Armed forces subordination 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 events to defend their own territories. As the population grew, the leader did not have enough time to personally control the actions of the entire tribe, and it was normal practice to appoint deputies responsible for certain sections (unit commanders). So there were military ranks and posts corresponding to them.
This order of submission existed in all societies, regardless of where organized armed groups arose. For the ancient Zulus, North American Indians and European barbarians, management was based on the principle of one-man management, not to mention the ancient Roman centuries and columns.
As the state developed, a need arose 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 the bombing company. Following the model of European regular armies, he created his own system of submissions, practically repeating their command structure.
Military ranks in Russia since the time of Peter the Great have been divided into four levels: ordinary, junior and senior officers and generals.
Entering the service, the recruit becomes an ordinary. Soldiers who have shown certain abilities and ingenuity take the first career step when they are awarded the rank of corporal. As a rule, the position they occupy requires a certain qualification, for example, a gunner of a tower gun or a senior driver.
The insignia represents the so-called "little". This is their popular name, but an official one does not exist. They look in the form of corners and stripes on uniform.
The military ranks of the 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 troop contingent. So, in the US Army, it does not surprise anyone that a sergeant or sergeant major (senior sergeant) is appointed as the commander of the helicopter or tank.
The highest rank available to a soldier is foreman. There is a post with the same name, but it is most often held by the ensign (this is an intermediate rank between the rank-and-file and officers has already been abolished, but so far it exists for those to whom it was assigned earlier).
The junior officer military ranks of the Russian Army begin with a junior lieutenant and end with a captain. The insignia can easily be distinguished by small stars and one clearance on the front uniform.
Senior officers, from the major to the colonel, inclusive, have approximately twice as many asterisks in size and two openings.
A distinctive feature of the Russian generals is the notorious "striped pants", so nicknamed because they are sewn with wide stripes. This, of course, a beautiful element of the uniform is complemented by epaulets with zigzags, which are still of pre-revolutionary origin, about which, like about other Russian insignia, remembered in 1943. The fact that the lieutenant general is older than the major general deserves a special explanation for the uninitiated. It’s easy to remember. The second one has one star, and the first two, and the size in this case does not matter. Then everything is simple - Colonel General - three (very large), and Army General - four. We no longer exist, and the Americans have “five-star” generals.
The ranks of the Navy repeat the land ranks, but taking into account the traditional differences in the names. The warrant officer on the ship is called the “midshipman”, the captain is called the “lieutenant commander,” and senior officers are divided into ranks (the lower the number, the higher the rank). An approximate correspondence is: Colonel - Captain I rank, Lieutenant Colonel - second, and Major - third. In the Navy, for brevity, it is customary to call the first two “caperangs” and “caverns”. Theoretically, each of them commands the corresponding ship, in practice, there is no unambiguous dependence. Fleet Admiral - the highest naval rank.
The adopted structure of the hierarchy and insignia in the armed forces underwent changes several times, and ultimately became the result of experience gained over the 20th century. The state system of ranks that existed in the Russian Empire until 1917 did not stand the test of time.