Cold War Crises 1958-70 Flashcards
(50 cards)
Why was tension created between Cuba and the USA in 1959?
Fidel Castro, the new leader of Cuba was a nationalist and did not want his country ro be under American control
Why did tension escalate between Cuba and the USA after Fidel Castro become leader?
US refused to provide economic aid unless Cuba followed guidelines
Cuban government took control over all land owned by foreign nationals
Castro appointed a communist government
Eisenhower reduced the amount of sugar the USA would buy from Cuba.
Why was this so significant
Sugar was Cuba’s main export and the USA was an important investor
Which President of America replaced Eisenhower?
President John F Kennedy
What did JF Kennedy and the CIA plan to otherthrow Cuba?
To train Cuban exiles so they can otherthrow Cuba
Why did JF Kennedy and the CIA want to use cuban exiles to overthrow Cuba?
The USA could claim they were’nt involved and it was a counter revolution
What was the ‘Bay of Pigs’ incident?
When John F Kennedy and the CIA trained cuban exiles to otherthrow Castro
Why was the ‘Bay of Pigs’ incident a complete failure?
The cuban exiles had little military experience
US could not send any support
Castro’s government found out about the invasion plan
What did Castro do to humilate the USA after the ‘Bay of Pigs’ incident?
He showed wrecked aeroplanes and evidience of Cuban victory to journalists around the world
What the result of the ‘Bay of Pigs’ for the USA?
A humiliating and embarrassing failure
How did the ‘Bay of Pigs’ incident effect the relations between Cuba and the Soviet Union?
Relations became stronger
After Castro defeated the USA’s failed invasion, what did he ask Krushchev to do?
Help him defend Cuba against any future attack from the USA
When Cuba asked krushchev for help of safety after the USA’s failed invasion, How did Krushchev respond?
Krushchev publicly announced that he would provide arms to Cuba
Why was Kennedy extremely concerned that Krushchev would provide arms to Cuba?
Cuba would now have modern military equipment and training, meaning the USA wouod be under direct threat
Krushchev told the USA that he would not send nuclear weapons to Cuba
How did America find out he was lying?
An american spy plane caught soviet ships sailing to Cuba, carrying missiles
Why did Krushchev take the highly provokative step, sending nuclear weapons to Cuba?
NATO had missiles in Turkey which was a threat to USSR
the berlin wall was seen as a krushchev failure so we wants to restore his reputation
What was The Thirteen Days, 1962?
President JFK and an executive commity discussed how USA should react to thr threat of cuban missiles
How did President JFK decide to respond to Soviet ships carry nuclear weapons to Cuba?
He set up a naval blockade around Cuba and prepared 54 bombers incase war broke out
What did the soviet ships do when they saw the naval blockade around Cuba?
They turned around
Soviet ships turned around when they saw the naval blockade around Cuba. Two Days later Khrushchev offered Kennedy a proposal
What did this include?
Khrushchev offered to remove missiles from Cuba if the americans agreed not to invade
What was the policy of Brinkmanship?
Pushing disagreements to the point where there is risk of war
Why were there important steps taken between Kennedy and Khrushchev after the Cuban Missile Crisis?
They were aware that there disagreements could lead to war
What steps were taken as a result of the Cuban Missile Crisis?
A hotline between Washington and Moscow was set up
Test Ban treaty was signed
Outerspace treat was signed
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was signed
What was the ‘hotline’ 1963?
A direct communications line between Washington and Moscow
