In the first half of the Cold War, the US's economic superiority was far from evidently obvious. The USSR's economy was growing extremely quickly, and S curves

In the first half of the Cold War, the US's economic superiority was far from evidently obvious. The USSR's economy was growing extremely quickly, and S curves are hard to distinguish from exponential growth. With the benefit of hindsight you're probably right, but at the time I think the posturing / arms race was the rational move for both countries.