How the climate of the Cold War contributed to the development of the crisis?
Fidel Castro making a speech to his rebel group.
In the 1950’s Cuba was ruled by dictator, Fulgencio Batista, where the majority of Cubans were poor. Batista was strongly supported the USA. The USA considered Havana, Cuba’s capital as their recreation ground. Americans invested over $200 million in Cuba, yet the poor continued to be very poor as Batista’s government kept it all. Socialism (political theory- money should be equally distributed) was widely spread amongst a large amount of Cubans and thus they rebelled Batista’s oppression.
The compact group of rebels first trial to overthrow the government failed. As a result they moved to Sierra Maestra (a remote area), where they improved their strategies and educated the needy. They also used Mao Tse Tung (Chinese communist), which was to help the troubled poor people.
In 1959 Fidel Castro lead the rebel group and successfully overthrew the government. Castro began with punishing who abused the poor and he executed those who were found guilty. He nationalized all the American companies in Cuba. The money earned from this was spent on a free health system and on education. The USA’s reaction was refusing to undertake any trade with Cuba. In 1960, Castro considered himself a socialist and not a communist. The trade ban between the USA and Cuba brought Russia together with Cuba since it bought Cuba’s sugar and other exports. This was significant because a proxy war was between the USSR and the USA, thus it rose tension between the two superpowers.
At the moment, the USA had a supporter of communism only 50 miles away from Florida. The latest American president J F Kennedy established to give aid to anti-Castro Cubans who came to Florida. In 1961, accompanied by the CIA (Central Intelligence agency), a party of equipped Cubans tried to get off at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba with the intention to overthrow Castro’s government. This failed as their transport landed without fuel and they owned no maps of the island. This event showed Castro where America stood in connections to Cuba. Following the Bay of Pigs fail (military invasion of Cuba), Cuba experienced threat by her extremely dominant neighbor and set a stronger and closer relationship with the Russia who could protect them.
In May 1962, Nikita Khrushchev got the idea to place nuclear missiles in Cuba in case of a US invasion.Likewise, to the missiles placed in Turkey in case of a soviet invasion. Because of the US’s espionage on Cuba, on October 16 1962 the US president, John Kennedy was shown investigation pictures of the Soviet missile installation establishments in Cuba. The US president announced on TV the discovery of missiles installation in Cuba, any attack from Cuba will be considered an attack from the Soviet union, and would be reacted to consequently. The executive committee of the national security council believed that a full scale attack and capture of Cuba was the only option. However, doing this the Soviet would react to that and this will certainly lead to MAD (mutual assured destruction).
He also enforced a naval blockade on Cuba to prevent any further equipment from the Soviet Union. Throughout the catastrophe, the two sides swapped many letters. On October 26, Khrushchev sent the US president proposing that the Soviets would dismantle the missile installation in exchange for the US not invading Cuba. On 27th of October, another letter was sent proposing that missile installations would be disassembled if the US dismantled its missiles installation located in Turkey.
On October 28 Khrushchev made it public that he would disassemble the missile installation in Cuba and replace them to the Soviet Union. President Kennedy approved the first offer and secretly accept the second. The US ended the naval blockade on November 10 1962 and the Soviets returned their nuclear missiles and weapons to the Soviet Union near the end of the year. Also the US missiles located in Turkey were dismantled in 1963.
Where the nation is on the map and why this location was strategic for both the U.S & U.S.S.R.
US: Cuba’s geographical position on the map is extremely important for the US. This is because it extends across the access location spots from the Gulf of Mexico that lead into the Atlantic Ocean, thus it could impact the export of the US agricultural products through the Mississippi river and New Orleans. As a result, significant naval force or air power in Cuba could blockade the Gulf of Mexico and consequently the American trade routes..
Soviet: Cuba’s location was strategically important for the Soviet because they could blockade the Gulf of Mexico. According to the Soviets, building a pro-soviet system in Cuba was a geopolitical opportunity as it is close to the US and it would threaten the US’s trade routes. This would interfere with the US’s containment policy as it would put them in direct tension and fear of the spread of communism and a nuclear war.
