerous orders, between which it was previously fragmented military administration, Peter 1 established a military college and an admiralty college to lead the army and navy. Thus, military administration was strictly centralized. During the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774. under Empress Catherine II, the Military Council was created, which carried out the overall leadership of the war. In 1763, the General Staff was formed as an agency for planning military operations. Direct control of the troops in peacetime was carried out by division commanders. In the second half of the XVIII century. in the Russian army there were 8 divisions and 2 border districts. The total number of troops by the end of the XVIII century. increased to half a million people and they were fully provided with weapons, equipment and ammunition at the expense of domestic industry (it produced 25-30 thousand guns and several hundred artillery pieces per month).
In the second half of the XVIII century. the army moved to the barracks content, i.e. barracks began to be built on a massive scale, in which the troops settled. Indeed, at the beginning of this century, only the guards regiments had barracks, and the bulk of the troops were located in the houses of the townsfolk. The fixed duty was one of the most difficult for the tax-paying estates. The army, which was recruited through recruitment, reflected social structure society. Soldiers, emerging from serfdom from the landowner, became serfs of the state, obliged to lifelong service, later reduced to 25 years. The officer corps was noble. Although the Russian army was of a feudal nature, it was still a national army, which differed sharply from the armies of a number of Western states (Prussia, France, Austria), where the armies were recruited from mercenaries interested only in receiving pay and robbery. Before this battle, Peter 1 told his soldiers that they were fighting "not for Peter, but for the Fatherland, handed over to Peter" Klyuchevsky V.O. Russian history. - M.: Enlightenment, 2003. - p. 46.
In conclusion, we can say that only under the reign of Peter I, the army became a permanent unit of the state, capable of protecting the interests of the fatherland.
The main part of the prince's army was the squad. It had a clear classification of people according to the level of experience and professionalism. She was divided into older and younger.
The younger one was divided into three subgroups: youths (military servants, which could be people of various nationalities), gridi (prince's bodyguards) and children's (children of older combatants).
Later, new categories appeared in the younger squad - merciful (armed at the expense of the prince) and stepchildren.
The system of official position is also known - after the prince came governors, then thousands, centurions, tenths.
By the middle of the 11th century, the senior squad turned into a boyars. The number of squads was small. One prince has hardly more than 2,000 people. For example, in 1093, the Grand Duke of Kyiv Svyatopolk had 800 youths.
But, in addition to the professional squad, free community members from the common people and the urban population could also take part in the wars. In the annals they are mentioned as warriors.
The number of such a militia could be several thousand people. At the same time, women took part in some campaigns on an equal basis with men.
The people living on the border combined crafts and agriculture with the functions of the border troops.
Since the XII century, cavalry has been actively developing, which is divided into heavy and light. The Russians were not inferior to any of the European peoples in military affairs. Sometimes foreigners were hired to serve. The bulk of the troops were infantry. Cavalry formed to defend against the Pechenegs and other nomads. There was also a good fleet, consisting of rooks.
Swords were mainly used by senior combatants and gridis. Two types of battle axes were used - Varangian axes with long handles and Slavic infantry axes. Percussion weapons - maces - were widely distributed. Flails were used as an additional weapon. Everyone knew how to use bows, since they are necessary for hunting. Crossbows were also used, but much less frequently.
Shields were the main protective equipment. Helmets in Rus' have always traditionally been domed. Helmets were supplied with a coat to protect the face and an aventail to protect the neck at the back. As armor, chain mail was used, which was widespread already in the 10th century. Later, plate and scaly armor appeared and were more rare.
Army of Moscow Rus' XIV-XVI century
Firearms in Rus' began to be used from the end of the XIV century. The exact date is unknown, but it is believed that this happened under Dmitry Donskoy no later than 1382. With the development of field firearms, heavy cavalry lost its importance, but light cavalry could effectively resist it. At the end of the 15th century, they changed from a feudal militia to a permanent all-Russian army. Its basis was the noble local cavalry - the sovereign's service people, united in regiments under the command of the grand ducal governors. At the same time, the Cossacks were formed.
