US attitudes towards Cuba & developments leading to the missile crisis

what is Cuba

an island in the Caribbean, less than 90 miles from the USA

who is Khrushchev

had been a Stalin hard-liner but denounced him after his death. Appeared to swing from an attitude of cooperation to aggression & provocation; turned up to a conference with Eisenhower following the U2 incident with the sole purpose of wrecking it.

who was Castro

became the leader of Cuba following his guerrilla campaign. Come to power under a banner of nationalism alongside his brother, Raul, and Guevarra.

who was Kennedy

became president in 1961, critical of Eisenhower & the development of the ‘missile gap’. Wanted the appearance of strength & developed the containment strategy of ‘flexible response’ which allowed an increase of conventional forces, nuclear arsenal, economic aid, covert operations & negotiations with the USSR.

who was Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara

trained as a medical student but became committed to social revolution & communism. Joined Casto & his ‘26 July Movement’ in Cuba. Became President of the National Bank of Cuba and Minister of Industry.  He left Cuba to become a guerilla leader in Congo & Bolivia. He was executed in 1967 & his body was buried in a secret location by the CIA.

who is Flugencio Bastista

Dictator in Cuba from 1952-1959. Anti-communist & was ruthless in suppressing opposition to his corrupt regime. Received substantial adi from the USA in the form of financial aid.

Cuba/Latin America was seen as…

America’s backyard

the Cuban constitution gave the USA…

rights of intervention and required Cuba to provide land for naval bases (e.g. Guantanamo Bay)

the USA had a huge…

influence in affairs in America

when did Castro return to Cuba

December 1956

who did Castro return to Cuba with

his brother, Raul Castro, Ernest ‘Che’ Guevara and 79 supporters.

when did Batista’s campaign fall

1 Jan 1959

America had shown…. for the Batista regime throughout Castro’s revolution

little significant support

why did the USA allow Castro’s revolution

they thought Castro was leading a home-grown, nationalist, non-communist uprising

Castro wanted to reduce…

US influence in Cuba

what did Castro do in May 1959

introduced a programme of agrarian reform which led to considerable amounts of American owned property being seized by the state

when did Castro introduce his agrarian reform programme

May 1959

why was the US concerned that Cuba would become a Soviet state

the Soviet First Deputy Prime Minister Anastas Mikoyan visited Cuba

when did Soviet First Deputy Prime Minister Anastas Mikoyan visit Cuba

Feb 1960

what happened Feb 1960

Soviet First Deputy Prime Minister Anastas Mikoyan visited Cuba

what did Soviet First Deputy Prime Minister Anastas Mikoyan arrange

 $100 million in credits with Castro

The USSR delivered the first shipment of crude oil to Cuba in…

April 1960

what happened April 1960

The USSR delivered the first shipment of crude oil to Cuba

what did US companies refuse to do with Soviet shipped crude oil

refine it

what did Castro do to the US owned oil companies

nationalised them

what did the US do in response to the nationalisation of oil companies

America imposed economic sanctions on Cuba & reduced their imports of Cuban sugar by 95%.

what did Castro do in response to the US sugar ban

seized $1 billion worth of US assets in October 1960

what did Castro do in October 1960

seized $1 billion worth of US assets