Cuban Missile Crisis

Question 1

What did the Russians call the crisis?

Answer 1

The Caribbean Crisis

Question 2

What did the Russians state the crisis was about?

Answer 2

A long running crisis regarding US hostility towards Cuba and Central America - not because of the Russians’ missiles

Question 3

How did Kennedy respond? And what’s important to note about it?

Answer 3

Implemented a naval blockade which was illegal - the Soviets would have seen this as part of the crisis

Question 4

What did Russia believe had recently been created and where?

Answer 4

A ‘revolutionary class’ - in places such as Africa, Central America and East Asia etc

Question 5

What did Russia believe this new class would do?

Answer 5

Hoped they wouldn’t want to join the US system, and instead adopt Russian model - through coercion, help and patronage

Question 6

What had Russia been seen as and as achieving?

Answer 6

As a ‘developing nation’, who was seen to have successfully industrialised/modernised. Became a scientific and technological society without losing its identities

Question 7

Who were Russia hoping to appeal to?

Answer 7

Nations recently freed

Question 8

What occurred in Jan 1959?

Answer 8

The Cuban Revolution - Russia were not involved (of their own volition)

Question 9

What effect did the US have on Cuba’s alliances?

Answer 9

They weren’t really Communist, but the Americans’ actions pushed them towards the Soviet Union

Question 10

What were taken completely seriously by Cuba and Russia?

Answer 10

CIA attempts to kill Castro or plan invasions of Cuba

Question 11

What happened in 1961 and what did the Russians see it as proof of?

Answer 11

Yuri Gagarin orbited the earth which was a euphoric moment for Russia - saw it as proof of their superior system

Question 12

What role did Castro’s brother Raul play?

Answer 12

Made constant visits to Moscow to discuss what the Soviet Union could do for Cuba

Question 13

What did Cuba want from Russia?

Answer 13

Military protection against United States

Question 14

What was Operation Anadyr?

Answer 14

Placing missiles on Cuba in secret - approved by Khrushchev (named after river in Siberia) However the US caught wind of it very quickly

Question 15

When can the ‘Caribbean Crisis’ be seen to have taken place?

Answer 15

16-28 October 1962

Question 16

What was Castro willing to do in order to keep the revolution alive?

Answer 16

Bomb America

Question 17

What did Operation Anadyr consist of?

Answer 17

164 strategic and nuclear weapons to Cuba, plus conventional weapons, 42,000 troops and military advisors

Question 18

What kind of advice was open to Kennedy? Which was the loudest?

Answer 18

A variety of options - lots of different views being presented to him - peaceful and more active
Peaceful is louder

Question 19

What did this cause him to do?

Answer 19

Implement the naval blockade to prevent more supplies from coming in - however it was illegal according to International Law

Question 20

How did Castro view the blockade?

Answer 20

“banditry and degenerate imperialism” - ignoring Cuba’s sovereignty

Question 21

To what extent was there evidence of de-escalation from Russia?

Answer 21

Both sides had undercurrents of de-escalation - didn’t want the war. Letters between Kennedy and Khrushchev

Question 22

Who can be argued to have ‘won’?

Answer 22

The US - Khrushchev had to back down. Tried to play it off as a win for the Soviet bloc but it wasn’t seen that way. Removed from power soon after

Question 23

How did Cuba react to the end of the crisis?

Answer 23

Didn’t think the Soviet Union had lost, and were angry at Russia for removing the missiles

Question 24

What victory did Russia achieve?

Answer 24

The removal of American Jupiter missiles (nuclear) from Turkey

Question 25

What is the traditionalist view of the crisis?

Answer 25

An aggressive attempt to alter the balance of power with the US, who had missiles in Turkey (plus military bases in Japan, West Germany, Norway. - Gain leverage in the situation in Berlin

Question 26

What was the revisionist view of the crisis?

Answer 26

Defensive move to protect Cuba from US invasion (importance for Khrushchev of third world national liberation movements) . Hostility between Cuba and the US gave Khrushchev his opportunity and blame for crisis put on Kennedy for his overreaction

Question 27

What was the role of Cuba in the crisis?

Answer 27

They were convinced the US would attack them - therefore wanted to protect themselves, needed nuclear weapons

Question 28

What other explanations are there for Khrushchev’s actions?

Answer 28

To show the Chinese (and domestic critics) he was the revolutionary leader of the COmmunist bloc - China didn’t like de-stalinisation - thought they were becoming revisionist

Question 29

How was Khrushchev’s policy of de-stalinisation received by the public?

Answer 29

Came under criticism domestically for de-stalinisation - wasn’t revolutionary enough

Question 30

Why did Khrushchev undertake de-stalinisation?

Answer 30

Demonstrate to the world that the SU was on the rise, US was on the wane: the future was socialism