The paper considers some of the views of the Stalin–era relationship between Soviet
industry and the Red Army that are current in the literature, and disentangles some
confusions of translation. The economic weight of the defence sector in the economic
system is summarised in various aspects. The lessons of recent archival research are
used as a basis for analysing the army–industry relationship under Stalin as a
prisoners’ dilemma in which, despite the potential gains from mutual cooperation,
each party faced a strong incentive to cheat on the other. It is concluded that the idea
of a Soviet military–industrial complex is not strictly applicable to the Stalin period,
but there may be greater justification for the Soviet Union after Stalin