Confrontation between the superpowers- Cuban Missile Crisis Flashcards
When did Batistas regime collapse and Castro take charge?
In 1959, Batista’s regime collapsed and Castro rode into Cubas capital city: Havana. Previous to this, the USA had shown significant support for Batista’s regime during Castros revolution.
When did Castro introduce his programme of agrarian reform and what did it lead to?
. In May 1959, Castro induced a programme of agrarian reform which led to significant amounts of American owned property being seized by the state which did not generate a US response.
What happened in 1960 when Mikoyan visited Cuba?
US fears of Cuba becoming communist were heightened when Soviet first deputy premier Anastas Mikoyan visited Cuba in February 1960 and arranged $100 million dollars in credit with Castro. This tied Cuba into an economic and political relationship with the USSR.
When did the first shipment of crude oil from the USSR arrive in Cuba and what happened after?
April 1960.
When US owned oil companies refused to refine it, Castro nationalised them. America instantly imposed economic sanctions on Cuba and reduced their imports of Cuban sugar by 95%. This caused Castro to seize $1 billion worth of US assets on Cuba in 1960. By 1961, the USA decided that they had to forcibly remove Castro from Cuba.
What happened in the Bay of Pigs Invasion 1961?
The Bay of Pigs invasion had been planned during the Eisenhower administration and it was JFK who inherited it. The plan was to enable about 1500 anti-Castro exiles to land on Cuba and carry out a military coup to remove him. Kennedy chose to support this attack by the CIA. It was a disaster and a profound humiliation for Kennedy and also confirmed the USSRs and Cubas fears about the USAs intentions for Cuba. The affair also ensured that Castros power in Cuba was affirmed and consolidated.
What was Operation Mongoose 1961, Oplan312 and Oplan314?
On 30th November 1961, Kennedy authorised operation Mongoose. It aimed to overthrow Castro and his regime, primarily through the use of Covert operations within Cuba to destabilise the regime and facilitate an anti-Castro revolt from within. Kennedys military advisers developed an air strike plan known as Oplan312 and a land strike invasion known as OPLAN 314. The USSR had been supplying Castro with arms shipments for some time but the USA did not intervene in this as there was no evidence that such arms could or would threaten the USA
When did Khrushchev decide to place missiles in Cuba and why?
Khruschevs military adviser Malinovsky concluded that in the face of a US attack, Cuba would not stand for more than one week. he hoped to bridge the missile gap between the USA and USSR by placing nuclear weaponry on Cuba as Florida would be an easy target in the face of nuclear attack. He also wanted to create a linkage strategy between Berlin and Cuba. Khrushchev adopted a new approach, he decided to deploy Soviet nuclear missiles on Cuba in 1962.
