Castro and Lumumba Flashcards
Who was Fidel Castro? (Goff et. al)
Fidel Castro- born 1926, went to law school in Havana. He worked to overthrow the rule of General Batista and he orchestrated the Cuban Revolution and implemented agricultural/land reforms to redistribute land to destabilize the dominance of big businesses. He was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008. He did not initially promote communism but did side with the USSR because Eisenhower refused to meet with him after he had overthrown Batista.
What was the nature of Cuba pre-revolution? (Goff et al)
Cuba had independence but not sovereignty. It was under the dictatorship of Batista. It was a US vacay spot and a source of cheap sugar. Most Cubans lived in poverty, with a 50% literacy rate, and Havana was a drug, prostitution, etc. center.
What was the nature of the Cuban Revolution? (Goff et. al)
In the late 1950s, Fidel Castro and his 26 July Movement led a nationalist guerrilla movement, joining up with workers and students in Havana, to successfully overthrow Bautista Jan. 1, 1959. Castro became the new Cuban president and launched a new social revolution, including land reforms, better healthcare, etc. 70% of Cubans benefited from the reforms, but because US businesses owned much Cuban land, conflict approached.
How did Cuba become a Cold War battleground? (Goff et al)
US businesses in Cuba pressured the Eisenhower admin to consider Cuba a threat to US interests. In 1960, Cuba and USSR signed a trade agreement that the Soviets would buy Cuban sugar at a high price and sell Cuba oil at a low price. American refineries refused to refine the Soviet oil for Cuba, so Castro nationalized all refineries. Eisenhower responded by no longer buying Cuban sugar, so the USSR took up the US’s sugar quota. After the Bay of Pigs invasion, Castro responded by declaring himself a Marxist-Leninist, and the situation escalated into the Cuban missile crisis.
What were the after-effects of the Cuban Rev? (Goff et. al)
Cuban dependence on USSR grew and thousands of Cubans left for the US, particularly to Miami, FL, which hindered Castro’s regime to some extent. There was an increased dependency on sugar with disastrous economic results, and the liberties of citizens were reduced. However, there was improvement in education (90% literacy rate 1962), healthcare, housing, and Castro took the rev to other LA countries.
What were the earlier causes of the Cuban missile crisis (Mamaux)
Castro’s two goals were to improve the social welfare of Cubans and rid Cuba of US influence. When the US refused to refine Soviet oil for Cuba, the Cubans nationalized their refineries, which infuriated Eisenhower because Cuba nationalized other entities, affecting US business. Eisenhower authorized the training of anti-Castro cuban exiles for a plan to overthrow Castro. This plan would become the Bay of Pigs invasion and would contribute to the Cuban Missile crisis.
What led to the Bay of Pigs invasion and what was it? (Mamaux)
JFK had to take a hard position against Castro as promised during campaign, and he inherited Eisenhower’s invasion plan of sending in Cuban exiles. JFK thought that the Cubans in Cuba would support the American invasion, in fact, the plan was contingent upon their support. JFK was conflicted but the invasion took place anyways, many rebels captured/killed because JFK pulled back US air support for more “deniability,” and the invasion was a public relations disaster and a violating of international law. Castro was shaken, and in response he declared himself a Marxist-Leninist and requested Soviet aid. This led to missile crisis.
What led to the Cuban Missile Crisis and what was it? (Mamaux)
The US had missiles in Turkey ready to launch at Moscow. USSR was vulnerable so had goal of security, also wanted to secure Castro’s regime. Therefore, in 1962, USSR installed mid-range nukes in Cuba. Didn’t need long range since Cuba was so close to US. US U2 plane reported ballistic missile sites in Cuba, JFK announced quarantine on Cuba (which was technically an act of war and violated treaties of international waters)- navy would search all ships coming to Cuba. These actions enforced brinkmanship policies. A Soviet ship was on its way to Cuba with missiles, and this would start a war. However, JFK and Krushchev (Soviet Premier) came to an agreement: The US would dismantle nukes in Turkey if Krushchev turned ship around and dismantled Cuban nukes. Deal worked; world thought USSR lost bc Turkey wasn’t public.
