The Cuban Missile Crisis

The Cuban Revolution

Cuba, an island nation in the
Caribbean, had won its independence from
Spain in 1898. The US, however,
supported corrupt dictators in Cuba for the
next 50 years because they were friendly
to the United States. In the 1950s, a
former lawyer named Fidel Castro led a
revolution against the government of
Cuba. The leader of Cuba at that time,
Fulgencio Batista, had been elected president of the country in
the 1940s, but had become a dictator shortly after. Castro and
many other Cubans felt that Batistas government was corrupt.
When Castro successfully removed Batista from power, Castro
became the leader of Cuba and set up a Communist government
inspired by the philosophies of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin.
Having a Communist government
on an island only 90 miles away from
the United States was a major
problem for the United States. It was
the Cold War, and the US didnt want a
potential enemy so close. President
John Kennedy authorized the US
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to
train a Cubans who had fled the
country during the Cuban Revolution
to try to attack Cuba and remove
Castro. This was called the Bay of Pigs invasion, and it was a
complete disaster for the US.
In response to this, Fidel Castro turned to the Soviet Union
for money and support, which it gave. The USSR became a
supporter and ally of Cuba because of their communist
governments and because Cuba was so close to the United
States. The Soviet Union now had an ally only 90 miles away
from the US. This was the first time Communism had spread in
the Western Hemisphere since the Cold War had begun in 1945.

The Cuban Missile Crisis

In 1962, photos taken from a US spy plane showed missile
silos being built in Cuba. This meant the Soviet Union was going
to send nuclear missiles to Cuba, but they were not there yet.
This was a severe and immediate threat to the United States and
was the start of the Cuban Missile Crisis The two-week standoff
between the US and Soviet Union over nuclear Missiles being sent
to Cuba. The Cuban Missile Crisis might have been the closest
the US and Soviet Union ever came to attacking each other during
the Cold War leading to the Mutually Assured Destruction of both
countries and much of the rest of the world.
President Kennedy knew he
could never allow the missiles to
reach Cuba. In a nationally
televised address to the world,
President Kennedy demanded the
Soviet ships carrying the missiles
turn around and go back to the
Soviet Union. He ordered the US
Navy to set up a blockade around
Cuba, which blocked any ship
from getting in or out of Cuba.
This would prevent any ships that might be carrying nuclear
missiles from reaching Cuba. For the next two weeks, the world
waited to see if the Soviet Union would back down or attack the
US.
Many people in the US were urging President Kennedy to
strike first - invade Cuba and destroy the missile silos. Many
generals in the Soviet Union were urging Soviet Premier Nikita
Khrushchev to strike first as well. After days of intense secret
negotiations, the Soviet Union backed down after the US agreed
to remove missiles from a site near the USSR. The Cuban Missile
Crisis was over.

April 29th, 2015 Period

Name:

The Cold War Research Log

Unit 10
Essential Question #5: How did Cold War tensions lead to the Cuban
Missile Crisis?

Sub-Questions: (1) How was Cuba influenced by the US before the Cuban
Revolution? (2) Who led the Cuban Revolution against Batista? (3) Why did the US
try to remove Fidel Castro from power? (4) Why did Cuba turn to the Soviet Union
for aide? (5) What was the Cuban Missile Crisis? (6) Explain why Soviet missiles in
Cuba was a crisis for the US. (7) Why did the United States place a naval blockade
around Cuba? (8) How did the Cuban Missile Crisis end? (9) What do you think
would have happened if the US or Soviet Union had not backed down during the
Cuban Missile Crisis? (10) How do you think you would have felt if you lived in the
US, Cuba, or the Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crisis?

Define Terms
Cuban Revolution
Blockade
Bay of Pigs Invasion Answer the essential question: How did Cold War tensions lead to the Cuban
Missile Crisis?

Essential Question #5 Extra Notes

Documents
The threat of nuclear war was obvious in the Cuban Missile crisis of 1962. This excerpt,
from President Kennedys speech to the American people, explains the U.S. position.
We have unmistakable evidence that a series of offensive missile sites is now being built on
that island. Cuba has been made into an important strategic base by the presence of these
long-range offensive weapons of sudden mass destruction. This is an open threat to the peace
and security of all the Americas. Our objective must be to prevent the use of these missiles
against this or any other country. We must secure their withdrawal from the Western
Hemisphere. I call upon Chairman Khrushchev to halt and eliminate this secret and reckless
threat to world peace.
John F. Kennedy

1. What does Kennedy say nuclear weapons on Cuba represent for the American people?

2. What does Kennedy say must be the goal of America regarding Cuba and nuclear
weapons?

3. Who does Kennedy blame for the threat of nuclear war?

4. Which US cities were in danger if the USSR had short-range missiles in Cuba?

5. Which US cities were in danger if the USSR had long-range missiles in Cuba?

6. What do you think would have happened to the US if the USSR managed to launch
several long-range nuclear missiles from Cuba in 1962?
7. Based on this map, do you think President Kennedy was justified in forcing the USSR to
remove the weapons from Cuba?

Iremember[theCubanMissileCrisis]vividly.IlivedincommunistSovietdominatedPolandatthetimeandI
rememberhopingthatUSwouldblowtheSovietUniontosmithereensandwewouldbefinallyfree.Iremember
thatmyparentsandgrandparentssharedmysentiment.Unfortunatelynothinghappenedandwehadtosuffer
undercommunismmuchlonger.
Source: Mirek Kondracki, memories, BBC Talking Point, October 29, 2002

8. What did this speaker hope to be the outcome of the Cuban Missile Crisis? Why?

9. According to the speaker, what was the result of the crisis for people living in Warsaw
Pact countries like Poland?

After Kennedy ordered a quarantine of all offensive military equipment sent in to Cuba,
Soviet Premier Khrushchev responded with this message:
Mr. President, the Soviet government decided to help Cuba with means of
defense against outside attack. These weapons were only meant for
defensive purposes. We have supplied them to prevent aggression against
Cuba. With respect and confidence I accept the statement you set forth in
your message of October 27, 1962. You said then that Cuba will not be
attacked or invaded by any country in the Western Hemisphere. We have
given the order to discontinue building the installations. We shall dismantle
them and withdraw them to the Soviet Union.
-Soviet Premier Khrushchev
Response to Kennedy,
10. According to Khrushchev, why did the USSR put nuclear weapons on Cuba?

11. Why does Khrushchev say the weapons can now be removed?

Cuban Missile Crisis Political Cartoon

Soviet Premier Khrushchev US President John F. Kennedy

1. What are President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev doing in this image?

2. What are Kennedy and Khrushchev sitting on in this image?

3. What message is the author of this political cartoon trying make about the Cuban
Missile Crisis?