EISENHOWER’S SPUTNIK MOMENT: THE RACE FOR SPACE AND WORLD PRESTIGE

Book ID/图书代码： 03360013B61592

English Summary/英文概要： In a critical Cold War moment, Dwight D. Eisenhower’s presidency suddenly changed when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world’s first satellite. What Ike called "a small ball" became a source of Russian pride and propaganda, and it wounded him politically, as critics charged that he responded sluggishly to the challenge of space exploration. Yet Eisenhower refused to panic after Sputnik—and he did more than just stay calm. He helped to guide the United States into the Space Age, even though Americans have given greater credit to John F. Kennedy for that achievement.

In Eisenhower’s Sputnik Moment, Yanek Mieczkowski examines the early history of America’s space program, reassessing Eisenhower’s leadership. He details how Eisenhower approved breakthrough satellites, supported a new civilian space agency, signed a landmark science education law, and fostered improved relations with scientists. These feats made Eisenhower’s post-Sputnik years not the flop that critics alleged but a time of remarkable progress, even as he endured the setbacks of recession, medical illness, and a humiliating first U.S. attempt to launch a satellite. Eisenhower’s principled stands enabled him to resist intense pressure to boost federal spending, and he instead pursued his priorities—a balanced budget, prosperous economy, and sturdy national defense. Yet Sputnik also altered the world’s power dynamics, sweeping Eisenhower in directions that were new, even alien, to him, and he misjudged the importance of space in the Cold War’s "prestige race." By contrast, Kennedy capitalized on the issue in the 1960 election, and after taking office he urged a manned mission to the moon, leaving Eisenhower to grumble over the young president’s aggressive approach.

Offering a fast-paced account of this Cold War episode, Mieczkowski demonstrates that Eisenhower built an impressive record in space and on earth, all the while offering warnings about America’s stature and strengths that still hold true today.

Chinese Summary/中文概要： 在苏美关系无比紧张的冷战时期，当前苏联成功发射世界上第一颗人造卫星“伴侣号”的时候，美国民众纷纷把矛头指向艾森豪威尔总统。Ike（艾森豪威尔总统的昵称）把“伴侣号”称为一只小球，它成为前苏联自豪和体现国家科技实力的资本。此外，在国际政治舞台上，艾森豪威尔总统觉得自己受到了严重的打击，因为评论家们指责他对太空探索的挑战不屑一顾。然而，在“伴侣号”成功发射之后，艾森豪威尔总统并没有恐慌——他不仅保持冷静，而且为此做了很多事情。他将美国带进太空时代，尽管美国人更加肯定肯尼迪总统在这方面的成就。

在《第一颗人造卫星改变世界》一书中，作者Yanek Mieczkowski回顾了美国航空项目的早期历史，再次评估了艾森豪威尔总统的领导才能。他详细描写了艾森豪威尔总统是如何同意突破性的人造卫星发射项目，支持民用航天局的发展，签署通过一项里程碑式的普及科学教育的法律，并且促进改善了与科学家们之间的关系。这些改变让艾森豪威尔总统的后人造卫星时期不再是评论家们所声称的失败，而是一段太空事业繁荣发展时期，尽管他在政绩衰退期忍受了挫折，疾病以及美国首次发射人造卫星失败的耻辱。“相比之下，肯尼迪总统在1960年的竞选中炒作了艾森豪威尔总统发展太空项目的计划，在正式入职之后，他敦促开展了一项载人上月球项目，这件事情让艾森豪威尔不断抱怨这位年轻总统的激进行为”。

本书详细描写了冷战时期发生在国际舞台上的重大事件，艾森豪威尔总统在历史上太空领域留下了浓墨重彩的一笔，始终为美国的国家地位和实力提供了警示。(Susie)

Awards/获奖情况："By probing Eisenhower’s response to the Sputnik scare, Yanek Mieczkowski, better than any historian thus far, has shown the general’s understanding that his nation’s strength rested on a proper balance of the spiritual, economic, technological, civilian, and military spheres. Drawing on both documentary material and his interviews with key figures, this lively, well-researched, and eminently readable book should be a primer for presidents and policymakers in the twenty-first century."—William B. Pickett, author of Eisenhower Decides to Run

"The ’Sputnik Moment’ has been invoked in the twenty-first century as shorthand to symbolize how the United States has traditionally been surprised and shocked by external events and how it ultimately recovered and triumphed. It has held symbolic value as the classic story of American history in which a vision of progress dominates, but as Yanek Mieczkowski makes clear, there is so much more to learn. He analyzes this ’moment’ as Eisenhower experienced it and finds that the classic narrative is much more about partisan politics and long-term Cold War strategy than about responding to crisis. This most welcome book will become a benchmark in the historiography of the space age."— Roger D. Launius, Senior Curator, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, author of After Apollo: The Legacy of the American Moon Landings

"The Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik in 1957 was a shock. Dwight Eisenhower, it turns out, was the nation’s shock-absorber-in-chief. Deeply researched and absorbing, Yanek Mieczkowski’s new book makes a ringing case for Eisenhower’s calm, restrained approach to this alleged calamity, and shows convincingly that the president left the country well ahead of the Soviets in the race for space, and without breaking the federal budget. Eisenhower’s Sputnik Moment is a superb contribution to Eisenhower scholarship and the new political history."—Andrew J. Rotter, Charles Dana Professor of History, Colgate University, author of Comrades at Odds: The United States and India, 1947–1964

About the Author/作者介绍： Yanek Mieczkowski是美国道林大学的历史系教授。他出版了《二十世纪七十年代的杰拉尔德•福特总统以及挑战》以及《美国历年总统竞选记录》。

Yanek Mieczkowski is Professor of History at Dowling College. He is the author of Gerald Ford and the Challenges of the 1970s and The Routledge Historical Atlas of Presidential Elections.

Format:照片

Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE

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