Superpowers 2 Flashcards
(45 cards)
What Sparked the Cuban revolution
- The people fo cuba were upset with the American control that they had over cuba
Who lead the Cuban revolution
- Fidel castro
- Che galevara
When did the Cuban revolution take place
- January 1959
What was the result of the cuban revolution
The pro-American government was overthrown and Fidel Castro became the new nationalist leader
What 4 reasons did Eisenhower have for being concerned about the Revolution in Cuba
There were very close links between the USA and Cuba
- American businesses have invested heavily in Cuba
- Much of the land in Cuba was owned b Americans
- America was an important investor in Cuban sugar
- Cuba’s oil refinery’s and telephone networks are owned by the Americans
What did Fidel castro want
-Reducion of american power in cuba
What was the result of Fidel castros demand
- It brought the world to an unsteady place and was on the brink of world war
- It Increased tentions massively all over the world
What were the 3 main areas of tention between the USA and Cuba
- The US government reluctantly recognised the government but didn’t provide economic aid unless they agreed to all of the terms set out by the International Monetary Fund.
- The Cuban government confiscated all of the land that belonged to non-Cuban nationals and paid compensation to them however, the US government refused to acknowledge the scheme
- Although Castro had already appointed some communist members into his government, Khrushchev offered to by Cuban sugar in order to offer aid, THERE WAS ALSO A SECRET CLAUSE SAYING THE SOVIETS WOULD SUPPLY WEPONS TO CUBA
When did Castro become the leader of Cuba
January 1959
When did Castro Nationalise all Cuban land that belonged to foreign nationals
May 1959
When did Castro sign the agreement with Khrushchev
February 1960
Why was the USA concerned about Cuba and what did they do about it
- # They were concerned about having a pro Communist gov only 145 km away from there mainland
- In July 1960 Eisenhower reduced the sugar trade with Cuba then in October 1960 banned all trade with it
-By January 1961 USA had cut of all diplomatic relations with Cuba
What was the Bay of Pigs
- A US based attack on Cuba to try to over throw Castro and reduce the soviet threat so close to home, they wanted to end the Castro regime and put a pro American gov in place
What did the bay of pigs envolve
- The CIA proposed plan to attack Cuba with exiled Cuban nationals that had been trained by the FBI so that the USA could be seen to not be involved
Why did the innervation fail
- The Cuban revolutionaries (La Bregada) were met by 20,000 battle-hardened Cuban troops against 1,4000
- 100 killed 1,100 imprisoned
- USA spent 4.5 mil and lost CIA recourses and time
- The USA could not be seen to be involved so no US weapons and no US air strikes
- They wrongly assumed that the Cuban people would join them but it seemed that they were happy under Castro
How did the defeat become publicised and known that the USA was we involved
- Castro leaked photos to the press in an attempt to show strength and the US involvement was undeniable and humiliating publicly
What was the impact on the USA and Soviet Union relations of the Bay of pigs
- USA
= public humiliation and looked like Hypocrites of the Soviet regime and their attempt to overthrow Eastern European movements in the name of Communism, and yet they support a group to overthrow the communist government so that they can have more control.
Soviets
- Quick to point out that there had been no complaints about the Castro government and that no public joined the Bay of Pigs troops, of was clear that they didn’t want the corruption seen under the previous government ( BATISTA REGIME)
SOVIET x CUBA
- Stronger
- Castro declared a communsit and asked Soviets to defend against future US attacks
What happened in September 1961 that worried Kennedy
The Soviets agreed to provide arms to Cuba
- Created an armed Soviet ally close to the USA, Cubans now have modern military training and equipment from experts.
What did Kennedy say to Krhruchchev about it
- Kennedy warned that the USA could not allow the Soviet Union to use Cuba as a base, and the Soviets said they had no intention of doing so
- THIS WAS NOT THE CASE
When was the Cuban missile crisis
- 14th October 1961
What was discovered and How that lead to Kennedys fear that lead to the Cuban Missile Crisis
- A U2 spy plane took images above Cuba of what looked to be medium range Ballistic missiles and launch pads
- These could cause serious damage to major US cities
What else did the American spy agencies discover about Cuba
-Soviet ships were on the way lightly carrying missiles
What were the reasons why Khruschev wen back on his word and armed cuba
1 - NATO positioned nuclear missiles in Turkey only a short distance from the soviet union ( may have wanted the USA to feel how they felt with the missiles in Turkey)
- Also could have just wanted them to be removed
2 - The building of the Berlin Wall may have been seen by soviet critics to be a failure, and maybe winning Cuba will be seen as a success and restore his prestige
3- The USA had already tried to overthrow the Cuban government once if they succeed, it will be a major loss for the soviet union and a major defeat of communism.
What diffrence did cuba make politicaly and practicly
- Practicaly no diffrence as the missiles could have been fired from the soviet union
- Politicaly - lots com vs capt and how it looks
