Social Mobility in the Kingdom of Mars: The Imperial Russian Army in 1912

The article is devoted to the study of patterns of social mobility in the officer corps of the Russian Imperial Army on the eve of the First World War. The Military Statistical Yearbook of the Army for 1912 served as a source of empirical data. The author introduces an indicator of social mobility in order to analyze the career rates of officers. This indicator shows that the speed of the upward social mobility of officers in different types of troops and military districts of the Russian Empire was noticeably variable. To explain this phenomenon, an analysis of education, estate characteristic and nationality is carried out as a determinant of officers' careers. The author introduces indicators of estate, educational and national determination of the officers' social mobility. Education and estate characteristics had a significant impact on the career of an officer. In different types of troops and military districts, this manifested to varying degrees. Most of all, education received at military academies contributed to the careers of officers, on the one hand, and a noble origin, on the other. At the same time, education was already becoming a more significant factor in the upward mobility of officers than the estate characteristic. However, the estate characteristic not only determined the career of an officer, but also influenced the individual's entry into the officer corps to an even greater degree. As a result of this, noblemen dominated in the officer corps of the Russian Empire. Nationality determined the pace of officers' careers and their horizontal mobility (placement in military districts) in a number of cases. In general, in the army, officers of German and Tatar nationalities had the best chances for a quick career, the Russian ethnicity of officers did not have a noticeable influence on their careers, while the careers of officers of Polish, Latvian and Caucasian nationalities were slowed down. However, individuals of German and Russian nationalities had the greatest chances of joining the ranks of officers while for representatives of other nationalities becoming an officer was more difficult or even impossible. The careers of officers in some military districts were influenced by military achievements related to participation in the Russo-Japanese war. The officer corps of the Russian Imperial Army corresponded to the principles of Max Weber's rational bureaucracy only in part, which determined many aspects of Russia's participation in the First World War and also affected the events of the February and October revolutions.

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