coldwar- confrontation between the superpowers

how did the USA view the carribean

as their own backyard

because cuba was so close to the USA the USA were determined to…

maintain stability there in order to protect its own national interests

what did the cuban constitution give to the USA

rights of intervention and required cuba to provide land for naval bases

when did the cuban nationalist fidel castro return to cuba after a period in exile

december 1956

who did castro return to cuba with

his brother - raul castro and ernesto ‘che’ Guevara and 79 supporters

what was castro and his followers dubbed as

‘los barbudos’ - the bearded ones

who was the leader of cuba at this time

batista

when did batista’s regime collapse

1 january 1959

why did batista’s regime collapse

because of a revolution led by castro

who became the new leader of cuba

castro

fidel castro

• 1927 - 2016

• nationalist revolutionary

• prime minister of cuba from 1959-76

• and then served as the President from 1976 to 2008

• developed cuba as a communist state

• his regime is seen as a dictatorship

ernesto ‘che’ guevara

• 1928- 67

• trained as a medical student but became committed to social revolution and communism

• joined castro and formed the ‘26 july movement’ in cuba

• part of castro’s government and resigned in 1965

• became guerrilla leader in bolivia

• executed in 1967

fulgencio batista

• 1901-73

• dictator of cuba from 1952- 59

• ran cuba as an anti-communist state and supressed opposition to his corrupt regime

• received economic and military aid from the USA

did the USA help batista when the revolution was taking place

No - the USA was willing to let the revolution run its course

when did vice president richard nixon visit a number of latin american states

may 1958

what was the outcome of nixons visit to latin american countries

it led to a shift in US policy towards the region - economic stability became a target and the USA supported the creation of a regional banking institution , the inter american development bank and regional common markets

why did castro need the support of a great power

in order to reduce US economic and political influence in post-revolutionary cuba - castro had to maintain his own authority and cuba’s independence and also avoid alienating powerful internal and external allies

when did castro introduce a programme of agrarian reform

may 1959

programme of agrarian reform in cuba

led to considerable amounts of american owned property being seized by the state

what heightened US fears of cuba becoming a soviet satellite in the carribean and a base from where pro-communist regimes could be managed across latin america

when soviet first deputy premier ,anastas mikoyan visited cuba in february 1960 and arranged 100 million dollars in credits with castro - this tied cuba into a economic and political relationship with the USSR

when did the first shipment of crude oil from the USSR arrive in cuba

april 1960

what did castro do when US owned oil companies refused to refine soviet crude oil

he nationalised them

what did USA do as a result of castro nationalising US-owned oil companies

imposed economic sanctions on cuba and reduced their imports of cuban sugar by 95 percent

when did castro seize 1 billion dollars worth of US assets on cuba

october 1960

for what reasons did castro need the soviet union

foreign and domestic reasons

by when did the USA decide that they had to remove castro and his regime from cuba

by early 1961

bay of pigs invasion

• plan was to enable 1500 anti-castro exiles to land on cuba and carry out a military coup to remove castro

• kennedy chose to support the CIA-inspired attack to land these exiles at the bay of pigs

when was the bay of pigs invasion

april 17 1961

outcome of the bay of pigs invasion for the USA

humiliation and failure

outcome of the bay of pigs invasion for castro

• confirmed his fears about the USAs intention for cuba

• ensured that castro’s power in cuba was affirmed and consolidated

• he had protected cuba from american imperialism

when did kennedy authorise operation mongoose

30 november 1961

operation mongoose

its aim was to overthrow castro and his regime - primarily through the use of covert operations within cuba to destabilise the regime and facilitate an anti-castro revolt from within

who did kennedy appoint to lead operation mongoose

general Edward Lansdale

what two other plans did kennedy’s military advisors develop

• OPLAN 312 - an airstrike plan

• OPLAN 314 - a land-based invasion plan

when did operation quick kick start in the carribean

march 1962

when did khrushchev deploy soviet nuclear missiles on cuba

October 1962

why did khrushchev deploy nuclear missiles on cuba

cuba would stand no chance against a US attack

what did khrushchev additionally give to cuba as well as nuclear missiles

fighter planes, bombers and 14,000 ground troops

what type of missiles were put on cuba

short and medium range - meaning they could reach between 1100 and 2800 km from their launch sites

why was cuba a geostrategic opportunity for khrushchev

• cuba was geographically close to the USA - he acknowledged it would take a long time for the USSR to create long range missiles that could reach the USA

