Topic 2: The Cuban Missile Crisis

Question 1

Who came to power in Cuba in 1934 and was accused of being corrupt and repressive?

Answer 1

Fulgencio Batista

Question 2

Who helped Batista come to power in Cuba in 1934?

Answer 2

America. For this reason, he was seen as a symbol of America control in Cuba.

Question 3

Describe America’s involvement in Cuba before 1959?

Answer 3

The USA was heavily involved Cuban affairs. E.g. American companies invested heavily in Cuban industries, and had large stakes in most Cuban companies.

Question 4

Who led the Cuban Revolution in 1959, and became leader of Cuba?

Answer 4

Fidel Castro

Question 5

Who did Fidel Castro begin to appoint to his government in 1960?

Answer 5

Communists

Question 6

Who was the leader of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964?

Answer 6

Nikita Khrushchev

Question 7

Who did Castro begin to form ties with in 1960?

Answer 7

Khrushchev and the Soviet Union (USSR)

Question 8

What agreement did Castro and the Soviet Union sign in the summer of 1960?

Answer 8

A trade deal. The Soviet Union agreed to give Cuba $100 million in economic aid and other supplies in return for Cuban sugar.

Question 9

How did President Eisenhower (USA) respond to the trade agreement between Cuba and the USSR?

Answer 9

He felt threatened. In October 1960, America stopped buying Cuban sugar and cut off all trade with Cuba.

Question 10

How far was Cuba from the southern coast of the USA?

Answer 10

150km

Question 11

Who became President of the USA in 1961?

Answer 11

John F. Kennedy

Question 12

What actions did President Kennedy take against Cuba in January 1961?

Answer 12

He cut of diplomatic relations with Cuba.

Question 13

What event happened in April 1961?

Answer 13

The Bay of Pigs invasion

Question 14

Describe the events of the Bay of Pigs invasion.

Answer 14

• 1400 Cuban exiles launched an invasion of Cuba, but were confronted with 20,000 Cuban troops.
• The invasion failed disastrously. The Cuban people did rise up to support the invasion. Castro captured or killed the exiles within days.

Question 15

Who supported the Bay of Pigs invasion, and how?

Answer 15

America supported the invasion. The CIA supplied the anti-Castro exiles with arms, equipment and transportation to carry out the event.

Question 16

Identify two consequences of the Bay of Pigs invasion.

Answer 16

1. The events were humiliating for the USA, as the invasion had failed.
2. The events convinced Castro that he needed more support from the Soviet Union to defend him from possible American attacks.

Question 17

How did the USSR support Cuba from September 1961?

Answer 17

They began to provide arms to Cuba, including military equipment and 5000 Soviet technicians.

Question 18

What had Fidel Castro announced by 1962?

Answer 18

1. Castro had nationalised (taken control of) all American industries in Cuba.
2. Castro announced that he was communist.

Question 19

What did an American U-2 spy plane discover on October 14, 1962?

Answer 19

Nuclear missile sites were being constructed in Cuba. Some sites were near completion and would be finished within seven days.

Question 20

Identify two reasons which explain why Khrushchev decided to become more involved in Cuba and place nuclear missiles in the country.

Answer 20

1. To close the ‘missile gap’ which had developed between the USA and USSR.
2. To defend Cuba and ensure it stayed communist

Question 21

What evidence is there that the USA was winning the nuclear arms race in 1962, and that a ‘missile gap’ had developed between the US and Soviet Union?

Answer 21

1. They had more long-range missiles than the USSR.

2. They had nuclear missiles in Turkey and western Europe, which were in reach of the USSR.

Question 22

Explain why the ‘missile gap’ encouraged Khrushchev to place missiles on Cuba.

Answer 22

Placing missiles in Cuba would help Khrushchev to close the ‘missile gap’ and strengthen the position of the USSR in the arms race, as medium-range missiles in Cuba could threaten most US cities.

Question 23

Why did the USSR want to defend Cuba and ensure it remained communist?

Answer 23

1. Cuba was the only communist state in the Western hemisphere, and an ideal base from which to support communist movements in south America.
2. After the Bay of Pigs incident (April 1961), America had shown that it was willing to support an invasion of Cuba - Cuba needed defence.

Question 24

What was the name given to the group President Kennedy formed to decide how to respond to the discovery of the missiles?

