Soviet metallurgy in the eyes of American metallurgists: the second half of the 1950s

Abstract

The article reveals one small page in the development of metallurgical science and technology in the Soviet Union, namely, the history of establishing scientific contacts between American and Soviet metallurgical scientists in the second half of the 1950s. Unto middle of 1950s the successful recovery of the USSR economy after the war ended with a scientific and technological breakthrough in the field of atomic and space technologies. This significantly strengthened the political and humanitarian authority of the USSR in the eyes of the world community, making the country attractive for scientific and technical cooperation. The rush of the Soviet atom and rocketry would have been impossible without high achievements in the basic sectors of the economy, such as metallurgy. The United States and its Western European allies came to understand the prospects of limited scientific and technical cooperation with the USSR and the unproductiveness of the policy of its isolation. The establishment of scientific and business contacts with Soviet metallurgical enterprises, research institutes and educational institutions forced the Americans to critically rethink their own achievements in the industry.