Question

comparison chart: united states vs. soviet union
this chart is designed to help you compare key aspects of the united states and the soviet union during the cold war era. fill in the chart with relevant information based on your readings and discussions.
countries | the united states | the soviet union (ussr)
political/economic systems | |
military alliances | |
division of germany | |
arms race | |
space race | |

Explanation:

To fill the comparison chart between the US and USSR during the Cold War:

Political/Economic Systems:

• US: Capitalist (free - market economy) with a democratic political system (presidential republic).
• USSR: Socialist (command economy) with a communist political system (one - party state, Communist Party of the Soviet Union in power).

Military Alliances:

• US: Part of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), a military alliance of Western - aligned countries formed in 1949 for collective defense.
• USSR: Part of the Warsaw Pact (Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance), a military alliance of Eastern - bloc (communist - aligned) countries formed in 1955 as a response to NATO.

Division of Germany:

• US: Occupied the western part of Germany (along with the UK and France), which later became the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) with a capitalist - democratic system.
• USSR: Occupied the eastern part of Germany, which later became the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) with a socialist - communist system.

Arms Race:

• US: Developed nuclear weapons (first with the Manhattan Project), later developed hydrogen bombs, and had a large - scale military buildup including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), strategic bombers, and a nuclear - powered navy.
• USSR: Developed nuclear weapons in 1949 (after espionage and domestic research), also developed hydrogen bombs, and engaged in a massive military buildup of ICBMs, submarines with nuclear - tipped missiles, and conventional military forces.

Space Race:

• US: Initially lagged behind the USSR in early space achievements (e.g., USSR launched Sputnik 1, the first satellite, and sent the first human, Yuri Gagarin, into space). Later, the US made significant progress, culminating in the Apollo 11 mission in 1969, which successfully landed humans on the Moon.
• USSR: Made early breakthroughs in space exploration - launched the first artificial satellite (Sputnik 1 in 1957), sent the first human (Yuri Gagarin in 1961) into space, and had a strong space program focused on orbital missions and space stations (e.g., Salyut program), but failed in its attempts to land humans on the Moon.

Answer:

Political/Economic Systems

• US: Capitalist (free - market) democracy (presidential republic)
• USSR: Socialist (command) communism (one - party state)

Military Alliances

• US: NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
• USSR: Warsaw Pact

Division of Germany

• US: Western occupation (formed West Germany - capitalist - democratic)
• USSR: Eastern occupation (formed East Germany - socialist - communist)

Arms Race

• US: Developed nuclear, hydrogen bombs; built ICBMs, bombers, nuclear navy
• USSR: Developed nuclear, hydrogen bombs; built ICBMs, nuclear submarines, conventional forces

Space Race

• US: Lagged early, later landed on Moon (Apollo 11)
• USSR: Early space firsts (Sputnik 1, Gagarin), strong orbital program, failed Moon landing attempts