Cuban Missile Crisis Overview

Flashcards focused on key vocabulary and concepts related to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Cuban Missile Crisis

A 1962 confrontation between the USA and USSR resulting from the discovery of Soviet missiles in Cuba.

Key Players

The main figures involved: USA - President John F. Kennedy, USSR - Premier Nikita Khrushchev, Cuba - Fidel Castro.

Cold War

A period of geopolitical tension between the USSR and the USA, characterized by ideological conflict.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

A failed US-backed operation in 1961 aimed at overthrowing Fidel Castro, which strengthened the ties between Cuba and USSR.

US Response to Crisis

Kennedy announced a naval blockade of Cuba to prevent further Soviet missile deliveries.

Tension Peak Dates

October 22-28, 1962, when the world faced the threat of nuclear war.

Public Deal of Resolution

The USSR agreed to remove missiles from Cuba in exchange for a US pledge not to invade the island.

Secret Deal of Resolution

The US agreed to remove its Jupiter missiles from Turkey, which was not publicly disclosed.

Significance of Crisis

Highlighted nuclear war dangers and resulted in the Hotline Agreement and the 1963 Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

Containment Policy

US strategy to prevent the expansion of communism in the Western Hemisphere.

Brinkmanship

The practice of pursuing a dangerous policy to the limits of safety before stopping.

Détente

A period of improved relations between superpowers following the crisis.

Impact on Latin America

Increased US interventions in Latin America post-crisis, such as the Alliance for Progress.