Russian colonial warfare in the Caucasus and Central Asia

Book section : Chapter

This chapter discusses Russia's developing doctrine for and conduct of colonial warfare in the Caucasus and Central Asia, focusing on the 19th century. During the 19th century, Russia was very active in expanding its imperial possessions in both the Caucasus and Central Asia. While the Russian Army was often able to win conventional engagements with relative ease against smaller peoples that were being conquered, the ‘small wars’ associated with them often proved more challenging. This chapter looks in particular at the development of Russia's ‘small wars’ doctrine in the context of these wars. It also compares Russian practice in ‘colonial warfare’ with that of Britain and France, where in all three cases wars were fought with notions of a civilising mission against ‘savages’.

Authors: Morrison, A

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Routledge
• Host title: The Routledge Handbook of Soviet and Russian Military Studies
• Pages: 37-50
• Chapter number: 2
• Place of publication: London
• Publication date: 2025-02-24
• Acceptance date: 2024-03-28
• Edition: 1
• DOI: 10.4324/9781003354635-4
• EISBN: 9781003354635
• ISBN-10: 1032407638
• ISBN-13: 9781032407630
• Language: English
• Subtype: Chapter