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American Reaction to missiles on Cuba Team of advisors brought together by Kennedy – civilians and military officers Option – blockade or air strikes on the missile sites. Kennedy had many options – had to choose wisely to prevent nuclear war Decided on blockade of USSR ships carrying missiles. – would sink all ships that crossed quarantine zone (blockade) Called for Soviet Union to withdraw missiles in Cuba Kennedy Victory Youngest American president was able to prove himself After bay of pigs defeat -?? shown as successful this time round Kennedy remained calm and collected Kennedy proved cynics wrong
Kennedy prevented a nuclear war from happening The USSR did withdraw missiles in Cuba Khrushchev Victory Leader to succeed Stalin, proved himself to be as good of a leader Khrushchev succeeded in keeping Cuba a Communist State Khrushchev didn’t start a war America withdrew their missiles in Turkey and ended the blockade quarantine a) Cuban History needs to be understood within the context of European History and the Second World War. This is because the two superpowers (USSR and the USA) that were involved in the Second World War were also involved in the Cuban Conflict. The arms race between America and the
Soviet union played a role in increasing the tension that was later seen in Cuba. This tension and rise of Communism was evident in Cuba. In 1959 Fidel Castro seized power over Cuba via a coup. He overthrew Batista and his Republican Government. Castro was strongly Communist and implemented a Communist system within Cuba. The Soviet Join supported this and assisted Castro in implementing Communism. Because the Soviet Union became a direct trading partner and influence in relation to Cuba, America decided to place a trade embargo on Cuba in 1 960; America refused to buy resources such as sugar from Cuba.
A further step taken by America was made in 1961 when they broke diplomatic relations with Cuba. The USA was not accepting of a Soviet Satellite State on their ‘doorstep’. By breaking these relations, both Cuba and America were prepared for a war. A conflict did in fact occur between these two countries during the Bay of Pigs Invasion on the 1 7th of April 1961. During this invasion America sent 1500 Cuban exiles to land on the Bay of Pigs with the intention of overthrowing Fidel Castro. This resulted in a miserable defeat of America due to the fact that Castro was able to pre-empty the attack.
In September 1961, the Soviet Union decided to secure Scuba’s military position by supplying them with missiles, tanks, radar vans, missile erectors, jet bombers, patrol boats and over 5000 technicians to maintain the weapons. America was accepting of this as long as the Soviet Union did not equip Cuba with nuclear missiles. The final event that occurred before the Cuban missile crisis came about when America sent a LLC Spy plane to Cuba, when the plane found evidence of missiles on Cuba a conflict was inevitable. B) President J. F. Kennedy was faced with multiple options in regard to the situation in Cuba.
Because the Soviet Union violated the agreement of not erecting missiles they could implement on of the following two options; they could launch air strikes on Cuba or they could implement a ‘quarantine’ of the waters surrounding Cuba. Kennedy established a team of advisors, they consisted of both civilians and military officers. This was done so that Kennedy could get a broader perspective when making his decision. This committee was called the Committee of the National Security Council. At the meetings of this council the officers encouraged Kennedy to launch the air strikes whereas the villains were in favor Of the blockade.
The final decision that was made by Kennedy was to implement a blockade of the Waters surrounding Cuba. This blockade was called a ‘quarantine zone’ as calling it a blockade would have been considered as an act of war. Kennedy ordered 852 nuclear bombers to be deployed, with one-eighth of them being airborne at all times. America made the offer that if the Soviet Union were to withdraw their missiles from Cuba, they would take away the blockade. The USA were however aware that Soviet Union had ships loaded with missiles heading towards Cuba.
Alongside the blockade, America was able to get the USSR to withdraw their missiles on Cuba through negotiation and compromise. The compromise that had to be made was for America to withdraw their missiles that were set up in Turkey. When the two countries complied with agreements the conflict was over. C) Kennedy was a newly elected president at the time. He was the youngest president to ever get elected in America. This meant that he had to prove himself to the general public. The public were cynical due to the fact that the Bay of Pigs invasion was a failure. By not initiating a conflict during this Crisis,
Kennedy was able to prove his decision making skills to be successful. The Cuban Crisis can also be seen as a victory for Kennedy because he was able to prove himself to be a stronger leader in comparison to previous leaders, He did not initiate a conflict (as mentioned above) but more importantly he remained cool and collected. Kennedy’s actions were not impulsive or aggressive and so they can be seen as victorious. Kennedy’s actions can also be regarded as successful because he was able to prevent a nuclear war from happening. Through Kennedy’s actions and negotiations the Soviet Union withdrew their missiles that were set up in
Cuba. Many American citizens viewed the Soviet disarmament as a victory. D) Khrushchev was the leader to succeed Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union. Due to the fact that Stalin had accomplished a lot during his time in power, Khrushchev had a lot to prove to the Soviet citizens. Khrushchev decisions were seen as victorious in this war because he was able to avoid a conflict with America. He proved his decision making and negotiation skills to be as successful as Stalin’s. The result of the Cuban Crisis is often regarded as a success for Khrushchev because he was able to succeed in promoting the spread of Communism.