INTRODUCTION THE PAST COMES ALIVE Humanity must rise above Earth to the top of the atmosphere and beyond for only thus will we fully understand the world in which we live Socrates Greek philosopher c 400 b c The Space Race was an event that happened in the past between the United States and the Soviet Union Following World War II the two nations became rivals due largely to their vastly different political systems and beliefs about how societies should work The Soviets wanted to spread their communist ideals to other nations which the United States opposed and feared This time in history became known as the Cold War and it lasted until the early 1990s At the start of the Cold War the two superpowers vied for dominance in the Arms Race One result was the creation of powerful rockets that could launch objects into space In the summer of 1955 the United States declared it would send artificial satellites into space in the next few years A few days later the U S S R made a similar decree The two nations spent nearly two decades trying to best each other in the Space Race They wanted to prove themselves as leaders in the areas of scientific military and technical research and development Historians are people who study the past They look for sources of information that provide evidence about major events and people in earlier times They analyze and interpret these sources to find out how we can prevent similar events in the future The Space Race tells us about beliefs and culture of the time It had a major influence on people and politics that continues to shape society today Many different viewpoints were captured using cameras and other recording devices In addition events that took place during the Space Race have been well preserved in interviews books posters movies and more 4 UNCOVERING THE PAST
DEFINITIONS The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics U S S R was a communist country in Northern Asia and Eastern Europe that was made up of Russia and 14 other republics or distinct regions Soviet is a term used to describe anything related to the U S S R Communism refers to an economic and political system in which all property is owned by its members and is used for the good of all people Capitalism refers to an economic and political system in which trade and industry are privately owned During the 1960s and 1970s 12 U S astronauts walked on the moon as part of the Apollo program They are the only people to have walked on the moon to date THE SPACE RACE 5
Over the next 25 years government initiatives were put in place to deal with anyone who was believed to be taking part in communist subversive or un-American activities Tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union once again flared following World War II when they were locked in economic and political battles known as the Cold War INTRODUCTION THE FIRST AND SECOND RED SCARES In Russia in the early 1910s there were strikes bombings and labor unrest as workers and peasants became disillusioned and tried to overthrow their harsh government The October Revolution of 1917 led to a government run by the Russian Communist Party It was opposed to capitalism and wanted to create a society where everyone was equal It soon wanted to spread its beliefs to other countries including the United States and Canada Following World War I communist groups started to form in America Many North Americans began to fear a communist revolution would happen in their own countries taking away many of the rights and freedoms they enjoyed as part of a democratic society In a communist country people cannot own land or businesses and they are given only what they need to survive After a series of strikes led by communist groups broke out in the United States in 1919 the fear of communism reached a peak It wasn’t long before the U S government began to take action prosecuting anyone with communist ties This period in history is known as the First Red Scare and it lasted until mid 1920 If I could get one message to you it would be this the future of this country and the welfare of the free world depends upon our success in space There is no room in this country for any but a fully cooperative urgently motivated all-out effort toward space leadership No one person no one company no one government agency has a monopoly on the competence the missions or the requirements for the space program Vice President Lyndon B Johnson 1961 6 UNCOVERING THE PAST
popular science may monthly U.S. scientist sets timetable to moon extra valuable booklet PERSPECTIVES Look at both of the images on this page What point of view does each represent How do they compare How are they different During this time a second wave of communist fears swept through North America Many people believed the Soviets had planted spies in government departments universities and other industries In response the governments of both Canada and the United States pointed fingers at anyone they believed to have communist affiliations The Second Red Scare peaked in the late 1940s and lasted well into the 1950s In the 1950s the Cold War conflict escalated beyond Earth’s atmosphere as the United States and the U S S R battled to be the first to conquer outer space The Soviets launched the first successful satellite Sputnik in 1957 and then put a man in space in 1961 The Americans were eager to follow suit and quickly ramped up their space program in an attempt to outdo their Soviet rivals This time in history became known as the Space Race A Soviet poster from 1963 shows cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova the first woman in space Cosmonaut was the Soviet equivalent of astronaut Magazines such as Popular Science featured the Space Race and were designed to get readers excited about space exploration 7
