Space Race Cold War Essay

The Socio-Political Effects of the Space Race on the Cold War

During the Cold War, a competition of advancement and development broke out between two global superpowers known as the space race. August 2nd, 1955, marks the day the Soviet Union responded to a United States announcement with similar intentions of launching the first artificial satellite into space, which subsequently fueled a long-lasting rivalry that went far beyond satellites. With conflicting views and equal ambition, both nations jumped at the chance to prove themselves superior to their opponents yet again. The combination of society and politics became a vital factor in the space race that created an outcome that changed the world during the Cold War. The socio-political

To quote from HISTORY: "After World War II drew to a close in the mid-20th century, a new conflict began. Known as the Cold War, this battle pitted the world’s two great powers—the democratic, capitalist United States and the communist Soviet Union—against each other. Beginning in the late 1950s, space became another dramatic arena for this competition, as each side sought to prove the superiority of its technology, its military firepower and–by extension–its political-economic system." (The Space Race, 2010). This source makes sense of how the space race dramatized the already existing political rivalry between the U.S. and Soviet Union during the Cold War. HISTORY argues that the space race between these two countries only expanded the opportunity to prove "superiority" in multiple fields. This summary by HISTORY shows another way in how the space race resulted in increased tension among the U.S. and Soviet Union through politics during the Cold

A Gale resource says “Although some Americans now view the space race merely as an aspect of Cold War political competition, its cultural significance was much deeper than that. In addition to giving a general boost to America's economy, it initiated or accelerated the development of many technologies—such as telecommunications, microelectronics, and computers—that have had a major impact on the daily lives of people everywhere.” (Engdahl 2005) This quote explains the inspirational significance of the Cold War and how it affected society as a whole. According to Engdahl, the development of many technologies had only been initiated because of the conditions the space race created during the Cold War. The inspiration to excel in technology was a massive societal outcome of the space