bay of pigs Flashcards
causes (4)
. cuban revolution
- cold war context (tensions)
-CIA’s plan
- kennedy’s leadership
how was the cuban revolution in 1959 a cause of the bay of pigs invasion
because when Castro came to power, he nationalised american businesses in Cuba, which led to america putting economic sanctions on them, which led to Cuba asking USSR for help which alarmed USA even more
how were cold war tensions a cause of the bay of pigs invasion
the US was terrified of the spread of communism in the western hemisphere, so when Cuba sided with USSR, that meant there would be a soviet influence just 90miles from the US
what was the CIA’s plan and how did it cause the bay of pigs invasion
the CIA (under president Eisenhower) had trained cuban exiles to invade Cuba and cause a revolution, but these exiles intended to appear indipendant from the US.
how was kennedy’s leadership a cause of the bay of pigs invasion
because he approved the invasion but reduced US military involvement to maintain deniability. He had also assumed that Castro’s popularity had fallen and that the people would side with the exiles
when was the invasion launch
april 1961
when was the bay of pigs invasion
1961
what was the invasion launch
when 1500 cuban exiles landed at the bay of pigs and tried to spark an uprising to overthrow castro’s government
what military challenges did the invasion face (3)
US airstrikes were limited
exiles lacked equipment
Castro’s forces were well prepared due to intelligence leaks and awareness of invasion plan
were they defeated rapidly and how
cuban forces (over 20,000) outnumbered the exiles
how long did it last
most invaders were killed or captured within 72 hours
how many main consequences were there
4
impact on the USA (consequence) (3)
humiliation for kennedy-
the failed operation damaged his credibility as a leader and intensified criticism of his administration
JFK didn’t want to abandon Cuba to the communists, but also didn’t want to start 3rd world war - so he prepared operation mongoose
global reputation-
invasion exposed US covert operations, undermining their authority
impacts on Cuba (2)
consolidation of Castro’s power-
he used the invasion to justify crackdowns on political opposition and further align with USSR
proclamation of communism-
Cuba was officially declared a communist state
Wider Cold War Tensions impact (2)
led to Cuban missile crisis-
increased distrust between USSR & USA, contributing to USSR decision to place missiles in cuba in 1962
Increased soviet influence-
it encouraged USSR to provide military and economic support to Cuba, strengthening their alliance
