The Cold War
The Transition from World War IIAfter World War II ended, Germany and Berlin were divided into zones occupied by the Soviets and the Allies. Europe's economy was already collapsing at the time and the U.S. decided to set forth the Marshall Plan in order to revive the countries in the sphere of influence of the Allies further creating tensions between the United States and the Soviets. One of the major conflicts between these two forces were whether or not communism or capitalism should be implemented in these areas of influence. As the Soviet's control grew over eastern Europe, Truman set forth his doctrine for containing communism around the globe. The ultimate goal for both the Soviets and the United States was to prove which system was superior.
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The Space Race
The Space Race set off with the launch of the USSR's Sputnik 1, the first man made satellite in space. The Soviet's successful launch began the US Sputnik crisis in reaction to the technological gap that appeared between the two countries. This triggered the Space Race, an era in which the US and the USSR were in a race to show their scientific and engineering advancements.
Sputnik 1 was launched by the R-7 launcher, the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile (Harford). All progress made in the field of space exploration was a display of military might. Launch capabilities and navigation systems could be used in a nuclear war between the US and the Soviet Union. |