The Cuban Revolution and the Cuban Missile Crisis

The Cuban Revolution

Cuba in the 1900s

• Cuba gained its independence from Spain in 1898.
• In the 1900s, Cuba's wealth was largely controlled by American companies, particularly in the sugar and tourism industries.
• The leader of Cuba was Fulgencio Batista.

Batista's Cuba

• Batista was initially elected as president but later became a dictator.
• Many Cubans were dissatisfied with Batista's rule due to social and economic problems.
• A small class of wealthy Cubans held most of the power, while the majority of the population was poor and had little power.

Power to the People

• Revolutionaries, led by Fidel Castro, began to rise up against the government.
• Castro and his forces launched an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow Batista's government in 1953 but initiated a full-scale war in 1955.
• Castro's forces suffered many defeats against Batista; Castro was even arrested and sentenced to 15 years in jail.
• Castro was released after serving two years and fled to Mexico to assemble a new group of rebel fighters.
• The U.S. initially supported Castro because he promised to establish a democracy in Cuba and supplied him with resources.
• By 1959, Castro and his men drove Batista and his supporters out of Havana and seized control of the government.

Fidel Castro

• In 1959, Castro defeated the Batista government.
• Castro seized absolute power and became the dictator of Cuba.
• He executed approximately 700 of his enemies, and many more were imprisoned.
• The U.S. initially backed Castro because he pledged to democratize Cuba and provided him with supplies to help defeat Batista.

The Cuban Missile Crisis

A Brief Chronology

• October 14, 1962: A U.S. U2 reconnaissance flight over Cuba spots sites installing nuclear missiles.
• October 15: The presence of missiles is confirmed.
• October 16: The President is notified.
• October 16-22: Secret deliberations occur regarding the appropriate response.
• October 22: President Kennedy announces his plan for a naval blockade and quarantine of Cuba.
• October 24: The naval quarantine begins and successfully changes the course of many Soviet ships.
• October 25: One Soviet ship challenges the naval quarantine, but Kennedy allows it to pass.
• October 25: At the UN, Adlai Stevenson directly challenges the Soviet ambassador to admit to the existence of missiles. When the ambassador refuses, Stevenson reveals photographs of the missile sites.
• October 26: The Soviets suggest a deal: if the U.S. promises not to invade Cuba, they will withdraw the missiles.
• October 27: The Soviets demand that the Americans also withdraw missiles from Turkey.
  • A U.S. spy plane goes missing over Cuba and is presumed shot down.
  • A U.S. reconnaissance plane strays over Soviet airspace, leading to high tensions.
  • Kennedy informs Khrushchev that he will accept the proposal from October 26.
  • Kennedy instructs his brother to inform the Soviet Ambassador that although the Turkey missiles would not be part of the formal bargain, they would be removed in due course.
• October 28: The USSR agrees to withdraw the missiles.

John F. Kennedy and the Election of 1960

JFK

• Wealthy, handsome, and charismatic.
• Only 43 years old.
• Roman Catholic.
• Kennedy looked and spoke more effectively than Nixon but was considered weak on Communism.

Nixon

• More experienced.
• Eight years as Vice President.
• Former Governor.
• Strong anti-Communist stance.

Television and the Election

• Television was central to people's lives, and many observers attributed Nixon's loss to his poor appearance in the televised presidential debates.
• JFK appeared cool and collected, while Nixon, according to one observer, resembled a "sinister chipmunk."

Kennedy and Civil Rights

• Nixon took no public position.
• JFK called Coretta Scott King to express sympathy following Martin Luther King Jr.'s arrest.
• Bobby Kennedy persuaded the judge who had sentenced King to release him on bail, which helped JFK appeal to the African-American community.
• JFK won by fewer than 119,000 votes.

Containment

Vietnam

• The U.S. feared the spread of communism; this fear was the backdrop to the Vietnam War.
• After WWII, the Vietnamese rose up against France.
• France asked the U.S. for assistance.
• In 1954, France withdrew from Vietnam.
• Vietnam divided into North and South.
• Ho Chi Minh led North Vietnam.