Sociological Research among the Troops during World War II: Analysis of International Experiences
Obraztsov I.V.
Dr. Sci. (Sociol.), Prof., the Department of Sociology, Head of Sociological Laboratory, Moscow State Linguistic University, Moscow, Russia igorobraztsov@rambler.ru
Obraztsov I.V. Sociological Research among the Troops during World War II: Analysis of International Experiences. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2015. No 11. P. 97-107
Present analysis of foreign experience in conducting sociological research in the armed forces is timed to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. This paper points out mainlines of research, its scope, research methods, management of research, and its key findings, which are exemplified by US Army experience. The article also examines the contribution social scientists made to the defeat of the enemy. The focus is set on research on sources and factors of high morale of Wehrmacht. Respective findings enabled Allied military command to develop effective measures to undermine military capability of Germany. The article also infers how much the research contributed to the development of a new branch of sociology – military sociology.