Everyone went from feudal backwater to something else in that era. The US was poorer than Argentina per capita. That's not really saying that much. It's also not saying that much because of course if you have a strong central authority you can divert resources from more valuable production toward national pride vanity projects like a space travel. What really matters is how productive your economy is, how much it can produce for its society, and on that front the US defeated the Soviet Union soundly.

I have nothing against a space program, I just don't see that as a very strong indicator of the success of a society.

[–] Avnar@lemmygrad.ml 0 points 1 year ago

The US wasnt feudal in 1918, they where never Feudal. And they had a lot more industrial development than russia. Servdom in Russia was abolished in 1861. The US was always better economicly (for white people) because they had this industrial headstart, they werent destroyed in WW2 and the US had colonies and fought very hard to keep them. Panama, Chile,.... If you want to compare a Capitalist countys with socialist ones at least pic one with a similar development level. You will soon find out that Capitalism only works for the heads of countys that are exploiting less developed countys resources and labour. Some scraps fall from the table down to the general population but only as much to keep them from revolting.

The space race on both sides created a lot of inovation that laid the ground work for among other things Computers and Satelites today.

And there is a declassified CIA document from 1983 that says that the soviet diet was potentialy better than the USs. That chaned drastically after the return to "Freedom" in Russia.