The Cuban Missile Crisis (Grade 12) Flashcards
Define brinkmanship.
Trying to achieve an advantageous outcome by
pushing dangerous events to the brink of active
conflict.
In _____, a serious Cold War crisis developed
over Cuba.
1962
Which policy led the US to strongly need to prevent the spread of communism into Latin America?
The US’s policy of containment.
Where is Cuba?
Cuba is an island 150km off the coast of Florida.
Who’s influence was Cuba under leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis (CMC)? Why?
America, ever since the end of Spanish rule in 1898.
Cuba is heavily under America’s influence because:
- They rely on the US for trade, and the US was Cuba’s biggest market of sugar exports.
- The US owned much of the land on Cuba.
- The US made a lot of money from oil refineries they had on Cuba.
- The US even had a naval base on Cuba, in Guantanamo Bay.
On what was the Cuban economy largely dependent?
Sugar and sugar exports, especially to the US.
What was the socioeconomic status of Cubans around the time leading up to the CMC?
Most Cubans were extremely poor and lived in poverty.
Who was leading Cuba in the period just before the CMC?
Cuba was under the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.
Discuss Fulgencio Batista’s actions as dictator of Cuba, and his relationship with the US.
- Abolished constitution, closed parliament, suppressed opposition.
- Supported by army, large landowners, wealthy industrialists, bankers.
- Supported by US because he was anti-communist.
- Allowed the US to exploit Cuba (protected American interests).
Batista had continued support from the US,
even though he was corrupt and cruel.
When was the first attempt to overthrow Batista, and who led them?
1953: Revolutionaries under Fidel Castro tried
to overthrow Batista, and were unsuccessful.
At what point was Cuba invaded by Castro?
1956: Castro and followers invaded Cuba, and worked to build up support among peasants.
When and what was the Cuban Revolution?
1959: Cuban Revolution
- Fidel Castro seized power
- Castro was a nationalist and wanted to free
Cuba from US control
- Batista fled into exile
- Revolutionaries welcomed by most Cubans
- Many wealthy Cubans fled to US
What did Castro introduce when he came into power?
Socialist reforms, through redistribution of land to the poor and nationalisation of transport and some industries.
In 1960, the US wanted to force Cuba to ____ its _____. Why?
Change its policies.
This is because Castro was very anti-West and socialist, and the US saw them as a threat to their capitalist ideologies (AKA a threat to their beloved democracy).
How and when did the US react to Castro’s rise to power?
1960:
- US launched a trade embargo & banned Cuban sugar imports to US.
- US broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba
- Castro attempted to restore the relationship with President Eisenhower, but Eisenhower refused to see him.
What happened after Castro was rejected a meeting with Eisenhower? How did the US feel about this?
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev seized the opportunity to form an alliance with Cuba.
The US was concerned about growing links
between Cuba and USSR:
- Soviet technicians and advisors in Cuba.
-US feared a communist state so close to USA. - US feared communism would spread to rest of
Latin America. - US started secret plans to invade Cuba and
overthrow Castro. - Cuban exiles in US also wanted to overthrow
Castro.
What happened in 1961?
The Bay of Pigs Invasion:
- Cuban exiles (armed and fuelled by the US) planned invasion of Cuba.
- Backed by the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency)
- The CIA believed that an invasion would lead to a
public uprising against Castro.
When was the Bay of Pigs Invasion?
1961.
How successful was the Bay of Pigs Invasion?
It was a total failure:
-Castro knew attack was coming
- Cubans didn’t rise up in revolt
- Invasion easily crushed within three days
- US action pushed Cuba into alliance with USSR -
protection
- Intensified anti-American sentiments in Cuba
- Castro declared himself Communist
- Severe embarrassment for JFK and the US
How did the Bay of Pigs invasion affect Cuba?
It only further intensified anti-American sentiments, and pushed Cuba to form an alliance with the USSR and declare itself communist.
When is the beginning of the CMC? What marked the beginning of it?
1962.
Castro allowed the USSR to build missile bases on Cuba.
How and when did the US find out about the missile bases on Cuba?
In October of 1962, the US sent a U2 spy plane flying over Cuba and captured photographs of the bases.
What switch of presidencies occurred in the US during this time?
Eisenhower out, John F. Kennedy in.
(1961)
What was the US’s reaction upon discovering the missile bases in Cuba? What did Kennedy decide to do (and when)?
They were VERY ALARMED.
US was concerned because major US cities would be in
range of missiles. Some US advisors thought US should attack Cuba - either air strikes on the missile bases or launch a full-scale
invasion.
But: Kennedy wanted to avoid a direct confrontation
with USSR
22 Oct 1962: He ordered a naval blockade
(‘quarantine zone’) around Cuba to prevent missiles
getting there
What was JFK’s plan to stop missiles getting into Cuba? Was it a good move?
He created a ‘Naval Quarantine.’ He stated that if ships that carried missiles entered this zone, they would be sunk.
It was a clever plan, because it put all the pressure on Khrushchev to either become the aggressor of an active conflict full scale war, or to stop his ships.
Kennedy’s plan put him and Khrushchev in a phase of _____.
brinkmanship
During the phase of brinkmanship, what was happening behind the scenes?
There were behind-the-scenes negotiations between Robert Kennedy and Anatoly Dobrynin (Soviet ambassador to US).
What was the outcome of the Naval Quarantine?
Khrushchev was not willing to risk war and was prepared to negotiate.
Eventually, Soviet ships turned back.
What was the finalised agreement between the superpowers following this conflict?
- USSR to remove missile bases from Cuba
- US to lift blockade and agree not to invade Cuba
- US agreed to remove missile bases from Turkey
- Set up ‘hot-line’ between Kremlin and White House
- Agreed on limits to testing of nuclear weapons (1963 Nuclear Test Ban Treaty)
What is the significance of the CMC?
- Showed that US was determined to apply policy of containment in Latin America
- Brinkmanship between the superpowers almost caused a nuclear war, but both leaders acted with restraint and averted war
- Crisis led to better relations between the superpowers
Discuss the implications/impact of the CMC on the US after it came to an end.
- Had forced USSR to remove missiles from Cuba, but had to accept communist state so close to US
- Had to dismantle US missile bases in Turkey
- Kennedy seen as hero in US for handling of crisis
- Continued trade embargo and travel ban against Cuba
- Diplomatic relations between US and Cuba only restored in Obama era (crazy)
Discuss the implications/impact of the CMC on the USSR after it came to an end.
Historians see Khrushchev’s statesmanship in handling the crisis in a positive light. However, he was criticised in USSR at the time for appearing weak, and was forced to step down as Soviet leader (1964).
Discuss the implications/impact of the CMC on Cuba after it came to an end.
- Castro’s position strengthened as fears of
another US attack disappeared - Cuba relied heavily on continued Soviet
economic support and aid
-Castro’s government suppressed opposition and
established a communist dictatorship in Cuba - But government achieved remarkable social
and economic improvements (eg in healthcare and education) - Cuba remained very isolated because of
American trade boycott and travel ban - Cuban economy suffered after collapse of USSR (1991) and thus the end of Soviet aid
What were the ideologies of Fidel Castro at the time he came to power?
He was a nationalist and had socialist tendencies. He was also avidly anti-west.
