The Cuban Missile Crisis

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The Cuban Missile Crisis
Noel Billet Modern World History
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What was it?
The Cuban Missile crisis was a major conflict or
tension between USA and USSR that occurred in
1962 because of USSR nuclear missiles found in
Cuba.People say that this was worlds closest
approach to a nuclear war.
Luckily this crisis resolved with no war but if
it had, it would have caused millions of deaths
and would of became the worst case in the Cold
War.
(A nuclear bomb exploding)
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How did this happen?
It all started when US spy air planes found
evidence of nuclear missiles in Cuba. It has been
said that USSR has been supplying weapons before
this and it was obvious that these missiles were
from USSR. These missiles were able to hit most
of major US cities.
(Pictures of missile bases in Cuba taken by US
spy air planes)
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How did it resolve?
Kennedy announced worldwide about this crisis and
demanded Khrushchev to withdraw the missiles. As
the first step of this, the US set a naval
blockade on Cuba. He also said that if the
missiles were shot, there would be a full
retaliatory response upon the Soviet Union.
Khrushchev responded to this by offering to
withdraw the missiles if the US promised not to
invade Cuba. Kennedy accepted this and Khrushchev
announced that he would remove the missiles in
return for the US pledge not to invade Cuba.
(The range of USSR missiles from if fired from
Cuba)
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Why did it happen?
As the allied army won in WWII, Berlin was slit
into East and West. East Berlin, controlled by
Communists and West Berlin, controlled by
Capitalists. The increasing tension between East
and the West was almost at the point of war. It
was obvious that the missile were placed in Cuba
to stop the US from going into war over West
Berlin.
(Image representing the crisis)
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Cold War events prior to the crisis

• 1959 The Cuban Revolution
• A Cuban Communist Revolution led by Fidel
  Castro. Made Cuba a Communist nation.
• 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion
• An attempt by the US to overthrow Castros
  government by training and arming anti-Castro
  Cuban exiles living in the US. The exiles landed
  at the Bay of Pigs of Cuba but was easily
  defeated by Castros army.

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Key people in the Crisis
Fidel Castro Cuban Communist Leader
John F. Kennedy President of USA at the time of
the crisis.
Nikita Khrushchev Soviet Premier at the time.
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What aspect of the Cold War does this illustrate?
The Cuban Missile Crisis illustrates Ideological
differences aspect of the Cold War. The main
reason why the missiles where placed in Cuba was
to be a forceful resolution to the Berlin
conflict. As WWII ended, two very different
ideological groups split Berlin into East and
West. As both groups saw each other as a threat,
tensions between them increased. This tension
resulted in the Cold War, Capitalist USA vs.
Communist USSR.
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Bibliography
Pictures http//nsarchive.chadwyck.com/cmphotox.ht
m http//www.dalitstan.org/journal/recthist/nuclea
r/nuclear.html http//www.cia.gov/csi/studies/vol4
6no1/article06.html http//w1.1559.telia.com/u155
900373/links_historie.htm http//mujweb.atlas.cz/w
ww/jiri-gajda/ http//www.cuba.cu/politica/webpcc/
biografias/fidel.htm http//www.time.com/time/pers
onoftheyear/archive/photohistory/khrushchev.html