Flashpoints Outside of Europe (Cuba and Afghanistan) Flashcards
Causes of the crisis in Cuba
Dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown by rebels led by Fidel Castro as Cuba was getting loads of money from America but many were still poor so when Castro nationalised industries Cuba had a trade embargo with America and Castro turned to the USSR for help and Castro announced he had become communist
What was the response of the USA to Castro being in charge?
America refused to trade with Cuba and this could have bankrupted the island.
USA broke off diplomatic relations in 1961 following Castro declaring Cuba a communist country.
What was the Bay of Pigs? (Included in USA response to Castro in charge)
Group of Cuban exiles planned under Eisenhower and with CIA funding to land in the Bay of Pigs with the intention of overthrowing Castro, this invasion was a disaster.
Kennedy did not apologise for this and Cuba felt threatened by her massively powerful neighbour and so looked for a closer relationship with USSR.
What were the relations between Cuba and USSR?
Trade embargo brought them together as USSR stepped in to buy sugar and other exports.
End of 1961 there were Soviet military advisers and combat units stationed on the island.
In 1962 the USSR were allowed to station missiles in Cuba as they were concerned by the US missile bases in Turkey.
Khrushchev also claimed to be defending Cuba against US aggression after the Bay of Pigs.
What did Kennedy do about the missile bases in Cuba?
Decided on a naval blockade of Cuba - quarantine it and not allow any more Russian ships to enter as a US spy planed pictured the missiles in Cuba to be pointing at American cities
What were the events after Kennedy put up the blockade?
Soviet ships turned and but more U2 photographs showed that the bases would be fully operational in a few days and it was seen that the Russians had 66 missiles and around 42000 troops in Cuba
What were involved in Khrushchev’s letters?
Khrushchev sent a letter to Kennedy saying the missiles will be withdrawn if Kennedy did not invade Cuba.
Although he sent a second one saying that if USA removed missiles in Turkey then USSR remove them from Cuba and matters were worse when a U2 plane was shot down and killed
How did Kennedy respond to Khrushchev’s letters?
He acted on his first letter saying that USSR was to remove missiles from Cuba and the US would end quarantine and promise to not invade Cuba.
But the Soviet ambassador was told that missiles in Turkey would be dismantled in a secret agreement as JFK would have looked weak against communism and Khrushchev accepted and the crisis was over.
Consequences of the crisis and impact on relations
Castro was furious and refused to allow UN to inspect the missiles were really dismantled.
A hot-line was created in 1963 to allow easier communication between US and USSR.
US and USSR signed the Nuclear test ban treaty and this began a move towards peaceful coexistence in the 1970s.
Khrushchev considered it a success despite Chinese objections but it may have contributed to his downfall in 1964.
In 1968 the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty was signed.
Background to Afghanistan
After the Cuba Crisis and Vietnam, the 1970s saw the USA, USSR and China make an effort to improve relations in a period known as détente. The relationship between USSR and China, the world’s most important communist nations had soured and was known as the Sinn-Soviet split and made it easier for the US to establish diplomatic relations with China.
New agreements made in international relations before Afghanistan
SALT 1 (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) signed by Nixon and Brezhnev in 1972.
In 1975, American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts met and symbolically shook hands in space.
In 1975 the Helsinki Agreement was signed by 35 countries including the USA and USSR.
Reasons for the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
The country bordered southern Soviet republics making it easy for them to support a communist led government when they originally seized power in the country’s capital Kabul in 1978.
This government was led by Taraki and many Afghans rejected it cause of its atheism at odds with their Muslim faith and this led to the formation of anti-communist resistance known as the Mujahideen.
What happened after the formation of the Mujahideen?
Amin came to power and ordered the death of Taraki and the revolt against communist rule worsened under him.
Situation became worse as the Mujahideen wanted the overthrow Amin and declared a jihad on the supporters of Amin
USSR also alleged that Amin was an agent of the CIA and also feared that the growth of Islam as Iran has become an Islamic state in 1979 and this meant it could spread through the Middle East.
USSR were also keen in rich gas fields in Afghanistan.
Who were the Mujahideen?
They were persons engaged in a Holy war or Jihad. In this case they were fighting against communism and they came throughout the Middle East. Osama Bin Laden would join the Mujahideen.
What were the first Soviet action in Afghanistan?
In 1979 Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan and Amin was assassinated and pro-Moscow leader Karnal was installed.
Many Afghan soldiers had deserted to the Mujahideen and the Karmal government needed 85,000 Soviet soldiers to keep him in power so so it was clear that his position depended entirely on soviet military support.
Tactics used by the USSR in Afghanistan
Intimidation - they would launch airborne and armoured ground attacks to destroy villages in troublesome areas and bomb villages near sites of guerrilla attacks on Soviet convoys and forced people to flee from their homes and hoped to deprive the guerrillas of resources and safe heavens.
Subversion - means sending spies to join resistance groups and report information as well as brining local tribes or guerrilla leaders into ceasing operations.
How did the war go into a stalemate?
Soviet troops controlled the cities while the mujahideen moving with relative freedom throughout the countryside.
Soviet troops tried to crush the insurgency but the the guerrillas avoided their attacks and then attempted to eliminate mujahideen civilian support.
The mujahideen hit back at Soviet air power through the use of shoulder fired anti aircraft missiles supplied by the US.
Response of the USA to Soviet invasion
US-Soviet relationship had been severely damaged by this invasion as President Carter recalled the US ambassador to the Soviet Union and suggested détente was over.
US supported the Mujahideen, refused to sign SALT 2 and would also boycott the Russian olympics in 1980 and also imposed sanctions on USSR and abolished most US-Soviet trade.
Short term consequences of the war in Afghanistan
New leader Gorbachev decided the USSR couldn’t win and pulled out Russian troops in 1988, millions of civilian were killed and thousands of soldiers and the country was left in ruins and would be taken over by warlords.
Civilian war raged setting the stage for the Taliban’s takeover of the country in 1996.
USSR lost 15000 troops and damage was done to its image losing billions of dollars on this war.
Impact on international relations by Afghanistan
Cost and criticism of this war would lead to changes in the USSR under Gorbachev which would end the Cold War.
Détente was destroyed following refusal of SALT 2 and the Olympic boycotts as Regan would call them an ‘Evil Empire’ in 1983.
US began to increase stockpiles of Nuclear weapons throughout Europe and USSR would try to do the same.
