The Cuban missile crisis Flashcards
What year did china become communist?
China became communist in 1949
In what year did the USSR develop their atomic bomb?
The USSR developed the atomic bomb in 1949
What year did Khruschev become the leader of the Soviet Union?
Khrushchev became leader in 1953
What year did Eisenhower leave office in?
President Eisenhower left office in 1961
What year did JFK become president in?
JFK became president in 1961 until his assassination in 1963.
What was containment?
Containment was the US policy designed to prevent the spread of communism and to support American interests around the globe.
What was the marshall plan?
Was a plan approved by American to provide economic support to European countries resisting communism, and to help them rebuild after the Second World War.
What was the dollar cost of the Marshall plan?
$12bn dollars were spent
What was NATO?
Northern Atlantic Treaty Organization
What was SEATO?
South East Asia Treaty Organisation
What was CENTO?
Central Treaty Organizaton
What body established alliances such as NATO?
The U.S State Department
What did America offer members of its alliances in return for their support?
The US offered ‘Economic and Practical Support’
What was an everyday fear of the missile crisis?
Being fearful of nuclear war?
What were children taught to do in the event of a nuclear strike?
To ‘Duck and cover’
What was the Polaris missile?
An American made ICBM which could be launched by submarine.
What was the ‘Arms Race’?
A competition between nations for superiority in the development and accumulation of weapons.
Which country had short range missiles?
America had short-range nuclear weapons around Europe and in Turkey.
What was the ‘Missile Gap’?
The difference in number of nuclear weapons which each side had
How many KM is Cuba from Florida?
160KM
Who was Batista?
The leader of Cuba until 1959 who was backed by the Americans.
Was Batista capitalist or communist?
Capitalist
What happened in 1959?
Fidel Castro overthrew Batista after a 3-year civil war.
What happened to the Cuban exiles?
Thousands fled to the US.