Reform of the Soviet Armed Forces during the Khrushchev Thaw (1953–1964)

The experience of military reform of the Soviet Armed Forces during the years of N.S. Khrushchev at the head of the Soviet Union is analyzed. It is stated that a radical change in the geopolitical situation required the reorganization of the Armed Forces, which passed two stages of military construction. During the first stage, which took place in 1953–1959. The Soviet government took peaceful initiatives to reduce military-political escalation, formed a military-political bloc. The Warsaw Pact Organization, as a counterweight to NATO, saw a significant reduction in the number of armed forces, created nuclear parity with the United States. During the second stage (1960–1964), it was supposed to sharply reduce the number of armed forces and return to the police recruiting system that existed in the USSR in the 1930s. Due to the sharp aggravation of the international situation, these plans had to be abandoned, the usual means of armed struggle received a sharp impetus for development. N.S. Khrushchev's radical reforms were shown to antagonize the military leadership, leading to the latter's support for his resignation in October 1964.