Cold War Crises (Cuban Missile Crisis) Flashcards
What happened in 1959?
Castro seized power in Cuba and until then it had been under US influence. When he nationalised all businesses, the USA was furious and cut off all aid to Cuba
What happened in 1960?
The Soviet Union agreed to buy 1m tonnes of Cuban sugar every year which tied the two countries together
What happened in Dec. 1961?
Castro announced he was a communist
Why was the USA alarmed?
That there was now a communist country 90 miles away
Why did the Bay of Pigs invasion fail?
In April 1961 the CIA tried to overthrow Castro by staging an invasion of Cuba and 1400 Cuban exiles were landed at the Bay of Pigs with CIA support
How did tension between the superpowers grow because of the nuclear arms race?
- For Khrushchev, the arms race was a way to show the benefits of Soviet Communism: Sputnik was in space in 1957
- In 1957 the Soviets tested the first ICBM
Why did Khrushchev build Missile Bases on Cuba?
- USSR saw Castro as an important ally
- USSR was losing the Arms Race
- USA had missiles in Turkey targeting cities
What options did Kennedy discuss after the U2 plane?
- To launch a nuclear strike on the missile sites in Cuba
- To launch a full-scale invasion of Cuba
- To impose a naval blockade
What would happen if Kennedy did not respond to the problem?
The USSR would start challenging American power elsewhere in the world
When did the ‘Thirteen Days’ occur?
16th-28th October 1962
What were the main events during the ‘The Thirteen Days’?
- Greatest threat of nuclear war
- JFK blockaded Cuba
- US and Soviet troops on highest alert
What do the Hawks demand?
An aggressive approach
What do the Doves recommend?
Diplomatic strategies
What eventually happens in ‘The Thirteen Days’?
A secret deal is made - USSR to remove missile from Cuba if US do the same in Turkey
What was the telephone ‘hot-line’?
A direct teleprinter between The White House and the Kremlin which made it easier for the two leaders to communicate in crisis
What did the telephone ‘hot-line’ reinforce?
Peaceful co-existence
What was the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty?
Signed in Aug. 1963 and banned all nuclear tests except underground ones for an indefinite period
What did JFK say in the speech he made in June 1963?
- He suggested that the US and USSR should focus on their ‘common interests’
- The US also agreed to sell the USSR grain
What did JFK’s speech mark?
Détente - a relaxation of tension between the superpowers
How did the Soviets try to catch up with the US in the arms race?
By increasing their production of long-range missiles
What did the crisis lead France to do in 1966?
Leave NATO and produce their own nuclear weapons
What was MAD?
Mutually assured destruction - both sides had so many weapons that if nuclear war did start both would be destroyed
How did the USA try to get rid of Castro?
- Exploding molluscs
- Exploding cigars
- Poisonous face cream
What were the consequences of the Bay of Pigs invasion?
- Failure of invasion seriously embarrassed the young Kennedy administration
- Invasion made Castro wary of the US
- He was convinced that the Americans would try to take over the island again
- This fear pushed Castro even closer to the USSR
When did the Bay of Pigs occur?
1961 - A year before the missiles crisis
What was the Arms Race?
A race between the superpowers to build bigger and more destructive weapons
What were the key features of the nuclear arms race that developed in the years 1945-53?
- The USA used a nuclear bomb in 1945, by 1949 the USSR had caught up
- By 1953 both countries had the more powerful H Bomb and large numbers of weapons were developed in the 50s and 60s
What happened in August 1945?
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
What did both sides produce?
‘Statistics’ about their nuclear capacity, much of which was designed to frighten the other side
What happened by 1961?
The Soviets had tested the biggest ever bomb (The Tsar Bomba) whilst the US had many missile bases close to the USSR
