The Space Race and the Cold War | Research & Encyclopedia Articles

The Space Race and the Cold War

Overview

At the end of World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union began a decades-long battle for political, military, and technological superiority. In the absence of any real fighting, space exploration provided a focus for the competition between the two superpowers. From the 1950s to the 1970s the United States and the Soviet Union raced to conquer space, but when tensions eased between the two nations in the 1970s, the urgency of winning the race declined and the race ended with the superpowers cooperating on several projects.

Background

The United States and the Soviet Union emerged from World War II as adversaries in the Cold War—an open rivalry in which the two nations vied for political power and standing in the world without ever fighting an actual battle. Instead, they fought with propaganda and scientific and technological achievements.

Much of the technology that led to space exploration had military beginnings. World War I and World War II resulted in the development of government scientific research facilities charged with designing military airplanes. World War II had provided the motivation for rocket development in the United States, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, France, and other countries.

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