Castro’s Foreign Policies

Nationalizing In the spring, Castro nationalized Shell, Esso, and Standard Oil, all who refused to process Soviet crude Castro then nationalized more American assets in Cuba, including banks and sugar mills

Castro and the USSR Following the establishment of diplomatic ties to the Soviet Union, Cuba became increasingly dependent on Soviet markets and military and economic aid

Castro and the USSR Concerned about U.S. reprisals, no country would risk providing weapons to Cuba except Russia The Soviet Union imported 1 million tons of sugar in return for oil, technicians, fertilizers, and industrial goods

The March 1960 Havana Harbor Incident A French ship blew up that was carrying Belgian arms and ammunition 81 people were killed with hundreds more injured Although there was no evidence that Americans committed this action, he blamed it on them He invented a new slogan used at the end of every speech – “Homeland or Death, We Shall Prevail!”

Last Straw President Dwight D. Eisenhower didn’t support the regime because Castro unofficially supported communism In May, the CIA began to arm exiled terrorists and the mob against Cuba During the winter of , there was an increase in CIA-supervised bombing and incendiary raids piloted by exiled Cubans based in the U.S. In June 1960, Congress passed legislation enabling President Eisenhower to take “retaliatory steps” An embargo was placed on Cuba which still exists

The Bay of Pigs Invasion In January 1961, diplomatic ties were broken In April, an invasion force of Cuban exiles trained in the U.S. by the CIA invaded Cuba Only three U.S. made planes bombed Cuban air bases They used U.S. equipment and landed at several sites, the main one being the Bay of Pigs

The Bay of Pigs Invasion Castro had agents in the CIA and knew of the invasion plans He arrested at least 20,000 people and held them in theaters or sports arenas as a precaution His troops were waiting for them and captured 1,100 men

The Bay of Pigs Invasion Castro compared the attack to Pearl Harbor and compared Kennedy’s policies to Hitler Castro agreed to the repatriation of the prisoners in exchange for $53 million in food and medicine The invasion resulted in the boosting the popularity of Castro, even in other Latin America countries

Cuban Missile Crisis Since the U.S. had ringed the USSR with hostile alliances and nuclear missiles aimed at the country, the Krushchev decided to install medium-range nuclear missiles in Cuba This was done because: – It would counter U.S. nuclear missiles – They believed it could win a nuclear war – Double the number of targets that Soviet missiles were capable of hitting

Cuban Missile Crisis In July 1962, the U.S. government became aware that missiles were being imported and set up in Cuba U-2 spy planes photographed the missile sites By October 16 th, President Kennedy opted for a naval quarantine (blockade) to prevent Soviet ships bearing missiles from reaching Cuba

Cuban Missile Crisis The USSR denounced the blockade From October 22 nd -24 th, Soviet ships were on course for Cuba The U.S. put its nuclear forces on red alert and assembled an invasion force in Florida

Cuban Missile Crisis On October 24 th, the Soviet ships slowed down and then changed course away from Cuba Khrushchev sent Kennedy a message offering to withdraw the missiles in Cuba in exchange for: – A U.S. pledge never to invade the island – U.S. withdrawal of nuclear missiles in Turkey

Results of the Cuban Missile Crisis It was the closest to nuclear war that any two countries have ever come The Soviet and U.S. missiles were removed The U.S. had to tolerate a Communist country in the Caribbean Relations were stained between Khrushchev and Castro It led to a decrease in tension in the Cold War Khrushchev was discredited

Relations Between the Cubans and Soviets Are Mended Relations with the Soviet Union were strained after the Cuban Missile Crisis. Castro wanted the Soviets to oust the Americans from Guantanimo Bay, among other things Feelings were quickly eased when a Soviet diplomat named Anastas Mikoyan was sent to Cuba. His wife had recently died, but he chose to go to Cuba anyhow

Castro’s During the Prague Spring In 1968, Castro made a public gesture to the USSR that caused the Soviet leadership to reaffirm their support for him Two days after the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia to repress the Prague Spring, Castro took to the airwaves and publicly denounced the Czech rebellion

Che Guevara He had joined the 26 th of July Movement in Mexico and was 2 nd in command during the successful revolution In 1965, Che Guevara went to the Congo to educate the Marxist Simba movement in Marxist ideology and guerilla warfare, but later fled to Europe Later, on without much Cuban support, he went to Bolivia to lead a rebellion and died

Che Guevarra During his life, he had: – Reviewed appeals for those convicted as war criminals – Instituted agrarian reform as Minister of Industries – Serving as National Bank President – Served as Instructional Director for Cuba’s armed forces – Traversed the globe as a diplomat on behalf of Cuban socialism Upon his death, he became a cultural symbol in Cuba

Castro in Africa and Latin America In 1975, Castro ordered the deployment of Cuban troops to Angola in order to aid the Marxist MPLA- ruled government against the South African-backed UNITA opposition forces. In 1977, Cuban troops were also sent to Marxist Ethiopia to assist Ethiopian forces in the Ogaden War with Somalia In 1979, Castro extended support to Marxist Revolutionary movements throughout Latin America, such as aiding the Sandinistas in overthrowing the Somoza dictatorship in Nicaragua

Castro’s Foreign Policy With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Cuba’s economy was devastatingly effected Ever since, Castro has been trying to improve relations between Cuba, Europe, Latin American, and Caribbean countries

Castro’s Foreign Policy At a summit meeting of sixteen Caribbean countries in 1998, Castro called for regional unity, saying that only strengthened cooperation between Caribbean countries would prevent their domination by rich nations in a global economy

Castro’s Foreign Policy In December 2001, European Union representatives described their political dialogue with Cuba as back on track after a weekend of talks in Havana The EU praised Cuba's willingness to discuss questions of human rights

Effects of U.S. Aggression The EU and UN both signed resolutions deploring the U.S. trade embargo Forced the Castro regime to be on the defensive Ensured the development of a totalitarian state Forced the Cubans into the Communist camp and an alliance with the USSR Damaged the development of Cuba