?A flawed but nonetheless important study that examines the structure of Soviet military life (principally from a sociological perspective). The flaw of this work is, paradoxically, what provides its uniqueness and importance. Gabriel, who is a trained Soviet-area specialist (and intelligence analyst), has used a survey technique to provide his data. The survey was conducted on Soviet emigres who served in the armed forces while Soviet citizens. The data is therefore unique. However, the sample is small (134 for all services), covers service at various points in an extended time period from pre-WWII to 1978, and is skewed (i.e., persons who chose to leave the Soviet Union, mostly Jews)--all acknowledged by the author. Nevertheless, the survey questions are good and the responses, while by no means definitive or conclusive, do provide insight into Soviet military life.?-Choice
