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.
What did Castro do to American owned businesses?
He took over some of them
When was the Bay of Pigs invasion?
In April 1961
How many Cuban troops waited for the exiles to land?
20,000 men along with tanks
What was the outcome of the Bay of Pigs?
It ended in disaster, all the exiles were killed or rounded up and arrested within days.
How did the Bay of Pigs effect Kennedy?
It made Khruschev increasingly weary of Him and it also made him look weak due to the failure.
How did America use Influence to respond to Castro?
The American media was negative towards Castro, it criticized him and his policies.
How did America Ignore Cuba to respond to Castro?
America broke off all diplomatic ties with Cuba. This created Tension.
How did America use Pressure to respond to Castro?
American Companies would not use goods from the Soviet Union. The Media was also negative towards Castro.
What were the five options Kennedy had to respond to the missile crisis?
1) Do nothing
2) Surgical air attack
3) Invasion
4) Diplomatic Pressures
5) Blockade
Why did Kennedy choose the blockade?
- It was not a direct act of war
- Other options could still be used if it did not work.
- He did not embarrass the soviets by agreeing to remove missile from turkey later.
- Made Kennedy look strong by standing up to the soviets.
What happened after the missile crisis in regard to nuclear war?
- It was agreed that it was the closest we’ve ever been to a nuclear war.
- Telephone hot link was setup between the UUSR and USA to avoid future crisis.
- Nuclear talks began in 1963 and a treaty to ban future tests was signed in 1963.
How did the USA win the missile crisis?
- Kennedy had stood up to the soviets and was seen globally as victorious.
- Kennedy had stood up to people in his government who wanted to invade Cuba, it showed them how dangerous their ideas was and that Kennedy knew what they were doing.
How did the USA lose the missile crisis?
- Kennedy agreed to remove missile from turkey, which was NATOs decision not his.
- Castro remained in charge of Cuba, and the threat of communism remained.
- Hated by the Cuban exiles since the bay of pigs gone badly.
How did the USSR win the missile crisis?
- Khrushchev had prevented an American invasion of Cuba.
- he acted publicly as a peace maker.
- he got NATO missiles removed from turkey
How did the USSR lose the Cuban missile crisis?
- The USSR had lied to the UN about having missiles on Cuba.
- Khrushchev had to back down to the USA, causing the USSR to look humiliated.
- Khrushchev was replaced as soviet leader, many people believe that the missile crisis caused his downfall.
