From: utzoo!decvax!pur-ee!uiucdcs!grunwald Newsgroups: net.space Title: Re: Science in the Soviet Union - (nf) Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.226 Posted: Sun Jul 4 15:26:42 1982 Received: Mon Jul 5 00:56:04 1982 Reply-To: s #R:ihuxi:-17400:uiucdcs:12700007:000:1154 uiucdcs!grunwald Jul 4 14:59:00 1982 The problem remains that you look at soviet technology from the context of american technology when the two are not comparable. The USSR came out of WWII with a large number of it's production facilties (what little they had) blow to shreds. They had famaine and large numbers of dead. Many of the dead were the people who would be needed to rebuild their country. To not realise the great strides made by the Soviets is to do them and yourself a disservice. Underestimating their ability and determination to never have these things happen to themselves has caught the USA with it's pants down several times -- when the USSR detonated its first atmoic weapon, when they lanuched Sputnik, when they detonated the hydrogen weapons and when they earnestly got involved in a space program. It bothers me for some reason that people are so unwilling to see that despite their obviously uncool political setup, the USSR has made more advances in the time given then most other countries. To ignore said point is to open the door to contempt, something that can not be afforded between two superpowers who have enough power to destroy life as we know it.