Chapter 12 - Confrontation Between the Superpowers Flashcards
How did Cuban leadership change in 1959?
- Dec 1956 = Castro (Cuban nationalist) returned from exile
- Guerrilla campaign against President Batista
- 1 Jan 1959 = Batista’s regime collapsed and Castro seized power
How did US policy towards Castro’s rise to power initially change?
- Saw it as non-communist uprising with no external aid
- 1958 = Nixon visited Latin American states = shift in policy
- USA supported creation of Inter-American Development Bank
- Eisenhower ordered embargo on further arm shipments to Batista
Why did USA become increasingly worried about Cuba?
- May 1959 = Castro’s reforms seized much US-owned property to be state-owned
- Feb 1960 = Soviet First Deputy Prime Minister visited Cuba and arranged $100 million in credits with Castro
- Caused economic and political Soviet-Cuban relationship
- US worried Cuba would be Soviet satellite and base to established pro-communist regimes in Latin America
How did US-Cuban relationships deteriorate?
- April 1960 = US-owned oil companies refused to refine 1st Soviet shipment of crude oil
= Castro nationalised them - US imposed economic sanctions on Cuba and reduced imports of Cuban sugar by 95%
- Oct 1960 = Castro seized £1 billion of US assets
What was the Bay of Pigs Invasion?
- Planned by Eisenhower, occurred under Kennedy in 1961
- 1500 anti-Castro exiles to land in Cuba, conduct military coup and remove him
What was the significance of the Bay of Pigs?
- Unmitigated disaster and humiliation for Kennedy
- Confirmed Castro and USSR fears for US intentions for Cuba
- Consolidated Castro’s power (he had saved Cuba from American imperialism)
What was Operation Mongoose?
- 30 Nov 1961, under Kennedy
- Aim = overthrow Castro and regime using covert operations
- Aim = destabilise Castro’s regime and trigger anti-Castro uprising from within
What strategies did the USA use to try and remove Castro from power?
- OPLAN 312 = Air strike plan
- OPLAN 314 = Land-based invasion
- March 1962 = Operation Quick Kick began in Caribbean (US military manoeuvres)
- BUT US scheming led to Khrushchev deploying Soviet nuclear missiles on Cuba
Why did Khrushchev deploy nuclear missiles on Cuba?
- USSR prepared to support Castro politically, economically and militarily
- Missiles on Cuba would redress imbalance caused by US’ possession of long-range missiles
- Khrushchev wanted reduced spending on conventional military forces
What was the significance of the U-2 spy plane over Cuba?
- 14 Oct 1962 = U-2 spy plane over San Cristobal
- Produced unmistakeable evidence of R-12 missile site
What was Kennedy’s immediate response to hearing of Soviet missiles on Cuba?
- Established ExComm = Executive Committee of the National Security Council
(to consider options and consequences - K opted for naval blockade = prevent missiles entering Cuba
- US bases on max alert in preparation for possible military air strike against Cuba
How did the Cuban Missile Crisis initially seem to approach an end?
- Kennedy using brinkmanship to keep options open
- 26 Oct = Khrushchev send telegraph to K looking for way out of crisis
- Khrushchev’s proposal = if US made non-invasion pledge, USSR would remove military presence from Cuba
How did the Cuban Missile Crisis escalate again?
- 26 Oct 1962 = Castro ordered Cuban anti-aircraft to start firing on low-level reconnaissance planes
- U-2 spy plane was shot down over Cuba and the pilot was killed
How did the Cuban Missile Crisis actually come to an end?
- Meeting summed = US told Soviet ambassador that Kennedy would remove US missiles in Turkey but not immediately
- 28 Oct 1962 = Khrushchev agreed to remove missiles
What was established as a result of the Cuban Missile Crisis?
- 1963 = ‘Hot line’ established, connecting Kremlin to White House
- Oct 1963 = Moscow Test Ban Treaty
