Subordination in the armed forces has a long tradition. In societies with a tribal structure, the most experienced and strongest representatives led the combat-ready unit, planned raids and led the organization of measures to defend their own territories. As the population grew, the leader no longer had enough time to personally control the actions of the entire tribe, and the appointment of deputies responsible for individual areas (commanders of subdivisions) became normal practice. This is how military ranks and positions corresponding to them arose.
This order of subordination existed in all societies, regardless of where organized armed formations arose. Among the ancient Zulus, North American Indians and European barbarians, government was based on the principle of one-man command, not to mention the ancient Roman centuries and columns.
As the state developed, it became necessary to distinguish between military ranks and positions held. So, the commander-in-chief of the entire Russian army, Emperor Peter I, in his rank was the commander of a bombardment company. Following the model of European regular armies, it wascreated their own system of subordination, almost repeating their control structure.
Military ranks in Russia since the times of Peter the Great have been divided into four levels: private, junior and senior officers and generals.
When entering the service, a recruit becomes a private. Soldiers who have shown certain abilities and ingenuity take the first step in their career when they are awarded the rank of corporal. As a rule, the position they hold requires a certain qualification, such as a turret gunner or a senior driver.
Insignia are the so-called "badges". This is their popular name, but there is no official one. They look like corners and stripes on shoulder straps.
Military ranks of sergeant level have three levels: junior, middle and senior. In the armed forces of some countries, this junior command staff enjoys a high level of authority, its importance lies in the direct control of the soldier contingent. So, in the US Army, no one is surprised that a sergeant or sergeant major (senior sergeant) is appointed commander of a helicopter or tank.
The highest rank available to a soldier is foreman. There is also a position with the same name, but it is most often occupied by an ensign (this intermediate title between privates and officers has already been abolished, but so far it exists for those to whom it was assigned earlier).
Junior officer military ranks of the Russian Army begin with juniorlieutenant and end with a captain. The insignia is easy to distinguish by small stars and one gap on the front shoulder straps.
Senior officers, from major to colonel inclusive, have about twice the size of stars and two gaps.
A distinctive feature of the Russian generals is the notorious "striped pants", so called because wide stripes are sewn on them. This, of course, a beautiful element of the uniform is complemented by shoulder straps with zigzags, which are still of pre-revolutionary origin, which, like other Russian insignia, were remembered in 1943. For the uninitiated, the fact that a lieutenant general is older than a major general deserves special explanation. It's easy to remember. The second has one star, and the first has two, and the size in this case does not matter. Then everything is simple - a colonel general - three (very large), and an army general - four. We don’t have it anymore, and the Americans also have “five-star” generals.
The ranks of the Navy repeat the land ranks, but taking into account the traditional differences in names. The ensign on the ship is called "midshipman", the captain - "lieutenant commander", and senior officers are divided into ranks (the lower the number, the higher the rank). An approximate correspondence is as follows: a colonel is a captain of the first rank, a lieutenant colonel is of the second, and a major is of the third. In the Navy, for brevity, it is customary to call the first two "caperangs" and "katorangs". Theoretically, each of them commands the corresponding ship, but in practice there is no unambiguous dependence. Fleet Admiral– highest naval rank.
The adopted structure of the hierarchy and insignia in the armed forces has undergone several changes, and ultimately became the result of experience gained throughout the 20th century. The state system of ranks that existed in the Russian Empire until 1917 did not stand the test of time.