Answer 24

ExComm

Question 25

When Kennedy was deciding how to respond to the discovery of missiles on Cuba, what options did he have?

Answer 25

1. To do nothing
   • Pros: the US was winning the arms race and this would prevent nuclear war
   • Cons: sign of weakness
2. To invade Cuba
   • Pros: this would get rid of the missiles and Castro
   • Cons: it would guarantee a military response from the USSR to protect Cuba
3. To blockade Cuba
   • Pros: this was not a direct act of war, would show the US was serious & would place pressure on Khrushchev to respond
   • Cons: it would not solve the problem of the missiles

Question 26

How did Kennedy respond to the discovery of missiles on October 22, 1962?

Answer 26

Kennedy announced a 500-mile blockade of Cuba and called on the Soviet Union to withdraw its missiles.

Question 27

At first, how did Khrushchev respond to the blockade placed around Cuba?

Answer 27

He said that the Soviet Union would ignore the blockade and denied the existence of nuclear missiles on Cuba.

Question 28

How was the world brought to the brink of nuclear war on October 23, 1962?

Answer 28

Missile-carrying Soviet ships approached the blockade zone. However, they stop or turn around, averting nuclear war.

Question 29

Kennedy received a letter from Khrushchev on October 26, 1962. What did the first letter state?

Answer 29

If the Americans lifted the blockade and promised not to invade Cuba, the nuclear weapons would be removed.

Question 30

Kennedy received a second letter from Khrushchev on October 27, 1962. What else did Khrushchev ask for, if the missiles were to be removed?

Answer 30

Khrushchev also asked for the USA to withdraw missiles from Turkey.

Question 31

How did President Kennedy respond to Khrushchev’s proposals in his two letters?

Answer 31

Kennedy agreed to the terms of Khrushchev’s first letter and promised to take down the blockade zone and to never invade Cuba, if the missiles were removed. He stated that if the USSR did not withdraw from Cuba, an attack would follow.

Question 32

What did President Kennedy agree to in secret in order to end the Cuban Missile Crisis and get the missiles removed from Cuba?

Answer 32

He also agreed to remove America’s nuclear missiles from Turkey.

Question 33

Identify three ways Kennedy and the USA benefited from the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Answer 33

1. America’s aim of having the nuclear missiles removed from Cuba was achieved.
2. Kennedy’s reputation and popularity at home increased - he had stood up to the communism and the USSR.
3. Kennedy had stood up to the hardliners in his government, who suggested an invasion of Cuba, and prevented nuclear war.

Question 34

Identify two ways Kennedy and the USA can be seen to have lost the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Answer 34

1. Cuba remained communist and in America’s ‘sphere of influence’.
2. Kennedy could be seen to have given in to Khrushchev’s demands by closing the ‘missile gap’ and removing the missiles from Turkey, without consulting NATO countries.

Question 35

Identify three ways the USSR benefited from the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Answer 35

1. Khrushchev successfully pressurised Kennedy into removing missiles from Turkey.
2. Khrushchev gained the reputation as a peacemaker, who was willing to compromise and enter negotiations in order to avoid nuclear war.
3. Cuba remained a communist country and an important base for supporting communism in South America & elsewhere in the world.

Question 36

Identify two ways the USSR can be seen to have lost the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Answer 36

1. Khrushchev did not succeed in closing the ‘missile gap’ between the USA and USSR.
2. Khrushchev had given in to the USA’s pressure and removed the missiles from Cuba. Some saw this as a sign of weakness, which contributed to his removal from office in 1964.

Question 37

Identify two ways Cuba benefited from the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Answer 37

1. Cuba remained communist and highly armed, and the US had promised not to invade the country. Cuban forces intervened to help communist forces fight civil wars across the world, such as in Angola in the 1970s.
2. Castro kept control of American companies he nationalised before the crisis.

Question 38

Identify one way Cuba did not benefit from the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Answer 38

Nuclear missiles were removed from Cuba, reducing its defence.

Question 39

After the Cuban Missile Crisis, what did the USA and USSR sign in 1963?

Answer 39

A Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was signed between the two countries which limited the testing of nuclear weapons.

Question 40

After the Cuban Missile Crisis, what was set up between the USA and USSR to help communication between the two countries and reduce the likelihood of war breaking out if a crisis occurred again?

Answer 40

A “hot line” telephone link was set up between the White House and the Kremlin.