Cuban Missile Crisis Flashcards
How did Khrushchev’s miscalculation of Kennedy arguably cause the Cuban missile crisis?
Khrushchev felt that Kennedy was a weak president after the bay of pigs, June 1961.
Summit in Vienna to discuss Berlin. USA did little to oppose wall building.
Khrushchev felt Kennedy lacked power and support to make concessions over the arms race. Events were to prove him wrong.
Khrushchev had been advised that the installation could be done secretly and that the Americans would not discover the missiles till long after, the advice was wrong.
What effect did the domestic pressures of Khrushchev have in causing the Cuban missile crisis?
Ongoing deadlock over Berlin and criticism of Khrushchev at home over cuts in the armed forces, economic failures and the issues surrounding de- Stalinisation, Hungary 1956, etc
Khrushchev believed a foreign policy coup would help improve matters for him at home.
Khrushchev aware of need to raise the Soviet standard of living and to greatly expand his own country’s space program. He sought to increase international standing of USSR and his own authority.
Khrushchev became premier after out-manoeuvring rivals. He needed to maintain authority.
Khrushchev wanted to avoid war with Western nations and, at the same time, increase economic competition between Communist and non-Communist countries. The policy, known as peaceful co-existence, caused bitter quarrels between the Soviet Union and China. Khrushchev needed to maintain his status in Communist bloc.
Khrushchev worried that if the Soviet Union lost the arms race it might invite a first strike from the United States. Soviet missiles placed in Cuba would solve the problem.
Ideological reasons?
Khrushchev was sympathetic to Castro. Some historians argue that he wanted to use Cuba as a launch pad for a revolution in central America. Missile deployment would provide protection for the revolution.
American Policy Over Cuba?
Domestic pressures for Kennedy as an explanation for the Cuban Crisis of 1962.
In 1960 Kennedy became President. He promised tougher defence policies and progressive health, housing and civil rights programs. But Kennedy won by just over 100000 votes. He lacked a reliable majority in congress.
Kennedy needed to show he had strength and determination to gain respect and support.
Kennedy already embarrassed by Bay Of Pigs where 1400 Cuban exiles were crushed.
Argument that this forced Castro to start preparing to defend himself against another attack and drew closer to Khrushchev and the soviet union. Castro asked for significant conventional military aid.
Kennedy under some pressure from CIA to continue to destabilise Castro’s Cuba.
America was very sensitive about the presence of a Communist state so close to Florida. American aggression seemed to be confirmed by the United States practising the invasion of a Caribbean island with a dictator named Ortsac: operation mongoose overseen by robert kenned.
Nuclear arms race?
The soviets wanted to place nuclear missiles in Cuba because they were trying. To balance out the number of nuclear arms between themselves and the United States.
The united states had placed their jupiter missiles in turkey and now the ussr felt very threatned. Kennedy had originally placed their jupiter missiles in Turkey in 1961 because the united states had feared the possible nuclear capabilities of the soviet union. These missiles became major threat to the soviets because they were capable of striking anywhere in ussr. Counter view that missiles were obselete.
In order to defend themselves, and let the united states know what it was like to be surrounded by a deadly threat, the soviets placed missiles on Cuba.
