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Soviet Union [USSR] MARXIST-LENINIST THEORY OF WAR
The Marxist-Leninist theory of war provided a basis for Soviet
military theory and practice. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels first
developed its principles, which were further elaborated by Vladimir
I. Lenin, the first leader of the Soviet Union. The MarxistLeninist view of war rested on the principle that war is a
continuation of politics and that the aim of war is to achieve
military victory so as to hasten the political victory of
socialism. Soon after the Soviet Union acquired nuclear weapons, a
debate arose in Soviet leadership circles over whether a
catastrophic nuclear war could be a continuation of politics.
Theorists debated whether waging nuclear war was in the best
interests of socialism, or whether Marxist-Leninist policy should
exclude nuclear war.
Since the 1950s, two lines of argument concerning nuclear war
as a tool of policy have existed in the Soviet Union. Some civilian
and military leaders have maintained that because nuclear war is
too destructive, one should never be fought. Conversely, the
authors of a volume entitled Marxism-Leninism on War and the
Army, which has appeared in six editions since 1957 and sets
forth the Marxist-Leninist philosophy of war as well as the CPSU's
official views on conducting war, have consistently upheld nuclear
war as a legitimate continuation of politics and have endorsed the
use of nuclear weapons.
Marxist-Leninist theory of war has not only established
theoretical foundations for fighting and averting nuclear wars but
also has provided practical guidelines for categorizing wars
according to their "class essence" as
just wars (see Glossary) and
unjust (predatory) wars. It also has purportedly discovered
objective "laws of war"
(see
fig. 26). These laws governed the
conduct of war and promoted victory.
Data as of May 1989
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