XVI-XVII century
Under Ivan III, a system of military recruitment for temporary service was introduced. A clear system for collecting military people was developed. The military command was the grand princely governors.
Under Ivan the fourth, a streltsy army appears. Sagittarius - quite numerous (several thousand) infantry, armed with squeakers. Recruited from among urban and rural residents. The total number of troops in the middle of the XVI century could be increased to 300 thousand people.
The nobles supplied from one hundred-quarters of the good land one man at a time with full armor and a horse. For long trips - with two horses and supplies for the summer. The landowners supplied one person from 50 households, or from 25 households if necessary. Those who did not appear at the appointed place were deprived of the estate.
The displaced (merchants, foreigners, clerks, etc.) received a salary for their service - such troops were called fodder.
Russian firearms were represented by various guns and squeakers. At first, guns were imported from Europe, but at the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th century, Rus' organized its own large-scale production of firearms. There is information about their export to other countries. Melee weapons have not lost their importance, since it took a considerable time to reload firearms. First of all, sabers and reeds were used, pernachi and some other weapons were also used. Protective equipment almost lost its role, but was still retained due to hand-to-hand combat.
Russian Army in the Civil War (1917-1922)
The officer cadres of the Russian Imperial Army formed the basis of the armies of the White movement, in which many units of the Russian Imperial Army were revived.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federative Socialist Republic began to form in 1917 in the form of detachments of the Red Guards and did not have historical continuity from the Russian Imperial Army and Navy.
The official founding date of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA) is February 23, 1918.
Servicemen and officials of the Russian Imperial Army and Navy made a significant contribution to their creation. During the Civil War, the armament of the Red Army was no different from the armament of the White Army.
After the formation of the USSR, first on the basis of foreign models, and later - on their own developments, there was a further development of firearms, armored vehicles, aviation and navy. In 1937, rockets were adopted, a little later -
The city militias nominally survived, but practically lost their importance. With the formation of a centralized Muscovite state, a new military organization arose. In the XV century. the service nobility became the main military force. The noble cavalry, gradually replacing the princely squads, took a leading place in the Russian army.
Armament of the soldiers of the Muscovite state until the 15th century. they were mainly swords, battle axes, spears, sabers, clubs, bows, shields, etc. During the siege and defense of cities, siege and throwing weapons were widely used. At the end of the XIV century. the first squeaks and cannons appeared.
Military reforms played an exceptionally important role in strengthening our state and its army. The most famous are the military reforms of Ivan IV, Peter I, 1860-1870. and 1905-1912
The military reforms of Ivan IV were carried out in the middle of the 16th century. In their course, the systems of recruitment and military service in the local army were streamlined, centralized command and control of the army was organized, a permanent archery army was created, artillery was separated into an independent branch of service, the supply system was centralized, a permanent guard service was created at southern border countries, etc.
In the first quarter of the XVIII century. Peter I carried out military reforms, as a result of which: a regular army and navy were created, the previously existing heterogeneous military formations were abolished and the same type of organization and weapons were introduced in the infantry, cavalry and artillery; introduced one system military training and education, military administration is centralized; military schools were opened to train officers; military-judicial reforms were carried out. These reforms moved the Russian army and navy to one of the first places in Europe in terms of organization, armament and combat training.
The military reforms carried out in Russia under the leadership of Minister of War D. A. Milyutin in 1860-1870. had the goal of creating a massive army and eliminating the military backwardness of the country, which was revealed in the Crimean War of 1853-1856. Recruitment service was replaced by all-class military service. A military-district control system (15 districts) was created. A new "Regulation on the field command and control of troops in war time". The army was armed with rifled small arms and artillery. New military regulations were developed and introduced into the troops. The officer training system was reorganized. Military-judicial reforms were also carried out. All this contributed to the strengthening of the Russian army.
Military reforms 1905-1912 were carried out after the defeat of Russia in Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905 As a result, there were: the centralization of military control was strengthened; reduced terms of military service; adopted new programs for military schools; adopted new statutes; new models of artillery pieces were introduced into the army; corps and field heavy artillery were created, engineer troops were reinforced; the financial situation of the officer corps has been improved. All this raised the combat effectiveness of the Russian army and navy, although it did not eliminate many shortcomings.