What political, economic and militaristic special interest served the U.S. and U.S.S.R.
US:
Cuba is relatively close to the USA, therefore if it becomes a communist America's containment policy would fail and they would feel threatened by the spread of communism. It can also impact the trade route of the US as they could blockade any ships or aircrafts that get delivered to the US, which is threatening since they can not form successful trade relationships with other countries. To gain protection from any communism navy military: if they can control the navy of Cuba they would be protected from the navy attacks of any enemy. It acted like a gate, if the gate is open it could allow strangers or enemies in that could heavily impact the US politically, economically and military. The US had many business in Cuba including factories, oil refineries and casinos. This was extremely important for recreational and economical reasons as the US would benefit from factories and oil refineries. They were also a huge importer of Cuban sugar, as they imported 3 million tons of sugar.
USSR:
Firstly, to boost their superpower by threatening America with a nuclear attack from Cuba, which is only 50 miles away. This means that it could simply destroy whole of America. Secondly, to make stronger the USSR’s bargaining condition through its trials to compel West Berlin to join the East Berlin. Thirdly, to protect Cuba from the US’s invasion and strengthening the USSR’s status (Cubanmissilescrisis.org). Since the Americans put an end to the trade between itself and Cuba, which was known as the trade embargo, the USSR benefited from that. It was also a shock to Castro because sugar was the main product of the Cuban economy. In 1960, the USSR signed an agreement to purchase 1 million tonnes of Cuban sugar per year. Fidel Castro, who was not a communist at the start yet a socialist, he became a communist after the USSR relationship development (History.com). Trade was a significantly important since the USSR were able to export and import more products, improving their economy. They decided to purchase the full amount of sugar exports cut by the US. This was accompanied by an announcement from the republic of China to buy 500 thousand tons of sugar from Cuba per year for the following 5 years. IN 1961, the Soviet Bloc and China absorbed a whooping 4,891,000 tons out of a total of 6,464,000 tons (Coldwarstudies.com)
How the Cuban Missiles Crisis was important the overall development of the Cold War?
The Cuban Missile Crisis is a significant historical event as it taught both side, the US and the USSR learnt the risk of a nuclear war. If the nuclear war did in fact happen it would have nearly turned the cold war into a hot war, where it could destroy the whole world. At the end of the crisis, the US and the USSR established a hotline to allow clear communication between them in the occurrence of another crisis. Nuclear testing in 19 The Cuban missile crisis was important to the development of the cold war because it allowed to continue. If a nuclear war happened, it would have lead to a global catastrophe. Also the USSR were humiliated in the crisis because of the superior military power of the US. Thus, they started to construct a modern navy and improve the size and amount of missiles and warheads, which made them achieve military parity with the US. This gave power to the USSR and allowed it to continue the cold war strategically and powerfully. The Cuban missile crisis end relieved the world since it was the closest the two superpowers have been to start a potential process of WW3.
Historical Event: The Nuclear Test Ban Treaty signed on August 5 1963 was an important to the development of the cold war. It was signed in Moscow by Dean Rusk, the United States’s Secretary, Andrei Gromyko, the Soviet Foreign Minister and Lord Home, the British Foreign Secretary. It was also signed one day before the anniversary of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. It officially announced the ban of nuclear testings,which allowed the world to feel relieved from the tension and danger of that deadly weapon. It also ensured that no countries in the future would make the same mistake the US and the USSR did, where they nearly ended the world. This treaty relaxed tension and made everyone realize how dangerous nuclear weapons are until today.
