Question by I.P. Orange: Was Stalin on good terms with his military?
Did Stalin respect his military, and was the respect returned?
Afteralll, didn’t he need them for the Revolution?
Answers and Views:
Answer by Paul ® Total Moron
No
Read all the answers in the comments.
What do you think?
Maverick21703 says
Stalin after WWII enacted the "Great Purge" where he killed off or imprisoned government officials and military officials including three of five marshals (then equivalent to six-star generals), 13 of 15 army commanders (then equivalent to four- and five-star generals), eight of nine admirals , 50 of 57 army corps commanders, 154 out of 186 division commanders, 16 of 16 army commissars, and 25 of 28 army corps commissars. With the commanders he suspected out, those that remained had to be incredibly loyal to Stalin or smart enough to at least pretend to be. Same goes for the people he promoted, he was not going to promote anyone he didn't like or trust. Eventually as the USSR got involved in wars and conflicts around the world, the military officials changed and some of that trust and respect decayed. So initially after the purge yes, Stalin trusted his officers and his officers respected or pretended to respect Stalin. As the years passed, as with any dictator he would again grow wary of his officers. His officers trying not to incur the wrath they had witnessed during the purge, would tip toe around Stalin and show utmost respect and loyalty even if their intentions and beliefs were not there.
EBA says
depends how you view that… Stalin killed pretty much all the generals and then replaced them with his own… also during WWII his tactics got almost 30 million soldiers killed which was absolutely unnecessary… however the military certainly respected him… during WWII the soldiers went into battle cheering "For Motherland, for Stalin"… that was the battle cry… I think the best way to put it is Stalin had respect for the military, he just didn't have respect for people's lives as he was a very very brutal leader and sent millions to their death… the military however really respected him…
iLiberal says
He would kill anyone that even joked about him. Or he sometimes just killed people to scare others. He wasn't on good terms with anybody.
Thalia says
No, look up "Stalin military purges."
During one purge of the army Stalin saw about 35000 military officers executed by firing squad.
The rest were no doubt sufficiently cowed by his brutality not to conspire against him. Stalin ruled with the hand of fear.
david g says
I don't think Joseph Stalin was on good terms much with anyone!
Jay says
Stalin counts as a great leader in Russia and the USSR years are the best years in the eyes of many Russians.
Cody says
no
itsamini1 says
It was more fear than respect the military had for Stalin