In 1918 the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army was created. At first, it was recruited on a voluntary basis. With the expansion of the scale of the Civil War, military service became mandatory. In 1946, the term "Red Army" was replaced by another - "Soviet Army". This concept included all types of armed forces, except for the Navy. Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, its Armed Forces consisted of the Strategic Missile Forces, the Ground Forces, the Air Defense Forces, the Air Force, the Navy, and also included the rear of the Armed Forces, headquarters and civil defense troops , border and internal troops and were intended to perform tasks determined by the leadership of the communist party, which then carried out the real state power in the country.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation were formed on May 7, 1992 by decree of the President of the Russian Federation.
Currently, as part of the military reform, their structural reorganization is being carried out, due to changes in political tasks and economic conditions.
The great history of the Russian state, as a powerful military power, over the past 500 years has been closely connected with local conflicts and bloody battles, participation in which made it possible to bring the armed forces of Russia to the forefront on the political world stage. Paradoxically, the constant "skirmishes" with border neighbors only benefited - they strengthened the country's combat power and raised the morale of the soldiers, and also created fertile ground for the comprehensive development of the military system. The formation of the modern Russian Armed Forces is unthinkable without the experience of past years and is directly related to the centuries-old history of the Russian state.
For several centuries, brave Russian warriors "not in word, but in deed" proved their superiority over their enemies. Moreover, they did not show aggression first, but only defended their native lands from foreign "raiders". And it was for this good purpose that the soldiers were forced to wage an armed struggle against the enemies. In the period of 14-17 centuries. on the borders of the Russian state, an extremely tense and turbulent situation remained. The soldiers defended their native lands selflessly, but did not go headlong into the embrasure, but honed the tactics of military art, leveling any errors in the calculations. Thanks to the unshakable inner spirit and courage of Russian soldiers under the command of talented commanders, the Russian army was always ready to give a worthy rebuff to the enemy.
In 1500, Russian troops entered into a three-year war with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. After exhausting and bloody battles, the confrontation between the two great powers ended with the uncompromising victory of the Russian state and the signing by Ivan III Vasilyevich Blagoveshchensk truce. Chernihiv-Seversky lands were annexed to Russia. In 1514, the "collection" of new lands was replenished Smolensk region. In 1552, Russian soldiers were able to capture the lands of the Kazan Khanate. Successful military campaigns instilled confidence in the Russian soldiers, thanks to which the morale of the entire army grew rapidly.
A great power that controls vast territories had no room for error, so it was always in a state of full combat readiness. The very structure of the country contributed to the rapid development of the armed forces. Conventionally, Russian society was divided into two groups of estates. The first included warriors who defended the borders and went on military campaigns, and the basis of the second social group were people who supported the soldiers financially or on spiritual level. Over the years, the Russian character was "tempered", and the military power of Russia was steadily gaining momentum, which made it possible not only to win battles, but also to determine the course of history.
The competent organization of military units of the Russian army became possible only in the centralized Muscovite state, which was formed in the second half of the 15th century. Representatives of the nobility acted as the key "moving force" of the Russian army. According to unofficial data, the number of military formations exceeded 200,000 professional soldiers. The princely squads faded into the background, giving way to the noble cavalry. The people's militia, which consisted of volunteers, served as a "support group" in responsible military campaigns. At the same time, sometimes the number of militias exceeded tens of thousands of people.
At that time, the army of the Moscow State was armed with exclusively edged weapons - swords, clubs, axes and bows. Throwing weapons were often used in the siege "mode". At the beginning of the 15th century, squeakers began to be used, which were long-barreled firearms. A little later, the first guns appeared in the arsenal of Russian soldiers. The Russian army became stronger and more powerful. And military reforms played an important role in this. One of the first in the Russian army was military reform Ivan IV Vasilyevich (in the common people known as Ivan the Terrible), which made it possible to streamline the recruitment system for soldiers and organize the order of military service.
