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Article: Volkogonov, Dmitry Antonovich
- Article from:
- Encyclopedia of Russian History
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VOLKOGONOV, DMITRY ANTONOVICH
(1928
–
1995), Soviet and Russian military and political figure, historian, and philosopher.
Colonel General Volkogonov was born in Chita province, the son of a minor civil servant who was shot in 1937. Without knowledge of his father's true fate, Volkogonov entered military service in 1949 and rose rapidly in rank. As a political officer after 1971, he held various posts within the Soviet Ministry of Defense, eventually becoming deputy chief (1984
–
1988) of the Main Political Administration.
Although known as an ideological hardliner, Volkogonov's foreign experiences gave rise to grave doubts about the Soviet system. Travels in the Third World ...