The Cuban Missile Crisis

THE CUBAN MISSILE

CRISIS

Background Part I Cold War Tension Struggle for Land  East-West Germany  Berlin Airlift  Berlin Wall  Containment  Eastern Europe/Iron Curtain, China, Korea  Spying  McCarthy, Rosenbergs, U2 Incident 

Background Part II The Arms Race 

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Improved delivery systems  Sputnik  ICBMs  Multiple warhead ICBMs Improved Yield  Atom Bomb… Fission Bomb…  Hydrogen Bomb… Fusion Bomb…  Hiroshima blast = 15, 000 tons of TNT. Largest hydrogen bombs today = with 60,000,000 tons of TNT. • So a bomb today is like 4000 Hiroshimas.

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Hiroshima

H-Bomb Test

Background Part II (cont.) 

Mutually Assured Destruction (M.A.D.) By the 1960s, it was fairly clear that in a nuclear war, everyone would die.  Even if the bombs didn’t kill everyone immediately, scientists predicted a nuclear winter and nuclear fallout would finish the job  Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado 

Part I. Cuban Revolution 

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Like many Latin American countries, Cuba was run by a dictator The U.S. supported this dictator (like it did in many other Latin American countries) because the dictator protected American economic interests in Cuba Americans owned a lot of the land in Cuba and made a lot of $ from the land and from running vacation spots in Cuba 

Many Cubans resented the dictator (Batista) and the aid he received from America

Cuban Revolution (cont.) In 1959, a revolution, led by Fidel Castro, overthrew the Cuban dictatorship  Castro proclaimed the island communist and seized American land and oil refineries  America stopped trade with Cuba and Castro increasingly turned towards the Soviet Union as a partner (trade, aid, etc.) 

Part II. The Bay of Pigs Invasion  

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aka The Bay of Pigs Fiasco (from an American perspective) Castro didn’t really make people in Cuba much happier  He allowed very few civil rights : freedom of speech, popular sovereignty, etc.  People’s lives were controlled: where you worked, where you travelled, etc.  Many believed that Cuba had traded one kind of dictator for another kind of dictator The CIA (U.S. Central Intelligence Agency) was given permission by Eisenhower and then JFK in 1960 to train a group of Cuban Exiles living in the U.S. to invade Cuba  Hoped this would spark an uprising of Cubans against Castro and end Cuban Communism

Bay of Pigs (continued) When Cuban exiles landed in a Cuban Bay called the Bay of Pigs, the U.S. air force, which had promised air support, hesitated, not wanting to be brought into conflict with the Soviet Union  The CIA-trained Cuban force was routed by the Castro-led Cuban military 

The U.S. had to pay Castro to release them  Huge embarrassment for America on the international stage 

Part III. The Cuban Missile Crisis

After the Bay of Pigs, the Soviet Union began to send weapons to Cuba to protect against further invasion  JFK publicly said that the U.S. would not tolerate nuclear weapons in Cuba 

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Why such a big deal?

The Cuban Missile Crisis (cont.)

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In 1962, the U.S., using U2 spy planes, photographed nuke launch sites in Cuba

The Cuban Missile Crisis (cont.) 

What were JFK’s options? Pretend he doesn’t know the nukes are there and just live with them  Attack Cuba  Anything else? 

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Brinksmanship Who is willing to step closer to the precipice of nuclear war?  JFK publicly announced that nukes were in Cuba and that the Soviet Union had to withdraw them  Then, JFK ordered a naval blockade of all ships going to and from Cuba 

The Cuban Missile Crisis (cont.)

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In the end, Khrushchev (Soviet leader) blinked 

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Pulled missiles out of Cuba

P.S. U.S. agreed to pull missiles out of Turkey, too But… we had never admitted they were there in the first place, so we never admitted they were gone (to the public)  Thus, looked like JFK had won a huge Cold War victory 

Hansen U.S. History

The Cuban Crisis Background Part I- Cold War Tensions • Struggle for Land – East-West _______ Berlin _________ Berlin _______ – Containment  Eastern Europe/Iron Curtain, China, _________ • Spying  McCarthy, _________________, U2 Incident Background Part II- The Arms Race • Improved ____________ systems – Sputnik  ICBMs - ______________________ _______________________________________ – Multiple ______________ ICBMs • Improved _______________ – Atom Bomb… Fission Bomb… – ________________________… Fusion Bomb… – Hiroshima blast = __________tons of TNT. Largest hydrogen bombs today = with ____________________ tons of TNT. • So a bomb today is like _____ Hiroshimas. • Mutually Assured Destruction ( ____________) – By the 1960s, it was fairly clear that in a nuclear war, ____________________________. – Even if the bombs didn’t kill everyone immediately, scientists predicted a nuclear winter- _________________________ _________________________________ and nuclear fallout _______________________________________ ________________________would finish the job – Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado - __________ ______________________________________

Name _____________________ Period _________ Note-Taking Guide

Part I. Cuban Revolution • Like many Latin American countries, Cuba was run ___ _____________________________ • The U.S. ____________________ this dictator (like it did in ___________________________________ _____________________) because the dictator protected American _____________________ in Cuba • Americans owned a lot of the ________ in Cuba and made a lot of _____ from the land and from running ____________________________in Cuba – Many Cubans resented the dictator (_________ ) and the aid he received from America • In 1959, a revolution, led by ____________, overthrew the Cuban dictatorship • Castro proclaimed the island _____________ and seized American land and ____________________ • America ____________________ with Cuba and Castro increasingly turned towards the ___________ __________ as a partner (trade, aid, etc.) Part II. The Bay of Pigs Invasion • aka The Bay of Pigs Fiasco (from a U.S. perspective) • Castro didn’t really make people in Cuba much ______ – He allowed very few _____________: freedom of speech, popular sovereignty, etc. – People’s lives were ___________: where you worked, where you travelled, etc. – Many believed that Cuba had traded one kind of dictator for _____________________________

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• The CIA (U.S. __________________________) was given permission by Eisenhower and then ________ in 1960 to train a group of Cuban Exiles living in the U.S. to _________________________ – Hoped this would spark an ____________________________ against Castro and end ______________________ When Cuban exiles landed in a Cuban Bay called the Bay __________, the U.S. air force, which had promised ___________, hesitated, not wanting to _______________________________ ________________________________________ The CIA-trained Cuban force was ___________ ___________________________ Cuban military – The U.S. had to __________ to release them – Huge __________ for America on the ____________________________

Part III. The Cuban Missile Crisis • After the Bay of Pigs, the Soviet Union began to ______________________________________ _____________ to protect against further invasion • JFK publicly said that the U.S. would not tolerate ___________________ in Cuba – Why such a big deal? ________________ ___________________________________ • In 1962, the U.S., using U2 spy planes, ______________________________ ______ sites in Cuba • What were JFK’s options? – ____________________________________ ______ the nukes are there and just live with them – _____________Cuba – Anything else?

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Brinksmanship – Who was willing to step closer to the precipice ________________________________? – JFK _______________________________ _____________________________________ and that the Soviet Union had to withdraw them – Then, JFK ordered a ___________________ of all ships going to and from Cuba In the end, Khrushchev ________________________ – Pulled _______________________________ P.S. U.S. agreed to pull missiles ______________ __________________________, too – But… we had never admitted they were there in the first place, __________________________ ____________________ (to the public) – Thus, looked like JFK had ________________ ______________________________________