Sputnik & Cold War the Term Paper

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It is in this context that the U.S. felt Soviet Union as a threat, since improved and increased production of space technology meant that there is also a corresponding increase in the capacity of the country to defend itself militarily. This threat was verbalized by the U.S., wherein containment of Communist nations such as Soviet Union was necessary because "...the Soviet Union has acquired awesome military capabilities" (Mueller, 2004:621).

The unprecedented and initial launching of Sputnik I, which served as the catalyst for the space race between Soviet Union and the U.S., compelled the latter to create alliances to support its military activities in Eastern Europe and Asia. In light of the expanding scope of the Communist ideology in both regions, U.S. deemed it wise to create a strong alliance with another Western country, Great Britain. Prior to the threat of communism, Soviet Union, U.S., and Great Britain were considered allies, specifically during World War II. However, the Cold War and the increased presence and activities of the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe and Asia prompted the U.S. To create and maintain a Western alliance with Great Britain, this time with Soviet Union as the enemy. Thus, the space race intensified the conflict between Soviet Union and the U.S., while at the same time, it strengthened the alliance between the U.S. And Great Britain.

The effects of this strong Western alliance were felt by the Soviet Union long before the downfall of Communism began. Through a strong alliance, U.S. was able to strengthen its space technology and space flight programs, giving challenge to its Soviet counterparts in terms of technological capabilities and space knowledge.

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The rapid increase in production and development of space flights by the U.S. demonstrated that it has equal or greater power and resources to compete against Soviets and ultimately, win the space race. This political and military strategy was explicated by Ronis (2004), who stated that (17):

During the Cold War, our country's acquisition philosophy was straightforward: to use our robust industrial base to produce as many weapon systems as possible, as fast as possible, with the most advanced technology available...The government containment strategy in the Cold War used high quantities of systems with state-of-the-art technology to out-produce the Soviet Union. The United States overwhelmed the U.S.S.R. both economically and with global power projection. It was a great strategy for its time; it helped us win the Cold War.

From this passage, Soviet Union's initial gesture of launching Sputnik I had spurred numerous defensive actions on the part of the U.S., to the point that it overwhelmingly outnumbered and won the space race. However, Soviet Union's loss in the space race was only a manifestation of the low level of resources that it had prior to the initiation of the race; that is, while it showed its might through space technology, Soviet Union was not able to sustain this image and expectation, resulting to economic and political loss. In effect, Sputnik I became an opportunity for U.S. To showcase its military capabilities and strategies and create strong alliances with Western nations that have special interests in nations included in the Cold War......

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