Foreign Policy Flashcards
(47 cards)
Who did Castro overthrow?
Batista who was a US supporting dictator
why was America concerned about Cuba
on the doorstep of Florida
who approved the CIA build-up of a Cuban exile military force that he hoped would overthrow Castro
eisenhower
why did Kennedy go ahead with the bay of pigs plan (2)
He was told it would succeed as the exiles were highly trained.
Eisenhower - a great military general - had concocted the plan, making it a promising plan
Why was the Bay of Pigs invasion a failure? (four)
- exiles had forewarned Castro
- invaders landed miles away from mountains (were supposed to flee there if anything went wrong)
- castro incredibly popular there (holidayed)
- Kennedy insisted on minimal aid so very little air support
Why did Khrushchev build the Berlin Wall? (one)
To keep skilled workers from leaving
how many east germans fled to west between 1949-58
2 million
negatives of the Berlin Wall crisis (5)
was unable to stop its construction
,
it stopped East Germans escaping (had escapes been able to continue at the same rate, this would have had a huge impact on the USSR)
increased West German anxiety
increased cold war tensions - soon after
both the USSR and the US resumed nuclear testing, encouraged Khrushchev’s adventurism
After being informed of the Cuban missile sites on the 16th of October 1962, what council was set up to advise JFK on the Crisis?
ExComm (Executive Committee of the National Security Council)
On the 25th of October 1962, what alert level were the US air force raised to and what did this mean?
(For the first time in US history)
DEFCON 2 (1 level off nuclear war being imminent/already started)
- the US were ready for war at a moments notice and nuclear-capable B-52 bombers were on continuous alert
what does DEFCON 2 mean
it is one level off a nuclear war being imminent/ starting
implemented when enemy attack is expected
What deal/agreement did Kennedy and Khrushchev come to on October 28th 1962?
Kennedy publicly agreed to not invade Cuba, whilst privately promising to withdraw missiles from Turkey, in return for a Soviet missile withdrawal from Cuba
On what day to Kennedy and Khrushchev come to an agreement on the missile crisis?
October 28th 1962
In Kennedy’s inaugural address, he outlined his foreign policy. How did JFK’s intentions for foreign differ to Eisenhower?
(2)
Kennedy was eager to prove himself on the global stage and actively wanted to “defend freedom in it’s hour of maximum danger’
- he was very keen on foreign policy.
In contrast, Eisenhower was more reluctant to get involved in foreign affairs (he only deployed troops once in Lebanon)
when did castro come to power
1959
who did castro meet in America and what did he speak about
Malcom x
castro spoke about racism and poverty in America
why did the US not like castro
had a close connection with ussr
regular criticised US and threatened their property in Cuba
- concluded he was not a communist tho
When was the Bay of Pigs invasion?
April 1961
how many cuban guerrillas landed at bay of pigs
1600
What was the domestic response to Kennedy’s Bay of Pigs invasion?
still had an 82% american approval
international humiliation
Castro’s response to Bay of Pigs
closer to USSR
- announced he was communist
what impression of Kennedy did the bay of pigs have on Khrushchev
- installed Berlin wall
- bullied him and called him soft
-installed misiles in cuba - thought he would either do nothing or fail
when did soviet missiles and technicians arrive in Cuba (year and month)
august 1962
why did soviets put missiles in Cuba (5)
- khru said his aim was to protect Cuba but his main concern was the Soviet Union and his own position
- statistics of american intercontinental bombers worried khru “(1200 vs 150)
- despised american missiles in turkey
- wanted to impress critics at home and in china
- had gotten away with Berlin Wall