Long-term impacts the crisis had on the lives of the people in the nations involved (not the U.S. or U.S.S.R)
The USSR and the US established a detente (relaxation of tension through agreements) on the 5th of August 1963, where they signed the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty with other nations that clarifies that nuclear testing are prohibited. This saved the world as the probability of a nuclear war occurring in the future would be low. Also both countries signed the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty in 1963, where the both agreed not to provide other countries with nuclear weapons and technology. The Cuban Missile Crisis had an impact on Cuba itself when the US broke off any diplomatic connections with Cuba and urged a trade embargo in 1960. Thus, Cuba has not traded with the USA for over 55 years and travel between both countries was highly restricted. However, in 2015 Barack Obama announced to change the embargo policy by normalizing the relationship between the two countries. The us will reestablish an embassy in havana, we are taking to increase travel commerce and the flow of the information from and to to Cuba. With the changes his announcing the american cuban relationship is improved. The united Nation General Assembly however has voted against the embargo. Lastly, Cuba faces many impacts of the Cuban Missile Crisis since they had developed a strong trading relationship with the USSR throughout the cold war, however their economy has declined and git affected by the USSR’s collapse in 1991.
Works Cited Book: Allison, Graham T. and Philip Zelikow. Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis. 2nd edn. New York: Longman, 1999. Websites: By Secret Agreement the Turkish Missiles Will Also Be Removed. "The Cuban Missile Crisis – How Close to Nuclear War Did We Get?" The Week UK. N.p., 2015. Web. 26 Oct. 2016.
"BBC ON THIS DAY | 28 | 1962: World Relief as Cuban Missile Crisis Ends." BBC News. BBC, 28 Oct. 1962. Web. 26 Oct. 2016. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/28/newsid_2621000/2621915.stm>. By Secret Agreement the Turkish Missiles Will Also Be Removed. "The Cuban Missile Crisis – How Close to Nuclear War Did We Get?" The Week UK. N.p., 28 Oct. 2015. Web. 26 Oct. 2016. <http://www.theweek.co.uk/66299/the-cuban-missile-crisis-how-close-to-nuclear-war-did-we-get>. "Cold War: Cuban Missile Crisis." Cold War: Cuban Missile Crisis. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2016. <https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/archives/colc.html>. "The Cuban Missile Crisis - History Learning Site." History Learning Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2016. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/modern-world-history-1918-to-1980/the-cold-war/the-cuban-missile-crisis/>. "Frequently Asked Questions | Cuban Missile Crisis." Cuban Missile Crisis. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2016. <http://www.cubanmissilecrisis.org/background/frequently-asked-questions/>. History.com Staff. "Fidel Castro." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 26 Oct. 2016. <http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/fidel-castro>. News, BBC. "Timeline: US-Cuba Relations." BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2016. <http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-12159943>. @stratfor. "Beneath the U.S. Obsession With Cuba." Stratfor. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2016. <https://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20090413_beneath_u_s_obsession_cuba>. "U.S.-Cuba Relations: The Embargo, Embassies and Cigars." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2016. <http://edition.cnn.com/2014/12/17/politics/cuban-embargo-questions-answers/>. Wolfe, Lisa Reynolds, About Lisa Reynolds WolfeWidely Published, Lisa Holds a Ph.D. in Politics from New York University and a Master of Science in Policy Analysis and Public Management from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Areas of Particular Interest and Expe, Perla Says, Lisa Reynolds Wolfe Says, Francisco De La Torre Says, and Student Says. "World Soccer 2010 Free E-Book." Cold War. N.p., 13 Dec. 2010. Web. 26 Oct. 2016. <http://www.coldwarstudies.com/2010/12/13/cold-war-havana-prelude-to-american-sanctions/>. Video: Cuban Missile Crisis Documentary. Youtube. CwnInternational, 2012. Web. 26 Oct. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ig8UdfQKXSY>. BBC History File: Cuban Missile Crisis. Dir. Mr M Lewis. Youtube. BBC, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC4XhIjBPEQ>. Images: Castro Announces Mariel Boatlift. Digital image. HIstory.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016. <http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/castro-announces-mariel-boatlift>. John Green S Notes From Kenya A Spoonful Of Sugar. Digital image. Clipart Kid. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016. <http://www.clipartkid.com/john-green-s-notes-from-kenya-a-spoonful-of-sugar-PtomI1-clipart/>. Revolution Is the Mother of Change. Digital image. Alai. N.p., 14 May 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016. <http://www.alainet.org/es/node/177547>.