Cuban missile crisis

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Cuban missile crisis

Causes

  • Development of nuclear weapons
  • (MAD) mutually assured destruction- if one is fired theyare ensuring their own destruction
  • Missiles placed in Cuba by USSR, too close to USA
  • USA's missiles were more accurate
  • Bay of pigs invasion in April 1961 (a miserable failure) pushed Castro much closer to the Soviet Union
  • In september 1962, Soviet technicians began to install ballistic missiles to 'defend' Cuba from further US attacks

Effects

  • 16th October-Kennedy was informed of Khrushchev's plans to place nuclear missile on Cuba
  • 20th October-Kennedy decides to impose a naval blockade around cuba to prevent further missiles reaching Cuba
  • 22nd October-Kennedy gives a public address officially declaring the blockade and calling on Khrushchev to recall his ships
  • 23rd October-Khrushchev sends a letter to Kennedy stating that Soviet ships will break through the blockade
  • 24th October-Soviet ships approach blockade and stop or turn around. Khrushchev issues a statement that USSR is prepared to launch nuclear weapons if America goes to war
  • 25th October- American and soviet armed forces are on the highest level of alert, prepared for war. Kennedy writes to ask Khrushchev to remove missiles
  • 26th October- Khrushchev responds to letter and promises he will if Kennedy promises not to invade Cuba
  • 27th October- Khrushchev hears about  America's plan to invade Cuba in 24 hours. Proposes a deal, will withdraw missiles from Cuba if USA doesn't invade and if it withdraws missiles from Turkey (kept secret)
  • 28th October- Khrushchev accepts deal

Overall summary

-On 30th August 1963 a hotline telephone link was established between the White House in Washington D.C and the Kremlin in Moscow-After the crisis Kennedy was generally seen as a great statesman who had stood up to the communist threat-A number of Soviet politicians thought Khrushchev had been humiliated and he was sacked in 1964-The Partial Test Ban Treaty was signed on August 5th 1963 in which both superpowers agreed to stop testing nuclear weapons in the atmosphere-1968: Nuclear Non-proliferation treaty was signed to stop the spread of nuclear weaponsKhrushchev saw the crisis as a victory as he had saved Cuba from invasion and negotiated the removal of missiles fromTurkey

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