Why should the Soviet Union compete for hegemony with the United States when its economy is not dominant?

The Soviet Union does not have an advantage in economy, but its scientific and technological strength and military strength are very strong, so it can compete with the United States. The Soviet Union was a superpower at that time, not only with a vast territory but also rich in nature. Not only that, the Soviet Union also had powerful military weapons in the world. Therefore, the Soviet Union is still a superpower with certain comprehensive strength.

During Stalin's rule, the Soviet Union established a centralized system from the central government to the grass roots, and all the strategic resources and means of production of the Soviet Union. The state can quickly assemble and use it. The country's means of production are not in the hands of the state. If a country wants to do something, it must be more motivated than the United States, that is, the Soviet Union is relatively more mobilized than the United States.

in terms of total strength, the Soviet army has 1.4 million people, the air force has 42, people, the navy has 45, people, and other arms have about 1.13 million people, totaling about 3.4 million. On the American side, there are 731, army, 517, air force, 58, navy and 195, marine corps, totaling 2.2 million. 3.4 million to 2.2 million, only from the literal data, the Soviet Union is one head taller than the United States, and if it is subdivided, the high end is reflected in the army. The US Army is 731,, and the Soviet Union is twice as high as 1.4 million. Of course, it can't be ignored that in terms of air force and navy, the Soviet Union can only be a dwarf in front of the United States, and each of them has lost about 1, people.

However, the Soviet Union is in a planned economy. Unlike American capitalism, the Soviet Union has a large number of troops. It can be said that the Soviet Union still has a great advantage compared with the United States in terms of military strength.