Ch 20 SS2 Flashcards
Characteristics of jfk
Charismatic Confident Handsome Wealthy Young
Presidential candidates for the election of 1960
John F Kennedy & Richard M. Nixon
How did the televised debates play a large role in jfk getting elected to be president? Who had the edge and why?
Jfk looked better because of his youth and natural glow and spoke better than Nixon because he was coached by television producers, while Nixon spoke well but looked very awkward & didn’t know what to do with his hands
What was it about Kennedy that appealed to the American public?
Kennedy had charm and wit, but his talent and family fascinated the public
Who were the best and the Brightest ?
Team of advisers that Kennedy surrounded himself with and relied on. Most heavily relied on his brother Robert (attorney general)
Flexible response
What did it enable the U.S. To do?
Policy that prepared for a variety of military responses to international crises rather than focusing on the use of nuclear weapons. Enabled the U.S. to fight limited wars around the world while maintaining a balance of nuclear power with the SU.
What did Fidel Castro promise to Cuban people
Promised democracy and that he would eliminate poverty, inequality, and dictatorship.
Whose aid helped Castro make changes?
Soviet aid
How did Cuban citizens react to what had happened in Cuba?
Cuban exiles supported the U.S. Military and tried to create an uprising that would overthrow Castro (bay of pigs), but nothing went as planned.
How did Fidel Castro come to power?
Led a movement to topple dictator Fulgencio Batista
What is Cuba like today?
Communist
Still restrictions against us to get into Cuba
Lead by dictator Raul Castro
What two factors helped put Kennedy over the top to win the 1960 election?
Television and the civil rights issue
What did Nixon and Kennedy take part in the determined the course of the election?
Took part in the first televised presidential candidate debate
Launched a new era “television age”
Who was the democrat and who was republican?
Nixon- republican
Kennedy- democrat
What did Kennedy have to deal with only 9 days after being elected ?
The plan to invade Cuba to try and trigger an uprising to overthrow Castro
What was the purpose of the bay of pigs?
The purpose was for Cuban exiles with the help of the cia would invade Cuba to try and trigger an uprising that would overthrow Fidel Castro
Bay of pigs results
Cuban exiles supported by the U.S. Military landed on the bay of pigs & nothing went as planned. No air strike, small advance group sent to distract castors forces never reached shore, invading exiles were either killed or imprisioned.
What did the Cubans think of the U.S. After the bay of pigs?
That we were fools
What did Kennedy do after the bay of pigs failed majorly? What did they think of him?
Everyone blamed him for the failure & he was embarrassed. Negotiated with Castro for release of surviving commandos and paid money to him in food and medical. Jfk warned he would resist further communist expansion in the Western Hemisphere, but Castro welcomed further soviet aid
Hotline
Purpose? Connection to Cuban missile crisis
Phone line between the White House and the Kremlin (SU White House)
Enabled the leaders of the two countries to communicate at once should another crisis arise so they were both on the same page to avoid false info.
Cuban missile crisis development.
How did they find out about the missiles in Cuba?
What did jfk do?
There was a great flow of soviet weapons including nuclear missiles going into Cuba. Jfk warned that the U.S. would not tolerate offensive nuclear weapons in Cuba. U2 plane flew over Cuba and took pictures showing soviet missile bases in Cuba, some ready to launch towards the U.S.
Cuban missile crisis
Jfks response
Jfk warned that America would not tolerate nuclear weapons in Cuba. Soviet ships carrying missiles headed toward Cuba, the U.S. set up a blockade to prevent the ships from reaching Cuba. The soviet ships stopped to avoid confrontation at sea.
Outcome of the Cuban missile crisis?
Khrushchev offered to remove missiles if the U.S. Didn’t invade Cuba. Us also agreed to remove missiles from turkey.
Crisis severely damaged Khrushchevs prestige in SU
criticized Kennedy for not overthrowing Castro and for threatening nuclear war. Castro banned flights from and to US.
Berlin Wall, purpose?
Khrushchev wanted to close all access roads and air routes between West Berlin and west Germany. Because Kennedy refused to give up is access to West Berlin, Khrushchev built the wall to separate east Germany from west germany
Symbolism of the Berlin Wall?
Ugly symbol of communist oppression
Why did Khrushchev want to build the Berlin Wall?
Because East Germans were fleeing into West Berlin because it was free from communist rule. This advertised the failure of east Germany’s communist gov & it weakened it’s country’s economy
Soviet leader?
Nikita Khrushchev
Peace corps purpose? Success?
Kennedy wanted to provide international aid and show that the U.S. is positive and helpful as its reputation. Program of volunteer assistance to the developing nations of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It was a huge success with many volunteers
Warren commission
Group that investigated the assassination of president Kennedy and concluded that lee harvy Oswald was alone responsible for it
There are many other conspiracy theories line anti Castro Cubans to communist sponsored attack to conspiracy by CIA, magic bullet, umbrella man, 2 shooters, etc
How was flexible response different from other approaches ?
Eisenhower administration relied on massive retaliation which was the common thing to do. Flexible response was different because Kennedy didn’t want to threaten using nuclear arms over minor conflicts. U.S. could fight limited war while remaining balanced in nuclear power with the SU
New frontier
Jfks legislative program which included proposals to provide medical care for the elderly, rebuild urban areas (economy), aid education, build national defense, increase international aid, and expand the space program
Focus of the new frontier?
Kennedy wanted positive progress in american and all over the world.
Growing tension between Khrushchev and Kennedy
Berlin Wall, nuclear threatens & Cold War tensions -> hotline to eliminate nuclear disaster
Limited test ban treaty
Us and SU agreed to eliminate nuclear testing in the atmosphere
Mandate
Clear indication that voters approve of your plans as president resulting from how big your winning margin was
Incident with MLK jr, how did this help jfk win the election?
Mlk was arrested and sentenced the hard labor for sitting at a segregated lunch counter with others. Jfk expressed sympathy to kings wife while his brother persuaded the judge to release king. Jfk gained African American supporters whose votes helped him win the close election
Peace corps and alliance for progress
What is the alliance for progress?
Second foreign aid program that offered economic and technical assistance to Latin American countries
