Cuban Missile Crisis

1955-1970

• Cuba was a threat to the USA because they were communist. They had nuclear weapons which could hit most of the US states in 10 minutes.
• In 1953 Fidel Castro, a Cuban man, tried to overthrow the Cuban government but he was defeated and put into prison. After his release in 1955, he fled from Cuba but then in 1956 he came back and started a guerrilla war. By 1959 he had enough supprt to take Cuba's capital (Havana) and successfully overthrow the government. He began to work with the USSR because he had always been influenced by communism.

Bay of Pigs:

• USA's attempt to overthrow Castro.
• Sent 1400 armed Cuban exiles to lead a revolution. It failed, they were met by 20,000 armed Cubans and Castro decided that Cuba needed USSR military assistance.
• In 1962, a U2 spy plane flew over Cuba and took photos, they saw Soviet missiles. 
• Kennedy ordered a 'naval blockade' on…