Soviet Strategic Arms Policy before SALT

In this book Dr Christoph Bluth presents an original analysis of the build up of Soviet strategic forces from the death of Stalin to the SALT I agreement.

Christoph Bluth (Author)

9780521121637, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 29 October 2009

332 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.49 kg

"...provides valuable insights on the factors which influenced policy formation and Khrushchev's attempt to use Soviet military forces for political ends....Overall, Bluth has made a valuable contribution to our understanding of Soviet strategic weapons thinking and policy, particularly during the Khrushchev years. The study will be of value not only to scholars and students of Soviet strategic policy, but also to a wider range of scholars and students interested in Soviet politics during this period." James Fergusson, Canadian Slavonic Papers

In this book, Dr Christoph Bluth presents an original analysis of the build up of strategic forces from the death of Stalin to the SALT I agreement. The author outlines Soviet strategic arms policy, he identifies the principal interest groups involved and he studies a number of critical decisions taken in relation to strategic bombers, ICBMs, strategic nuclear forces based at sea, ballistic missile defence and the military uses of space. Strategic arms policy in the Khrushchev period exhibited a number of apparent paradoxes, which the author explains. As well as examining external threat assessment and wider foreign policy, he pays particular attention to the role of domestic factors such as Khrushchev's endeavours to shift resource away from military industries to agriculture and consumer goods production. The author is therefore able to demonstrate how domestic priorities and internal power struggles account for the seeming inconsistencies of Soviet military and foreign policy.

List of abbreviations
List of tables
Acknowledgements
Part I. Soviet Strategic Arms Policy - The General Framework: 1. Introduction
2. Decision-making in the Soviet Union
3. Strategic nuclear power and foreign policy objectives
4. Soviet military doctrine and policy
5. Party-military relations and strategic arms policy
Part II. Soviet Decision-Making in Strategic Arms Policy: 6. The development of strategic bombers in the Soviet Union
7. Soviet ICBM deployment: two case studies
8. Soviet strategic nuclear power at sea
9. Strategic defence
10. The military uses of space
11. Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography.

Subject Areas: Arms negotiation & control [JPSF]