Events Leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis - 1579 Words

Cuba, a country just south of the United States of America, was the center stage of events leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Actions attempted by Presidents John F. Kennedy and Dwight D. Eisenhower prior to the crisis gave incentive to the Soviet Union and Cuba to agree to place missile installations in Cuba. The Cuban Missile Crisis was an incident that might have potentially led to a third world war because of the already heightened tensions between Cuba and the U.S. - but this time with ever more destruction owing to the role of weapons of mass destructions involved. The U.S. played a very crucial role in leading up to and then eventually resolving the crisis. It all took place during the Cold War. Fulgencio Batista’s government before the Cuban Revolution was ineffective, incompetent, and dishonest. Batista ruled over Cuba as a dictator leading to dissent and widespread corruption in Cuba with the gap between the upper and lower classes very wide. Businessmen mostly associated with the American mafia established operations in Cuba. â€Å"The U.S. State department was more concerned with Cubas stability and continued supplies of sugar than with the prevalence of graft and corruption.† The government of that time was serving the interests of US mostly and the interests of those ruling Cuba at that time as explained by the fortunes amassed by Batista et al, part of which was money deposited by Mafia figures such as Meyer Lanski. (Diaz-Briquets and Perez-Lopez 77) TheShow MoreRelatedCuban Missile Crisis : Nature Of The Cold War1092 Words   |  5 PagesCOLD WAR ASSIGNMENT (Cuban missile crisis) Nature of the Cold war The cold war was a clash between two superpowers with competing ideologies, or sets of ideas. Although they had been allies against the common enemies of Germany and japan during World War 2, both sides distrusted each other. After the war this distrust evolved into a long term hostility. This era was called the ‘Cold war’ because the two superpowers never directly assaulted each other. This war was very political as it was foughtRead MoreThe Cuban Missile Crisis as a Turning Point in USA and USSR Essays1009 Words   |  5 PagesThe Cuban Missile Crisis as a Turning Point in USA and USSR The Cuban Missile Crisis was indeed a turning point in USA and Soviet relations during the Cold War. The event stands in history as one that nearly brought humanity to the brink of destruction and is known as perhaps the single greatest political battle between the two superpowers, the world has ever seen. It also started a dà ©tente that which instigated an end to the arms race between the two nations. FollowingRead MoreThe Cuban Missile Crisis Essay1292 Words   |  6 Pagesinevitable to the world, it was the first time nuclear war was hanging on a thread. The Cuban Missile Crisis presented a threat to the world, in which the USSR planted nuclear missiles on Cuba. 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During the Cuban missile crisis, leaders of the U.S. and the Soviet Union engaged in a tense, 13-day political and military standoff in October 1962 over the installation of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles on Cuba, just 90 milesRead MoreEssay about The Cuban Missile Crisis897 Words   |  4 PagesThe Cuban Missile Crisis In 1962, an American spy plane discovered the Soviet nuclear missile bases in Cuba. Castro had turned to the USSR for military assistance in fear of a US attack. It was the sighting of these missile bases that marked the beginning of the Cuban missile crisis. There were many reasons why the Cuban missile crisis came about, and undoubtedly the USSR and Americas history played major roles in the coming about of this incident. The SovietRead MoreThe Cuban Missile Crisis : The Bay Of Pigs Invasion1272 Words   |  6 PagesProceeding to the Cuban Missile Crisis, American relationships with Castro were previously tense by the Bay of Pigs invasion (1961) where the United States made an unorthodox action towards Cuba by financing and sending insurgent Cubans to help aid in overthrowing and attacking Castro’s supporters and Castro himself0000000. The Bay of Pigs was unsuccessful. This eventual lead to Castro’s joining with communist Soviet Union and leaving Castro cautious of American plans for Cuba. Castro’s suspicionsRead MoreCuban Missile Crisis Essay1314 Words   |  6 Pagesnuclear war. This event is known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. This event was the closest to nuclear war then world has ever gotten since the US dropped the nuclear missiles on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The USSR had been shipping nuclear missiles to Cuba to deter the threat of the nuclear missiles that could hit th e USSR that were in Turkey and Italy. Cuba is a repressive communist society just like the USSR, and it was close enough to the US to hit any major city with the nuclear missiles. In order to protectRead MoreFidel Castro And The Cuban Revolution943 Words   |  4 PagesThe infamous Cuban dictator, Fidel Castro was born on a farm on August 13,1926 and he is currently 89 years old. He was the third child out of six. His full name was Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz Fidel Castro. He was not born into a poor family, his father Angel happened to be a very wealthy sugar plantation owner. At the time Cuba’s economy was not thriving, but Castro still grew up in wealthy conditions. He went to a private boarding school to receive his education. There he became a star studentRead MoreKhrushchev s Influence On America1543 Words   |  7 Pageshis time as leader, Khrushchev took part in many events that defined the climate of the Cold War. In the Berlin Crisis, where a significant number of people were leaving East Berlin for West Berlin, Khrushchev played a key role by demanding Kennedy attend a meeting to discuss the problem, and subsequently disrespecting the young president. Later on, in the Cuban Missile Crisis, where an American U-2 Spy Plane discovered offensive nuclear missiles in Cuba, Khrushchev further complicated the dire situationRead MoreFidel Castro Is The Man Associated With The Failure And1037 Words   |  5 Pagesis the man associated with the failure and success of Cuba throughout the 20th Century. This essay will explore his role and influence in one of humanity s darkest moments, the Cuban missile crisis, which was a defining moment in Castro’s political life. As the leader of Cuba during the Cold War and Cuban missile crisis, he was responsible for defending Cuba sovereignty and interests amongst the superpower - the United States and Soviet Union. Memoirs would argue that former US President Kennedy