• thus by implementing short range missiles closer to US territory reduced the missile gap

• it would also mean reduced spending on conventional military forces - one of khrushchevs objectives

• would enable khrushchev to direct more resources into the expansionism and modernisation of the soviet nuclear arsenal and still have resources left to invest in the non-military civilian economy

when and how did the USA realise soviets where placing missiles in cuba

14 october- when a U-2 spy plane flight produced evidence of an R-12 missile site at san cristobal

when did kennedy’s national security adviser ,mcgeorge bundy inform him of the presence of soviet nuclear missiles on cuba

16 october 1961

what did kennedy do immediately after hearing about soviet missiles in cuba

assembled an advisory committee known as Excomm

executive committee of the national security council (excomm)

main purpose was to consider policy options and their consequences

members included in excomm

• secretary of state - dean rusk

• defence secretary - robert mcnamara

• attorney general - robert kennedy

• chairman of the joint chiefs of staff - general maxwell taylor

hawks vs doves regarding the cuban missile crisis

• hawks= excomm members who called for US military action

• doves= who favoured a diplomatic solution

why did kennedy not go through with an airstrike

because it would be seen as an act of aggression and could possibly escalate into conflict with the USSR

what did kennedy eventually decide to do instead of an airstrike

a naval blockade - putting cuba into quarantine and preventing any further offensive weapon shipments - mcnamaras idea

when did the security council meet

October 16 1962 - day after the implementation of the naval blockade

what did the US ambassador adlai stevenson say and do

condemned the soviet deployment and referred to cuba as ‘an accomplice in the communist enterprise of world domination’

what did soviet ambassadors realise at the UN security council meeting

khrushchev had not informed them and other officials of the deployment of soviet missiles on cuba

when did the first soviet ship get refused entry to cuba

October 24, 1962

when did khrushchev send a long telegraph to kennedy

26 october 1962

what did the telegraph to kennedy state

that the USSR would remove missiles from cuba if the US agreed to not invade cuba and to remove its missiles from Turkey

why was castro not supportive of a peaceful resolution

he was convinced that an american attack was imminent and feared losing power and influence

when did castro order cuban anti-aircraft forces to start firing on low level reconnaissance planes

26 october

why did excomm oppose the telegraph proposal

• news came through that at U-2 spyplane had been shot down over cuba and the pilot had been killed

• kennedy and excomm members had already committed themselves to responding to such attacks with US air attacks against soviet S-75 anti-aircraft emplacements on cuba

what agreement did khrushchev and kennedy come to

USSR would remove its missiles if the US would remove its missiles from turkey ( secretly) and agree not to invade cuba

why did kennedy not want the withdrawal of missiles in turkey to be public

He feared it would show weakness and undermine NATO's credibility and could not allow the USAs NATO allies to view it as a concession to soviet pressure

when did khrushchev agree to remove missiles

28 october 1962

when was the cuban missile crisis over

28 october 1962

how did castro view the US-soviet agreement

viewed it as a humiliating betrayal by khrushchev and refused to allow inspections of the missile sites once they had been dismantled

what was the significance of the cuban missile crisis

it was the first time that the superpowers came to the brink of nuclear war

how did the US and USSR do to increase diplomatic relations as a result of the cuban missile crisis

• 1963 - creation of a hotline connecting the kremlin and the white house

• october 1963 - moscow test ban treaty

what was the moscow test ban treaty known more formally as ..

treaty banning nuclear weapons tests in the atmosphere , in outerspace and underwater

what did the moscow test ban treaty contribute to

detente