Frunze, Mikhail

Frunze, Mikhail (Vasilyevich)

(born Jan. 21, 1885, Pishpek, Kirgiziya, Russian Empire—died Oct. 31, 1925, Moscow, Russia, U.S.S.R.) Soviet army officer and military theorist. An active revolutionary from 1905, he became an outstanding commander in the Russian Civil War. With the support of Joseph Stalin, Frunze replaced Leon Trotsky as commissar for war in 1925. His “unitary military doctrine” asserted that the army should be trained to offensive action, united by its determination to carry out the Communist Party's task of promoting world revolution. He introduced peacetime compulsory military service and standardized military formations, drills, and uniforms. Frunze is regarded as one of the fathers of the Red Army.