Cuban Missiles Crisis, 1962

The background in Cuba; Castro; friendship with USSR;

Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs; the crisis of 1962 and its results.

As you revise this, you ought to know about the background to Cuba (including the Bay of Pigs), the events of the crisis and its results.

Background

1. By 1960, the arms race was at an all time high. Both sides were testing nuclear weapons, and the Americans had recently put ICBMs in Turkey

2 There were especial problems in Cuba. The Communist Fidel Castro took power in Cuba. He became Russia's ally - which terrified the Americans, because Cuba is only 90 miles from Florida.

So America helped his opponents invade Cuba at the Bay of Pigs, but it failed.

So Castro asked Russia to give him weapons...

The Bay of Pigs, 1961

Overview

The Communist Fidel Castro took power in Cuba. He became Russia's ally - which terrified the Americans, because Cuba is only 90 miles from Florida.

So the CIA ... gathered - funded - armed - trained ... a force of Cuban exiles, so that they could invade Cuba and take back control. The CIA took the exiles to Cuba; they landed them at the Bay of Pigs.

They were easily defeated - it was a great humiliation for America.

But it also made Castro ask Russia to give him weapons to defend himself against future attacks, which led to the Cuban Missiles crisis.

Facts

• The Bay of Pigs invasion lasted 4 days in April 1961.

• 1,500 Cuban exiles invaded Cuba; 1,173 were taken prisoner.

• In 1962, America paid a ransom of $53 million dollars-worth of food and medicines to get them back.

The Cuban Missiles Crisis, 1962

Overview

The Communist Fidel Castro took power in Cuba. After the Bay of Pigs invasion he asked Russia to give him weapons to defend himself.

Soon after, an American U2 plane took photographs which showed that the Russians were building nuclear missile sites on Cuba - this terrified the Americans, because the missiles would be able to reach any city in America in minutes.

Kennedy ordered his navy to blockade Cuba. Khrushchev threatened to go to war.

everybody thought the world was going to come to an end.

But the Russian ships taking missiles to Cuba turned back, and then Kennedy and Khrushchev did a deal:

• Khrushchev promised to dismantle the missile sites.

• Kennedy promised he would never invade Cuba (and also he secretly promised to dismantle some American missile sites in Turkey).

Facts

• 22 Oct: Kennedy went on TV to tell the American people about the missile sites and promised he would not 'shrink from the risk' of world war..

• 26 Oct: At 6pm, Khrushchev sent a telegram offering to dismantle the sites if Kennedy would promise not to invade Cuba.

• 27 Oct: A U2 plane was shot down over Cuba. It looked as though war was about to happen. But Kennedy ignored it.

Results of Cuba

1 America left Cuba alone.

2 Kennedy was treated like a hero.

3 Khrushchev fell from power.

4 Cuba was the start of the end of the Cold War. Both sides were more careful in future. They set up a telephone ‘hotline’ to talk directly in a crisis, and they agreed a Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

Revision Focus

This is a Paper 1 topic, so concentrate on learning:

1. WHAT happened

2. EFFECTS/ Importance

Links

e-book on Cuba.

Online revision sheet

Spidergram:

• Cuban Missiles Crisis