1. The Cold War Outside of Europe
4.2.2 The Cuban Missile Crisis
Causes, Events and Results

3. Richtor Scale of the Cold War:
Cuban Missile Crisis
“Hotline” established
USSR invasion of Afghanistan
Vietnam War
Berlin Wall built
U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam
- Truman Doctrine - Marshall Plan - Molotov Plan - Berlin Blockade & Airlift
Star Wars (Reagan/US)
Korean War
Khrushchev replaced with Brezhnev (USSR)
Perestroïka & Glasnost
DÉTENTE & PEACEFUL
CO-EXISTANCE
Warsaw Pact
NATO
Berlin Wall falls
German Reunification UN
USSR crumbles
’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’85 ’89 ’ 3

4. Cuban Missile Crisis
In October 1962 a major crisis in Cuba involving the USA & the Soviet Union proved to be the closest point the superpowers came to nuclear conflict during the Cold War.
Your focus for the public exam will be on the causes and results of the Cuban Missile Crisis

5. Cuba: Quick Background
Cuba became independent at the beginning of the 20th century following the Spanish American War
Government was very unstable and militaristic
Cuba became dominated by American politics, military and economics during early 20th century

6. Cuba: Quick Background
US Businesses came to dominate the country and by1945, Americans owned
90% of mineral wealth
80% of the utilities
40% of sugar fields
US also developed a huge naval base there (Guantanamo Bay)

7. Cuba in the 1950s
By the 1950s, the right-wing corrupt 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
Throughout the 1950s, a resistance movement against Batista was led by Fidel Castro
By 1959, Castro had ousted Batista & successfully gained control of the country

8. Cuba in the 1950s
General Batista Fidel Castro

9. Cuba Under Castro Castro promised free elections but none were held
Instead he set out to contain all opposition through government control of media, trade unions, & universities
Opposition were silenced, imprisoned, or exiled

10. World Leaders
Khrushchev Castro Kennedy

11. Cuban Missile Crisis Causes
The main causes of this crisis include:
1959 Revolution in Cuba (Castro takes control)
Bay of Pigs invasion
Soviet’s place nuclear missiles in Cuba Missile in Cuba

12. Cause 1: Cuba under Castro
Castro implemented a series of reforms and policies to quickly rid the country of foreign investments & to regain control of Cuba’s economy
centralized economic planning
Nationalization of foreign businesses
Confiscation of foreign owned property ($1 billion owned by USA)
Public housing projects
Govt-funded education & health care

13. Cause 1: Cuba under Castro
These policies were very suspicious to the US which they considered to be communist in nature
American investors and the US government were outraged at the confiscation of American property
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

14. Cause 2: The Bay of Pigs
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 exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs but with poor training, arms, & equipment, and were quickly defeated by Castro’s forces

15. Cause 2: The Bay of Pigs

16. Cause 2: Bay of Pigs…Results
It made Castro more popular than ever
The Bay of Pigs incident embarrassed the United States and its new president, John F. Kennedy.
It also strengthened Cuba’s ties to the Soviet Union.
Castro now saw the USA as a very serious threat and appealed to the USSR for help to defend his country

17. Cause 3: Soviet nukes in Cuba
In July 1962 Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev reached a secret agreement with Castro to place Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba to deter any future invasion attempt. 
Khrushchev uses this as excuse to put nuclear weapons close to US as the US had weapons close to USSR in Turkey
By Oct 1962, 42,000 Soviet troops & 150 short-range nuclear missiles in Cuba

18. What happened during the October Crisis?
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

19. Why did the USSR do this? VERSUS 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

20. Image from US-Spy Plane

21. Image from US-Spy Plane

22. Range of Soviet Missiles

23. What Should JFK DO? Do Nothing
Offer to remove US missiles from Turkey in exchange for removal from Cuba
Blockade Cuba by putting ships around it
Lauch air attacks on the Cuban missile sites
Invade and occupy the island

24. JFK’s Decision
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.

26. 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

27. Cuban Missile Crisis: End of the Crisis
By October 28 the Soviets agreed to withdraw the missiles in exchange for:
US promise never to invade Cuba
Immediate end to the naval blockade
US must withdraw its missiles from Turkey
The American public didn’t know about the missiles in Turkey so Kennedy wanted to do that in secret at a later date

28. Results
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

29. Cuban Missile Crisis for Dummies
Video review
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