The evolution of Military Councils in the Russian army command system in the 19th – early 20th centuries

This study examines military councils in the military command system of the Russian Empire in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The article examines the evolution of two forms of this institution: ad hoc field conferences of commanders-in-chief during specific military campaigns and permanent bodies. Particular attention is paid to the institutionalization of the Military Council of the Russian Empire, as well as an analysis of the causes of its functional crisis from the late 19th century. This paper analyzes the creation of the Supreme Military Council in 1881 and the activities of the first supra-departmental body, the State Defense Council (1905–1908), designed to coordinate the actions of the army, navy, and foreign policy. The author concludes that, despite attempts to reform the military command system in the Russian Empire in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it was not possible to create an effective mechanism for collective discussion and decision-making in the sphere of military command at the strategic level.