The Space Race
When the USSR launched the 184-pound satellite Sputnik into space, they made the statement that they were leagues ahead of the West when it came to certain technologies. And just one month later, the Soviet Union propelled another satellite into space that contained a dog named Laika. This would have far reaching consequences, other than providing for the Soviet Union a rallying cry for its people after such a technological feat.
The space race was much more than just who could get a satellite or spaceship above the stars first. It held great cultural and social importance for the people of both the East and the West, as everyone wanted to be first to prove to themselves that they were superior to the other. When the Soviets initially won the race to put a manmade object into space, it was a great source of pride for the communists, and they bragged about the triumph of their scientists. In a reception held at the Kremlin on February 8 1958, the USSR praised the ‘Intelligentsia’ for their successes in bringing communist society to a new peak. There was much talk about how they brought ‘triumph and glory to the Fatherland’.
Not only a serious victory for its people, putting Sputnik into space meant that the Soviets were miles ahead of the West in terms of ICBM technology. With missiles capable of putting satellites in space, this meant that the USSR was leaps and bounds ahead of the US in creating missiles that could carry nuclear payloads and deliver them in new and terrifying ways to our shores. This would change the Cold War (and warfare in general for that matter) dramatically, and the beginnings of large scale nuclear proliferation would start with Sputnik. Even though most intelligence sources in the West stated that the Soviets were not putting a large amount of effort in developing such technology and that they were more focused on space, the Pentagon used Sputnik as a tool to further their own development of ICBM tech, which would perhaps lead to the US eventually taking the lead in the nuclear arms race.
I imagine that hearing about the successful launch of Sputnik is fondly remembered by many in the Soviet Union, and perhaps even across the globe. Indeed, the Soviet scientists responsible for the ‘immortal scientific feat’ will live in eternal glory and have the ultimate bragging rights. However, their claim to fame could be disputed by Neil Armstrong and NASA, but still the USSR did accomplish something quite memorable, and to this day remains a great source of pride for Russia.
Sources:
http://www.soviethistory.org/index.php?page=subject&SubjectID=1956sputnik&Year=1956&navi=byYear
http://dlib.eastview.com/browse/doc/13822328
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c9/Laika.jpg
November 4, 2013 @ 3:09 pm
The Soviet Union being headed in the space race is a big driver of the cold war and the arms race that occurred because of it. Sputnik achievements cannot be overlooked but I agree that Neil Armstrong and NASA accomplishments went further then the Soviet Union could go. Very interesting post.
November 4, 2013 @ 4:10 pm
I like how you connected the space race to the military. It’s definitely true that while the space race held cultural and societal importance for the Soviet people, it was also extremely important to military operations. Interesting post!
November 4, 2013 @ 5:08 pm
The space race is interesting because there are so many different levels of significance associated with it. There’s the military aspect and how it most likely intensified the cold war, which you mentioned. There’s also the cultural significance that came with the infinite ability to explore a new frontier as well as the rivalry that was sparked between two very different nations. The level of competition between the U.S. and the USSR is something that history has not seen for a long time and I’m wondering what will cause the next great international rivalry of this scale.
November 4, 2013 @ 7:23 pm
The rivalry between the US and the USSR was really a phenomenal catalyst for scientific discovery in all realms. Both countries were willing to push the envelope and dump in endless resources to gain the slightest lead over each other. When the USSR succeeded in getting Sputnik into space, the US put all their efforts into taking the next step and putting a man on the moon. This in turn brought about the race to develop superior atomic weaponry, which despite its negative stigma in terms of the use of this technology, did result in some unprecedented discoveries in regards to the behavior of atoms and subatomic particles. It seems the key to expediting scientific research is simply a little competition.
November 4, 2013 @ 7:44 pm
I thought this was a really interesting post I especially liked how you connected the space race to the military. What many people don’t know is that the space race would have never happened without the military. So when you incorporated the effect the success the space race had on not only the Soviet people but military operations as well.
November 4, 2013 @ 8:48 pm
What a great post! I do think people forget that the true nature of the space race, even though many leaders and intellectuals saw it as the advancement and exploration into the beyond, our next jump after the Earth had seemed to be fully explored and settled, was truly about showing off military might towards each different Superpower, especially during this period of the late 1950s and early 60s when this technology had been only theory and speculation just a decade or two before.
November 14, 2013 @ 1:24 am
I did a post this week on the space race, and think that this topic is quite fascinating. Your post does a great job of highlighting the significance that the Russians placed on beating the United States into space. It was something that had never been done before, and they beat the great United States to it. Great job on your post.