Under Ivan IV the Terrible, centralized command and control of the troops was adopted, and new types of units appeared - archery regiments, while artillery, which originated as early as 1389, was separated into a separate branch of Russian troops. In 1571, by order of the great Tsar of All Rus', special units of guard Cossacks were created, which became the prototype of the modern Russian special forces. Their duties included conducting military operations for foreign intelligence and sabotage. Guard Cossacks were supposed to timely detect enemy detachments and neutralize enemy patrols located near enemy fortresses.
The formation of the Russian army in the protracted Russian-Polish war
In the period 1605 - 1618. Russian troops were involved in a long war with the Poles. This is the most difficult and large-scale confrontation of the 17th century, given that at that time the country was ruled by the impostor False Dmitry I, who led the Russian state into decline and provoked troubled times in Tsarist Russia. The Poles took advantage of this and in 1610 occupied the capital, and a year later captured the city of Smolensk. On the initiative of Minin and Pozharsky, it was urgently collected civil uprising, whose forces managed to drive the Polish army out of Moscow.
In 1654 began new wave violent confrontation between the Russian and Polish armies - the second war with the Commonwealth also lasted 13 years. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich decided to support the uprising of the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks, which was led by Hetman Bohdan Khmelnitsky. The struggle turned out to be very difficult - until the last moment the outcome of the war was unpredictable. But still, the Russian soldiers managed to gather their strength and deliver the last crushing blow to the Polish invaders. In addition to Smolensk, lost during the first war, part of the Left-Bank Ukraine, along with the capital, passed to Moscow Rus.
Stages of development of the Russian army during the reign of Peter I Alekseevich
In the first half of the 18th century, the All-Russian Emperor Peter I carried out military reforms in the Russian army, which had a positive effect on strengthening the combat power of the entire state. By order of Peter I, a regular army appeared, and "various" military formations were abolished - they were replaced by military organizations of the same type. After the successful Azov campaign against Turkish lands in 1696, the Boyar Duma of Moscow considered the report of the Russian sovereign and supported the idea of mass construction of warships.
On October 30, 1696, the official history of the development of the Russian navy begins. Six years later, in 1702, a full-scale construction of the Russian Baltic Fleet began at Russian shipyards, just at the height of the Northern War with Sweden, which began two years earlier and lasted until 1721. The main base of the Navy was in St. Petersburg. In November 1705, by decree of the Russian sovereign, the first naval regiment of the “smooth rati” was formed, which became the prototype of the Russian marines. After the victory over the Swedes, the Russian state annexed part of Finland to its territories and received access to the Baltic Sea. The military reforms carried out by Emperor Peter I made it possible to make the ground forces and the navy the most developed in the "Old World" in terms of armament and combat training.
Armed conflicts and military reforms in Russia during the 18th–19th centuries.
The most large-scale conflict of the XVIII century was the Seven Years' War, in which, in addition to Austria, Prussia and Russia, almost all European states, recognized as the great powers of the New Age, took part. Mass "slaughter" began in 1756. The Russian troops were able to achieve great success in this confrontation and strengthened their own authority, but during the fighting they lost more than 130 thousand soldiers. In 1796, Russian troops defeated the Persians, recapturing the territories of Derbent and Baku.
In September 1802, on a personal initiative Russian emperor Alexander I Pavlovich, a system of ministries is being created in the country. In order to ensure order among the civilian population, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia was established, and statesman- Count Kochubey Viktor Pavlovich. After reforms within the country in 1804, Russia was involved in a new war with the Persians, which lasted for 9 years. The victory was for the Russian troops, and Russian borders expanded as the soldiers managed to capture the territories of Transcaucasia.
In 1812, the Patriotic War of the Russian troops began with the French army, led by an experienced commander Napoleon Bonaparte. The great confrontation between the two military powers, despite the audacity of the French, ended quite predictably - with the complete defeat of the Napoleonic troops. As a result, Russia not only once again demonstrated its combat power, but also captured part of the territory of the Duchy of Warsaw. The following years did not become calm, as Russian soldiers were again "involved" in military battles with Iran, Turkey and the North Caucasian Imamat.
