16.Cuban missile crisis
Why did Khrushchev put missiles into Cuba?
Supporting an ally: After the revolution, Cuba was an ally of the Soviet Union. It had seen an abortive CIA backed attack occur at the Bay of Pigs and was perceived to be at risk of future attacks from the United States. Missiles would act as a deterrent against such an attack. Turkey: The US had missiles in Turkey, which borders the Soviet Union. Placing missiles in Cuba would restore the balance of power. -To test the usa
Why did usa and cuba fall out
-Cuba was receiving arms from the soviet union and american spies knew this -usa broke off diplomatic relations with cuba, castro thought that usa was preparing to invade, was clear that usa was not going to tolerate a soviet satellite in the heart of its own 'sphere of influence' -president kennedy supllied arms,equipment and transport for anti-castro exiles to invade cuba and overthrow him, invasion failed -castro killed them and suggested that the usa was unwillingly to directly get involved in cuba.
How did the Cuban Missile Crisis affect relations between the superpowers?
-During the crisis, tensions were very high and the start of WW3 was just avoided. The result improved relations between the superpowers, for example: -A hotline link was created between the white house and Kremlin. -The both signed a treaty agreeing to stop testing nuclear weapons in the atmosphere. -There were frequent arms limitation talks. -when the USSR had a bad harvest, the USA sold grain to them. However, it also caused France to pull out of the military side of NATO in 1966.
How did Fidel Castro worsen relations between the USA and the USSR?
-Thousands of Cubans fled Castro's rule to the USA -Castro took over the USA owned businesses but allowed the US to keep its naval base. -From the summer of 1960, Castro was receiving arms from the USSR. The American spies knew this.
What is cuba
-island situated in the southern of usa, been an american ally and americans owned most of the businesses on the island and had a huge naval base there. then in 1959, castro overthrew batista
What happened as a result of Fidel Castro's rule?
As a result, in January 1961, the USA broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba. The USA was not prepared to tolerate a soviet satellite in the heart of it's own 'soviet sphere of influence'.
Why did Khrushchev put missiles into Cuba?
Berlin: Khruschev wanted to secure the Soviet hold on Berlin. Placing missiles on Cuba would give him a better negotiating position. Economics: Some historians have suggested that the decision to place missiles on Cuba would have reduced the overall cost of Soviet nuclear defences, allowing additional spending to be made in other areas. Politics: Khruschev had faced criticism from hard-liners within the Soviet Union that he was weak and appeasing the Americans. A message needed to be sent out that he was strong. Strategic: Cuba is only 90 miles away from the US coastline and short / medium range missiles placed on the Island would be able to penetrate deep inside US territory.
result
Both sides recognised the dangers of direct conflict. The USA and USSR began to search for meaningful 'peaceful co-existence' as they realised how close they came to nuclear war. This led to a policy called 'détente' - a relaxing of tension in the Cold War which dominated superpower relations in the 1970s.
Who was Fidel Castro?
Fidel Castro overthrew Batista as ruler of Cuba in 1959. He was ruthless, quickly killed others, and arrested or exiled political opponents.
The Bay of Pigs 1961
President Kennedy tried to overthrow Castro in April 1961. Cuban rebels, with the support of the CIA, launched an invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs. The attack was a disaster and failed dismally. The fiasco convinced Castro that the USA was enemy; he now turned to the USSR for protection.
