Document Type
Thesis
Date of Degree Completion
Summer 2026
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
History
Committee Chair
Dr. Roxanne Easley
Second Committee Member
Dr. Jason Knirck
Third Committee Member
Dr. Melissa Jordine
Abstract
This thesis explores the way in which the “Soviet Military-Industrial Complex” that dominated the Soviet Union’s economy in the latter half of its existence came into existence and what forces caused its expansion. The first force was the ideological and strategic beliefs and assumptions of the leadership and military planners which held that the USSR would always be in existential danger. The second was Stalin’s “Revolution from Above” which broke down the barriers economically and politically that resisted the militarization of politics, economics, and society. And the final force was the stresses of World War II which caused the Soviet Union to fully mobilize into a war economy which destroyed almost all of its civilian industry by 1945. This led to the creation and entrenchment of the “Soviet Military-Industrial Complex” by the end of World War Two which would dominate the Soviet economy till its collapse. This thesis uses a variety of sources to argue this point including American and Soviet government documents, other primary sources, and a multitude of secondary sources to bolster its argument.
Recommended Citation
Heminger, Noah B., "THE ORIGINS AND EXPANSION OF THE SOVIET UNION’S MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX" (2026). All Master's Theses. 2374.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/2374
Included in
European History Commons, Industrial Organization Commons, Intellectual History Commons, Military History Commons, Political Economy Commons, Political History Commons, Political Theory Commons