This book is about Russian soldiers and the tsars, Communist Party bosses, and presidents they have served. The historic exploits of the Russian and Soviet armies, which crushed Napoleon and Hitler, are well known. This book tells a different, lesser known story about Russian soldiers: the role they have played in domestic politics.

As the process of Russian democratization lurches along – one step forward, two steps back, as Lenin said – Russia has at least one advantage over most post-authoritarian states. Unlike many states in transition, Russia does not have a tradition of military intervention or rule: The last successful military coup took place in 1801.

The absence of a Russian man on horseback, however, does not imply that the army has played no role in politics. Given Russia's tumultuous twentieth century, it could hardly be otherwise. The Russian Revolution and civil war, the Stalinist terror of the 1930s, the Second World War, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the current so-called democratic transition are only the most prominent examples of political turbulence. The military has weathered revolution, imperial collapse, and mass murder of the top ranks of the officer corps by the political leadership. Such a series of intense provocations would seem to provide more than adequate grounds for military intervention in politics. Except for a few half-hearted forays, however, the Russian armed forces have remained surprisingly aloof from high politics. Indeed, since the middle of the nineteenth century the army has endeavored to remain “outside politics.”