Cuban Missile Crisis Flashcards
what is brinkmanship
art or practice of pursuing a dangerous policy to the limits of safety before stopping typically in politics
what is the red scare
promotion of fear for a potential rise of communism, using propaganda
what was Maccarthy’s war on communism
thousands of americans accused of being communists or communist sympathizers . Aggressive investigations were conducted against government employees, people in the entertainment industry, activists
What is the concept of MAD
mutually assured destruction, use of nuclear weapons would cause attacker and defender as well as the world to be completely annihilated
why was cuba so important to the USA
source of natural resources off the coast of the USA, served an economic purpose, forced cubans to sell raw materials for low prices. Cuba was a market for american products. USA invested heavily in Cuban Economy. Holiday place for Americans. Guantanomo bay , US navy base in Cuba
what was the environment before the revolution
much of Cuba’s economic wealth controlled by the USA(oil, sugar, tobacco) , cubans lived in extreme poverty , 40% of population illiterate
Country in the hands of General Batista, backed by the USA, allowed the USA to exploit Cuba
what happened in the revolution
general batista was overthrown by Fidel Castro in 1959 after 3 years of civil war. It was a guerilla campaign> fidel Castro was highly popular as he was pro socialism and a man of the people, he highlighted the disparity between rich and poor and wanted the money back in the hands of the cubans
what did Castro promise the people of Cuba
He promised to restore power in Cuba , end american corruption in the country, promised land redistribution, defend the rights of the poor
what was the result of the revolution
Cuba became a pro communist statewithin USA’s sphere of interest, this was a major test to the USA’s policy of containment
What were the USA and Cuba relations like after revolution
Because American influence reduced , America resented this and became concerned over spread of communist ideals so close to america, Cuba began to implement socialist changes, like land redistribution and nationalization, this took away power from american companies who had previously dominated the economy
What is the american response to the cuban revolution
USA tried to put diplomatic pressure on Cuba, banning sugar imports, break diplomatic ties.
what was the cuban reaction to USA breaking diplomatic ties
Cuba was weary wanted protection from the USA, started trade negotiations with the USSR , this increased tensions between Cuba and USA.
Why was the USA so afraid of Cuba becoming communist
height of Cold War , didn’t want a communist Country in their sphere of influence , fear that Cuba would spread communist ideals through the rest of South America
what were the USA’s attempts at containment in Cuba
sanctions and the bay of pigs
what sanctions did the USA put in place against cuba
economic sanctions, stopped trading with cuba, refused to buy Cuban raw materials and sugar, attempt to undermine Castro’s regime of force a change in US policy
what was the bay of pigs
cubans who had fled to the USA , trained by CIA , lead an assault an guerilla warfare campaign, 1400 troops would land secretly at bay of pigs and paratroopers would be dropped to disrupt transportation and occupy forces, to create confusion. Wanted to do away with revolution and put a pro USA government in place. Unsuccessful everyone arrested or executed.
how successful were early attempts at containment in Cuba
unsuccessful , Castro was not removed and USA failed to admit responsibility for the attacks. failed due to poor secrecy, failure to gain support etc.
What did the bay of pigs and sanctions lead to
Castro declares Cuba communist turns to USSR for support
what options did JFK have when he found out Cuba had nuclear bases
- not attacking- did not want to start a nuclear war or worsen USA reputation
- negotiating- meant talking to USSR, didnt want to appear weak
- doing nothing- would make USA look weak
what is another name for the cuban missile crisis
13 days in october
what happened on the 16/10
JFK informed of missile build up
what happened on the 20/10
JFK decides on naval blockade to prevent soviet ships from reaching Cuba
what happened on 22/10
JFK announces blockade and calls for USSR ti withdraw weapons, met with letter from Krushchev decides not to observe this
what happened on the24/10
blockade begins, 500 mile, first ships reach blockade and turn around, US forces on high alert
what happened on the 25/10
aerial photographs shows bases being built rapidly
what happened on the 26/10
JFK receives proposal 1 from Kruschev
what happened on the 27/10
kruschev sends revised proposa, U2 spy plane shot down over cuba, pilot killed, JFK advised to attack, accepts first proposal
what happened on the 28/10
kruschev withdraws , dismantles arms returns to USSR
what were the outcomes of the crisis?
Cuba stays communist highly armed but no nuclear weapons
JFK improves his reputation
permanent hotline set up between white house and kremlin
tensions thawed slightly
1963 NUCLEAR TEST BAN TREATY
what was the 1963 nuclear test ban treaty
no testing of weapons in atmosphere
what was the difference between the first proposal and second proposal
proposal 1 don’t attack cuba get rid of blockade
proposal 2 USSR will remove missiles if USA gets rid of missile bases in Turkey and Italy
