Cuban Crisis Flashcards
leaders involved
eisenhower (before) kennedy (during) Kruschchev Fidel Castro General Fulgencio Batista
bay of pigs
Eisenhowever approves plan to overthrow castro’s cuba
- Cuban refugees trained to invade Cuba (KENNEDY inherits this plan)
Invasion fails; 1214/1400 invaders captured and released in return fro 53$ million worth of food and machines
- little support of cubans; miscalculations + UUS refusal to launch full scale invasion leads to their faliure
bay of pigs result
- humuliation for US kenned administration; assosiates us with imperalism/colonialism
- failure of CIA
- underestimation of CUBAN strength, intelligence and popular support
- Castro support increases and revolution consolidated
- USSR has more ammuniation to critize USA
- other latin american governments critical of US + fear imperialism
- USSR- Cuba ties strength (Castro declares himself Marxist-Leninists)
castro background
1959; fidel castro overthrows pro-US government under Batista
CUBA: in US sphere of influence (good economic, social, military influence); US reculantly acknowledges Castro government
CASTRO: claims not to be communist, but democrative; wants US assisastiance
- does revolutionary reforms such as the nationalization of US economic interests (indepedents)
- US refuses to aid, to Cuba asks USSR for economic assisantas
result of castro
- US economically claims embargo on all exports to Cuba
- US begins to organize invasion of cuban exiles to overthrow castro
operation mongoose
US sabotage of Cuban economic target (sugar and oil plantations)
- assasination attempts of castro
- diplomatic isolation of Cuba; expelled from Organization of American States in 1962
= results in Cuban Economic Crisis
why did the crisis occur? 1962
- protect cuba and prevent another invasion (john lewis gaddu perspective); KEEP COMMUNIST CUBA ACTIVE
- threatehn/provoke US
- competition iwth US miisiles in Turkey (balance missile distance)
- propagandat advatnage afater Berlin Wall Hummiliation
- bargaining chip with US
what was the crisis?
Kruschnev puts intermediate range ballistic missilies in Cuba
us reaction to crisis
- releases pic sof US-spy plane on launch pads being construcuted; affects Soviet First Strike capability and has a pyschological affect
- democratic elections coming up; Kennedy needs to take action after bays of pigs humiliation; doesnt want to public perception of him as weak in face of communism
- Diplomacy not possible as USSR/CUBA cut off from USA
resolvement of crisis
- ExCOmm (execeutive committee) summoned by Kennedy as crisis management team; 13 days
- Kennedy orders naval blocakde of island; ‘quarantine’; to prevent entry of nuclear warheads to Cuba
- Khruschev irgnores and tneres but then 6 soviet ships leave?
- kruschnev sends 2 telegrams to Kennedy;
a. proposes USSR wont place missiles in Cuban if US pledge not to invade Cuba
b. demands US removes missiles from turkey - cubans shoot down US U2 Plan; pressure on kennedy to take military action to Kennedy accepts 1st telergram deal publict
- second telgram accepted in private
- US and USS both remove respective missiles
winners of crisis?
US:
- seen as heroes
- introduce hotline for communication
- cuba isolated; bad diplomacy; fail containment
USSR:
- turkish missile removal succesful
John Lewis Gaddu
crisis occured as a result of russians wanting to keep communist cuban active
Zubok and Plesnakob
crisis happened to preserve the revolutionary cuba and spread communism
Orthodox Views
“kennedys finest hour in succesfully using nuclear BRINKMANSHIP to preseve world peace”
Revisionist Views
” kennedy unnceasrily raised cuban espisode to crisis and confrontation level; subjected world to nuclear war threat”
