Reasons for the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962

Question 1

Introduction:

Answer 1

• BK: 1959 Castro’s left wing revolution overthrew the corrupt, capitalist, US-backed Batista
• BK: This caused relations between Cuba and the USA to deteriorate and Cuba sought out the USSR’s help
• Factors: Castro’s victory in Cuba, US foreign policy, Khrushchev’s view of Kennedy, the Arms Race, (Khrushchev’s domestic position)
• LOA: This essay will argue that the most important reason for the Cuban Missile Crisis was Castro’s victory in Cuba.

Question 2

Castro’s Victory in Cuba:

Answer 2

• KU: Castro took over the Cuban Government in 1959, overthrowing corrupt, capitalist Batista
• KU: Cuba stopped all sugar trade with the USA and nationalised their economies, signed a deal with the USSR that they would buy 1m tonnes of sugar each yr in return for oil and machinery
• A: Cuba was only 90 miles from Florida, if Castro hadn’t been successful then the USA wouldn’t have had to ready to communism being so close to the America
• A+: However in 1959, Castro visited the USA, proving that they still had good relations and it would have suited him to continue this and not start the Cuban Missile Crisis
• E: The sanctions on exports of sugar to the USA meant that Cuba got help from the USSR, allowing them to place missiles there starting the Cuban Missile Crisis

Question 3

US Foreign Policy:

Answer 3

• KU: The 1823 Munro Doctrine was against any country influencing the Americas and they were very angry about the communist influence on Cuba that was so close to the USA.
• KU: The Bay of Pigs invasion was an attempt to remove Castro from parliament that failed due to poor planning. 1200 Cuban exiles were captured and imprisoned, despite having been trained by the CIA.
• A: Attempts from the US to remove Castro such as the Bay of Pigs invasion and Operation Mongoose meant that he allowed the USSR to place missiles in Cuba for protection
• A+: However the USA’s aggressive foreign policy was only for avoiding a repeat of Pearl Harbour, not for starting a conflict with Cuba or the USSR
• E: The Bay of Pigs invasion showed that the USA would take military action against Communism, likely making Khrushchev more cautious about placing missiles in Cuba

Question 4

Khrushchev’s View of Kennedy:

Answer 4

• KU: Kennedy only won the vote by a weak majority of 100,000 and Khrushchev thought he was weak, inexperienced and easily manipulated to make concessions to Khrushchev over the arms race
• KU: At the Vienna Summit in 1961 Kennedy told Khrushchev that the USA would not stop the Berlin Wall, and Khrushchev saw this as more weakness.
• A: Because Kennedy didn’t stop the Berlin Wall from being built, he thought that the USA wouldn’t stop any attempt to stop Communism, such as placing missiles in Cuba.
• A+: Kennedy was pressured by Anti-Communist groups so wouldn’t have been able to submit to aggression from the USSR even if he wanted to
• E: Both Kennedy and Khrushchev were equally scared of nuclear war, and Khrushchev wouldn’t have pushed Kennedy far enough to risk it

Question 5

the Arms Race:

Answer 5

• KU: In 1962, the USSR only had around 220 missile warheads while the US had 4000, and their ICBMs could not reach mainland America
• KU: In 1961, the ‘Jupiter Missiles’ were placed in Turkey which could strike anywhere in the USSR. They Retaliated by placing missiles in Cuba
• A: The weapons in Cuba as a result of the Jupiter Missiles allowed the USSR to destroy all major US cities in the event of nuclear war
• A+: However, the Jupiter Missiles were not very powerful, and were vulnerable to attack from the USSR’s air force, meaning that Cuba’s missiles were not necessary for the USSR’s superiority.
• E: The USSR could destroy all European allies because they had more soldiers and tanks than the NATO forces, therefore it was not necessary to place missiles in Cuba to destroy NATO and win the arms race

Question 6

Khrushchev’s Domestic Position: (only use if isolate factor)

Answer 6

• KU: Khrushchev’s secret speech where he criticised Stalin’s actions was leaked, causing pro-Stalin riots in Hungary and Poland in 1956.
• KU: Khrushchev introduced farming reform which failed and caused food prices to rise, lowering his popularity further.
• A: Khrushchev needed to avoid being overthrown by having a success in foreign policy to distract from his domestic failures, he tried to do this by placing missiles in Cuba
• A+: His secret speech showed that he was not fully committed to Communism so it is unlikely that he would risk nuclear war just to spread communism
• E: Khrushchev was not guaranteed to win a conflict in with the USA, it would have been better to attack the US’ bases in Europe than risk losing to the USA in a nuclear war by placing missiles in Cuba.

Question 7

Conclusion:

Answer 7

RJ: Castro’s victory in Cuba was more important than US foreign policy because US foreign policy was only aggressive in order to protect the Americas from a repeat of Pearl Harbour, but Castro’s victory in Cuba allowed the USSR to execute their aggressive plan against the USA by placing missiles in Cuba.
RJ: Castro’s victory in Cuba was more important than Khrushchev’s view of Kennedy because despite Kennedy’s perceived weakness, Khrushchev wouldn’t have pushed him far enough to risk nuclear war, However Castro allowed the USSR to place missiles in Cuba, causing the Cuban Missile Crisis.
RJ: Castro’s victory in Cuba was more important than the Arms Race because the Jupiter missiles in Turkey could have been easily destroyed by the Soviet air force, but Castro’s victory in Cuba allowed the USSR to put missiles in Cuba that could destroy any major US city.