Topic 5-Cuban Missile Crisis Flashcards
Who was Batista?
Who was Castro?
Batista was an unpopular pro American leader who was overthrown in 1959. His reign lead to corruption and poverty.
Castro was a communist leader who was liked by the Cubans because he got rid of poverty. He signed a trade agreement with the USSR.
Why did the Cuban Missile Crisis happen? (2 points)
Newly appointed JFK was aware that a nuclear war could happen very easily. It was the closest we would ever have come to one.
He wanted to stop Cuba from doing anything aggressive with their nuclear weapons that they were building especially as they were communist. He wanted to stop the domino theory and roll back communism into nearby countries. Having a dangerous communist country 90 miles south of Florida was a big threat for Kennedy. The missiles could take out most of USA and some of Canada.
What was the Bay Of Pigs?
This was an attempt to overthrow Castro which went horribly wrong and lead to the deaths of many American Soldiers.
Kennedy made a fool of himself as a new president
There were 1400 exiles supporting Kennedy and
2100 well trained and prepared troops supporting Castro
What happened on Sunday 14th October 1962?
Nuclear Missile Sites on Soviet Soil (Cuba) were found
They had the potential to bomb America
What was the end result?
There was a naval blockade.
It stopped the supplies getting to Cuba therefore weakening their position.
USSR did try to get through however when the enemy ships meted they were ordered to turn back.
