This book brings to light Russia's undeservedly-obscure military past, rectifying the tendency of Western military historians to neglect the Russian perspective. Russia, as both a Western and non-Western society, challenges conventional thinking about Western military superiority. Russia has always struggled with economic backwardness in comparison with more developed powers, at some times more successfully than others. The imperatives of survival in a competitive international environment have, moreover, produced in Russian society a high degree of militarisation. While including operational and tactical detail that will appeal to military history enthusiasts, this book also integrates military history into the broader themes of Russian history and draws comparisons to developments in Europe. The book also challenges old assumptions about Russia, arguing that Russian military history cannot be summed up simply in a single stock phrase, whether perennial incompetence or success only through stolid, stoic defence; it also shows numerous examples of striking offensive successes.

戴維·R.斯通，是美國堪薩斯州立大學俄羅斯曆史學副教授。他的處女作《錘子加步槍：1926-1933年蘇聯的軍事化》，是美國曆史書俱樂部精選的作品，獲得瞭美國曆史學會當年頒發的最佳處女作奬。憑藉此書以及其他作品，他獲得瞭美國斯拉夫研究促進委員會頒發的“舒爾曼奬”。他對俄羅斯和蘇聯軍事史有著較為深入的研究，發錶瞭許多關於俄羅斯和蘇聯軍事史與外交史的文章，本書是其重要的代錶作。