Cuban Missile Crisis Flashcards
What did the end of the cuban missile crisis achieve
Cuba survived but feels let down by its USSR allies
USSR looks weak as no one knows about the USA’s secret withdrawal of missiles from Italy and Turkey
USA advisors who advised peace and diplomacy over war look good as they avoided war
What was the situation in Cuba pre-1959
People exploited by land owners-Havana was very rich
US owned buisnesses
President Batista was corrupt/ unpopular (but supported US)
What happened during the Cuban revolution
Guerilla revolution- Fidel Castro leader used propaganda effectively
By 1959 the revolution was successful.
Batista fled
Castro welcomed into Havana- Castro promises land to peasants
The socialist revolution built trade links with the Soviet Union
What are the hawks and doves
Hawk people who want to attack Cuba
Doves people who want to negotiate
What happened when Soviets ships reached the blockade
They turned around
What was around Cuba and who built it
Naval blockade around Cuba built by the USA
What did Khrushchev send a telegram to Kennedy about
An offer to remove their missiles if they didn’t invade
Oct 28 1962 what happened
Removal of missiles kept secret
What happened on the 16th Oct 1962
US spy planes spot missiles on Cuba
When was the Bay of Pigs
17 April 1961
Why did USSR send their missiles to Cuba
Retaliate against USA in other countries
Cuba saw missiles as a good threat to prevent a USA invasion
Both communists and so natural allies
Sep 1962 soviet ships carried nuclear warheads and missiles to Cuba
The Soviet Union was losing the Arms Race: Khrushchev needed to restore the nuclear balance.
The USA had missiles in Turkey targeting every city in the south of the USSR,
How did Castro announcing he was a communist effect the US
The USA were alarmed that there was now a communist country only 90 miles away and they felt that they had to do something about it.
Why did Kennedy issue the invasion of Bay of pigs
In 1959 Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba. Until then Cuba had been under US influence. When Castro nationalised all businesses (which meant taking over US firms as well), the USA were furious, and cut off all aid to Cuba.
In 1960 the Soviet Union signed an agreement to buy 1m tonnes of Cuban sugar every year.
This tied the two countries closely together.
In December 1961 Castro announced that he was a communist.
Immediate consequences after the cuban missile crisis
Directly after the crisis, the telephone hot-line was established in 1963. This direct teleprinter between the White House and the Kremlin would make it easier for the two leaders communicate effectively in future crisis situations. Thus idea of peaceful co-existence was reinforced.
Kennedy made a speech in June 1963 which marked the beginning of détente – a relaxation of tension between the superpowers:
He suggested that the US and USSR should focus on their ‘common interests’.
The US also agreed to sell the USSR grain.
Long term consequences of Cuban missile crisis
Washington and Moscow hotline agreement created.
The Soviets were determined to catch up with the US in the arms race, and increased their production of long-range missiles.
The Soviet Union were also determined not to suffer such humiliation as Cuba again. In 1964 Khrushchev was replaced by Leonid Brezhnev, a tougher leader.
The Crisis led France to leave NATO. In 1966, President De Gaulle, who was horrified by the possibility of being dragged into a nuclear war, took France out of NATO, and France began producing their own nuclear weapons.
The superpowers began to speak less about nuclear deterrence and more about the idea of mutually assured destruction – MAD: both sides now had so many weapons that if a nuclear war did start, it would result in mutually assured destruction.
Limited Test Ban Treaty (1963)- both sides banned all nuclear weapon testing expect from underground.
Outer Space treaty (1967)- banned the deployment of nuclear weapons in space
Nuclear non-proliferation Treaty (1968) an agreement to not share nuclear technology with other countries
