WH3201: Outcome 4.2
Richtor Scale of the Cold War: Détente or brinkmanship? BRINKMANSHIP & PROXY WAR Cuban Missile Crisis Marshall Plan Molotov Plan NATO Korean War Berlin Wall built Warsaw Pact Khrushchev replaced with Brezhnev (USSR) DÉTENTE & PEACEFUL CO-EXISTANCE Star Wars (Reagan/US) Perestroïka & Glasnost Berlin Wall falls UN German Reunification USSR crumbles 1945 48 49 50 55 61 62 64 65 75 79 83 85 89 90 1991
Following Spain s defeat in the Spanish American War, Cuba became independent with the island being placed under USA protection Cuba, small island, 160 km from coast of Florida Throughout the 20 th century, American businesses came to dominate the country and they developed a huge naval base there (Guantanamo Bay)
General Batista Fidel Castro
By the 1950s, the dictator General Batista appeared on the political scene to lead Cuba While the Americans initially backed this leader with arms supplies, the brutality of his dictatorship forced the USA to cut off support to him In addition, a resistance movement led by the communist Fidel Castro began there in the late 1950s against Batista & had by 1959 successfully gained control of the country
Following his rise to power, Castro implemented a series of reforms and policies that opposed the USA He nationalized industry (many of these were American) As a result the US placed an embargo on all trade with Cuba (This embargo only being lifted this year, 2015) Sought aid from the USSR to fight poverty in his country Also established economic connections with the USSR
To deal with Castro and his policies, the Americans developed a plan to invade Cuba & remove him from power using Castro opponents who had fled to the USA during the revolution. On April 17, 1961 about 1500 of these rebels landed at the Bay of Pigs but with poor training, arms, & equipment, and were quickly defeated by Castro s forces
It made Castro more popular than ever He now saw the USA as a very serious threat and appealed to the USSR for help to defend his country
Fearing a full scale US invasion, Castro appealed to Khrushchev (USSR) for protection from US USSR had been providing weapons to Castro When exiles invaded in Apr 1961 Castro responded by announcing his intention to follow a socialist road USSR was worried about: US nuclear missiles in Turkey The Missile Gap between the US & USSR From May 1962 Soviet weapons deliveries increased dramatically & by Oct 1962, 42,000 Soviet troops & 150 shortrange nuclear missiles in Cuba
BUDDIES IN SOCIALISM
14 Oct 1962, US U2 spy plane takes photos of suspected USSR nuclear missile sites in Cuba Sites nearing completion, experts believe they could be ready in 7 days! US spy planes identify 20 Soviet ships bound for Cuba carrying nuclear missiles US was worried that it was vulnerable to nuclear attack
Cuba was a new Communist state Cuba provided a launch base for USSR intermediate range continental missiles (IRCMs) Khrushchev wanted to test strength of new US president, JFK Khrushchev wanted to force JFK into bargaining over US missiles in Europe VERSUS KHRUSHCHEV JFK
Image from US-Spy Plane
Image from US-Spy Plane
President. Kennedy announced that the US Navy would stop any Soviet ship carrying missiles to Cuba. US enforced a naval blockade around Cuba & began to build up its military in Florida, etc. for a possible invasion of Cuba to destroy the missile bases & Castro s government.
Video: Cuban Missile Crisis (1:09) "That Tuesday the first of thirteen days of decision unlike any other in the Kennedy years or, indeed, inasmuch as this was the first direct nuclear confrontation, unlike any other in the history of our planet." - Theodore Sorensen, aide to President Kennedy
11 Sep., Kennedy warns Khrushchev, US would prevent installation of Soviet nukes by whatever means necessary in Cuba Khrushchev responds by saying he had no intention of putting nukes there (now relaxed after solution to Berlin Crisis but looking for a victory elsewhere) 14 Oct., US photos of IRBM sites in Cuba 20 Oct., US decides to quarantine (blockade) Cuba 22 Oct., US publicly calls on USSR to remove missiles 22 Oct., US states it will stop & search all ships bound for Cuba in 48 hours 23 Oct., USSR refuses to acknowledge blockade or presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba
23 Oct., USSR calls this an act of war & says its ships will not respect blockade 24 Oct., 1 st Soviet ships (accompanied by submarine with nuclear torpedos) approach 800 km exclusion zone 24 Oct., 18 Soviet ships voluntarily turned back by USSR just before reaching limit set by US (phew!) 25 Oct., photos show continued construction of missile sites US then announced it would invade Cuba if missiles not removed at once 25 Oct., US plans air strike on Cuba for 29 or 30 Oct! THIS WOULD START WW3!
26 Oct., Khrushchev sends 1st Letter to Kennedy offering to remove Soviet missiles & promising not to send any more if US ends blockade & promises not to invade Cuba 27 Oct., Khrushchev sends 2nd Letter now demanding US remove its missiles in Turkey in exchange for Soviet missiles in Cuba 27 Oct., US spy plane shot down over Cuba & pilot killed. Kennedy decided he would ignore 2 nd Letter & respond to the 1 st Letter US military wanted Kennedy to launch air attack 28 Oct., Khrushchev agrees to dismantle Soviet missiles in Cuba
Cuba stayed communist and highly armed. However, the nuclear missiles were withdrawn under UN supervision The crisis helped to create a thaw in the Cold War relations between the USA & USSR. A hotline was established between White House and Kremlin in order to avert a nuclear war In 1963, they both signed a Nuclear Test Ban Treaty which limited the testing of nukes
US removed its obsolete nuclear missiles in Turkey by 1963 (not publically known until 1969) Crisis confirmed Chinese belief that USSR unwilling to stand up to US, widening Sino- Soviet split in communist world
Video review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snc4g8y AURo&safe=active