A legitimate military should reflect the structure and general culture of society, including its values. But the military must also have its specialties, peculiarities arising due to its effective performance. The issue of the 'divergence or convergence of the military and its parent society?' is a key issue in modern sociology of the military. The article reviews debates in sociological military research regarding this issue. The analysis of that review shows the interchangeable consent with one concept or another in the history of the branch. The reasons for this can be found in the impact of civil-military traditions, the development of social relations in general, the social characteristics of a certain time period and in the aspects of particular authors.
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