Cuban Revolution And Bay Of Pigs Flashcards
In January 1959 a group of revolutionaries
Led by Fidel Castro toppled the pro American government of Cuba
J Batista ruled Cuba before Castro.Cuba used to be very close
And friendly to the US
Why was Eisenhower worried about the cuban revolution
As cuba had very close links to the USA
American businesses had
Invested heavily in Cuba and much of the land was owned by America.Also the US were one of the main investors in Cuba’s main export sugar
Castro was a nationalist he
Did not sant to Cuba to be under American control.
Due to the fact that Castro was a nationalist this created tensions
Between Cuba and USA , grew into a crisis threatening world peace
In February 1960 there was an agreement between
USSR and Cuba with Soviet Union buying Cuba’s sugar and provide economic aid.Also a secret clause that Cuba would recieve arms from the USSR
How did Eisenhower push Castro away
He threatened that America would stop buying sugar from Cuba.This caused Castro to grow closer to the USSR
Why was the Bay of Pigs launched
Due to the fact Castro was close to the USSR.Kennedy did not sant a communist ally to close to American territory
What did the CIA suggest
They suggested thst they could train a group of Cuban exiles.Sending Cuban exiles would make it seem like it was a revolution.The US could claim that they weren’t involved
When did the Bay of Pigs occur
It occured on 17 April 1961 1,200 cuban exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba
The US hoped that the exiles would topple over the government but this wasn’t the case
The exiles had little military experience.There were no match for the strong cuban Army )
Castro found out about the revolution so sent 20,000 soldiers to fint the cuban exiles
The US could not send any of their own soldiers as they wanted it to look like a rebellion.
Ahat did the exiles do when they reached Cuba
The US wrongly assumed and the exiles were happy with Castro.They did not rush to lend their support to Castro.
Why was the Bay of Pigs a propaganda humiliation
Castro showed evidence that the US were behind it.It turned into a humiliation for the USA
Comsequences of the Bay of Pigs
Cuba officially declared communist after Invasion.
Allowed khrushchev to stay people chose communism
Us not to disimilar from USSR- both attack when empire is under threat
In September 1961 Khrushchev agreed to arm Cuba with nuclear weapons