In August 1851, by order of the All-Russian Emperor Nicholas I Pavlovich, special military-working companies were created, which subsequently laid the foundation for the development of the Russian railway troops. During the period 1860–70. new reforms were planned in the Russian army, which were personally “supervised” by the Minister of the Russian Armed Forces Dmitry Alekseevich Milyutin. main goal cardinal transformations was the elimination of the military decline in the country caused by participation in protracted conflicts with the states of Europe and Asia, and in particular after the events of the Crimean War of 1853–56, during which Russia found itself in a losing situation, and therefore was forced to give up its rights to Black Sea.
In 1891, in the area of the city of Krasnoye Selo, located not far from the "Northern Capital" (St. Petersburg), experimental firing was first carried out at targets in the air - horse-drawn balloons. At the same time, the future air defense forces began to "emerge". Some time later, a 76-mm anti-aircraft gun was adopted. From that moment on, Russian troops began to increase their combat power with a vengeance. In its turn, European countries such a "leap-and-frost" pace of development of military infrastructure was perceived "with hostility". It is understandable - the chances of overcoming such a powerful opponent were equal to zero.
Reforms of the 20th century: intensive development of the military industry in the Soviet Union
After the Russian troops lost the war with Japan in 1904–05, cardinal changes were made in the army. First of all, they strengthened the apparatus of centralized control, approved new military regulations, created large-caliber field artillery and improved logistics.
The reforms carried out made it possible to significantly increase the combat effectiveness of the infantry troops and the navy. In this "updated" form, the Russian side began to take its first steps in the First World War. In August 1914, the first units of tank troops appeared in the armed forces. Almost simultaneously, motorized rifle troops were formed. After the Bolshevik regime came to power during the October Revolution of 1917, Russia officially withdrew from the Entente, announcing the cessation of hostilities, as well as signing the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.
In 1918, the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army was formed, which at first consisted mainly of volunteers. After the start of the Civil War in Russia, men of different ages began to be called up for compulsory military service. In November 1918, at the initiative of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic, special forces of the RKhBZ were created for the first time, whose duties included countering chemical threats. In the same year, military intelligence units appeared (although the history of this type of troops dates back to the 16th century, when the Order of Secret Affairs was formed in Tsarist Russia). In 1919, special signal troops were created, which greatly increased the speed and effectiveness of offensive and defensive operations. In August 1930, airborne troops appeared in the armed forces of the Soviet Union.
Second World War became the largest in the history of mankind - in addition to the coalition of aggressors (Germany, Italy and militaristic Japan) and the USSR, another 57 countries took part in this confrontation. The total number of victims exceeded 1.7 billion people. Despite the fact that the attack of the fascist invaders in June 1941 caught the Soviet Union by surprise, the mobilization of all groups of troops took place quite quickly. The victory in this war went to Russia at a high price, but the experience gained made it possible to continue the intensive development of the military industry. Thus, in the post-war years, in 1959, strategic missile troops were formed, which served as the starting point for building up the country's nuclear potential.
The last local conflict of the 20th century, in which Soviet troops were involved, was Afghan war 1979, dragging on for ten years. In 1989, Soviet military units were withdrawn from Afghanistan. In total, more than 1 million servicemen visited the lands of the Mujahideen during the war. Losses amounted to more than 14 thousand ordinary soldiers and officers. In December 1990 in Soviet army a new kind of internal troops appears - the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The tasks of the ministry included measures to ensure Civil Defense, as well as the prompt elimination of the consequences emergencies and natural disasters.
The collapse of the USSR: military conflicts of the armed forces of the Russian Federation in the 90s
In May 1992, by decree of President Boris Yeltsin, the armed forces of the Russian Federation were officially approved, which at that time numbered more than 2.8 million military personnel. For 25 years, the "independent" troops of the Russian army have undergone many military reforms and structural changes. The next test of "strength" was the Chechen conflict of 1994–96. Russian soldiers and special forces soldiers took part in the assault on Grozny, in the battle for the village of Bamut, and the pilots of Su-25 attack aircraft carried out an operation to eliminate Dzhokhar Dudayev. Between 1999–2000 forces of the Russian army units carried out a counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus. After the planned "cleansing" of the militants, control over the territory of the Chechen Republic was transferred to the representatives of the people's self-defense.
