There were many significant moments during the Cold War, which dominated international politics during the second half of the 20th century. This tense ideological struggle between the world's two superpowers at the time—the United States and the Soviet Union—featured small and large wars fought by proxies. It also saw the two nations face off in many other areas, including the cultural, economic, and scientific arenas. Perhaps the best known science competition was the space race, which consumed the two superpowers from the late 1950s until the successful 1969 moon landing orchestrated by the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The spark that ignited the space race was the Soviet launch of Sputnik 1 into orbit on October 4, 1957. That accomplishment stunned the American people, many of whom had assumed that the United States was technologically superior to the Soviet Union.

The three essays in this section focus on the powerful impact Sputnik had on the Cold War. The first essay, by Dr. Lee W. Eysturlid, provides an overview of the development of Sputnik and explains how the Soviet space program took a backseat to the needs of the military. In the second essay, Dr. Paul Pierpaoli discusses how the United States reacted in shock to the news of Sputnik 1's successful orbit of the earth. Dr. Pierpaoli asserts that Sputnik 1 not only prompted the American people to believe that their country had fallen behind Soviet technology, but raised fears that the United States had lost ground in the competition over which country could develop effective long-range missile technology. Despite the nation's great concern over this so-called missile gap, Dr. Pierpaoli points out that President Dwight D. Eisenhower refused to embark on a major escalation of the arms race. In the final essay, Dr. Jerome V. Martin relates how Sputnik became an important symbol of the progress and potential of the Marxist-Leninist system. He explains how the Soviet government showcased Sputnik 1 in its propaganda battles with the United States, citing it as proof that Marxism-Leninism was superior to any capitalist society and the best path to the future.