What was the impact/significance of Cuban missile crisis? (Mamaux)
Culmination of Cold War tensions. Castro’s regime unharmed. US continued embargo on Cuba, CIA tried and failed to kill Castro many times, Cuba would become a revolutionary hot spot.
Who was Lumumba?
Patrice Lumumba was the democratically elected Prime Minister of the Congo after the Congo gained independence from Belgium. He appealed to the UN for help in stabilizing the country and then to the USSR. This caused the US to flag him as a communist, making plans to assassinate him. He was removed from his Prime Minister position by President Joseph Kasavubu, so he established his own government in Stanleyville with USSR support. His government and Kasavubu’s were overthrown by Joseph Mobutu, and Lumumba was executed.
Who was Colonel Joseph Mobutu? (Mamaux)
Joseph Mobutu was commander in chief under President Kasasvubu after the Congo gained its independence. He overthrew Kasavubu and ordered Soviet troops to leave the Congo in an attempt to stabilize the nation, which was fracturing. The US saw this as anti-communism and began to support him. He executed Lumumba and later turned the Congo into a corrupt, authoritarian government. When the Cold War ended, the US, France, and Belgium all withdrew their support of Mobutu because of his crimes against human rights and the economy of Zaire crashed. Mobutu was later overthrown, he fled to Morocco and died 1997.
What was the Congo Crisis and how did it arise?
The Congo gained independence from Belgium June 1960. However, there were still Belgians living in the Congo as officers. The Congolese army mutinied against the remaining Belgians, so Belgium sent troops into the Congo. This was illegal because the Congo Republic was an independent nation. Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba appealed to the UN for help: Not only were the Belgians acting illegally, the Southern Region of the Congo- Katanga– had seceded under the leadership of Moise Tshombe, a rival leader. The UN asked Belgian troops to withdraw. However, the UN would not take sides in the internal struggle. Therefore Lumumba appealed to the USSR for help, and they obliged but the atttack on Katanga was unsuccessful. President Kasavubu removed Lumumba as prime minister because of his involvement with the Soviets, so Lumumba established another government in Stanleyville and received more Soviet assistance. At this point, Colonel Joseph Mobutu overthrew Lumumba’s government and had him executed. Then three of the four governments agreed to cooperate, and the UN assisted them in overthrowing Katanga under Tshombe. Mobutu became the leader of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
What was the role of the UN in the Congo Crisis?
When Lumumba appealed to the UN for help in stabilizing the country after Katanga’s secession and in removing the Belgians, the UN sent an intervention force called the ONUC- Operation of the UN in the Congo. The UN’s role as defined by Resolution 143 was to restore/maintain law, order, economic stability so it could not take sides in the internal struggle unless the belligerents fired upon the UN forces. The UN sent 10K peacekeeping troops to the Congo, but Lumumba appealed to the USSR instead because UN Secretary Dag Hammarskjold refused to assist him in defeating Tshombe. Later, after Lumumba’s death, the UN surprisingly agreed to help the three united factions of government defeat Katanga. In 1963, Katanga was defeated and united with the rest of the Congo.
How did the USSR play a role in the Congo Crisis?
Nikita Khrushchev wanted the Congo to become a revolutionary, socialist regime to win it for the USSR’s list of client states. He supported Lumumba when Lumumba was trying to defeat Moise Tshombe in Katanga. He also supported him when he set up a new govt in Stanleyville by giving him weapons. However, Mobutu ended up removing Soviet forces. Soviet involvement was much more pronounced than US involvement, but their actions were seen as opportunistic and caused them to lose support, especially when Kruschev proposed that the Soviets, Westerners, and Afro-Asian nations form a government in the Congo.
How did the US play a role in the Congo Crisis?
The Eisenhower admin wanted a stable, prowestern government in the Congo after it became independent. However, the US supported the UN decision not to intervene in the internal power struggle. It also supported the Belgians’ involvement initially This pushed Lumumba to go to the Soviets for help, causing the US to brand him as a communist, despite him saying otherwise. The US began planning to overthrow and assassinate him. The US also supported Mobutu, the man who overthrew and killed Lumumba, because of his anti-Soviet policies. The CIA was also very involved in the murder of Lumumba with CIA chief Allen Dulles ordering his assasination and contacting Congolese individuals who were willing to carry it out.
