Section B: Cuba: increase tension, crisis, reaction

• Who was the dictator of Cuba in 1952?

  Batista
• What privileges did Batista allow US firms in Cuba?

  Special privileges for business operations
• Who ran organized crime in Cuba during Batista's regime?

  The US mafia
• What was Fidel Castro's profession before opposing Batista?

  He was a lawyer
• What happened to Fidel Castro in 1953?

  He was imprisoned
• Where did Castro go after his release in 1955?

  He went into exile in Mexico and the US
• When did Castro and his companions invade Cuba?

  December 2, 1956
• What tactics did Castro and his companions use against Batista?

  Guerrilla tactics
• What was the significance of late December 1958 for Castro's forces?

  They were close to the capital, Havana
• What happened on January 1, 1959?

  Batista fled Cuba for the USA
• When did Castro become the leader of Cuba?

  A week after Batista fled
• the consequences of the cuban revolution:

  1. castro expelled the us mafia from havana
  2. castro introduced socialist-style reforms like braking up large farms
  3. cuba became increasingly left wing and castro included communists in the government
  4. castro made anti-american speeches and urged other central american countries to have left wing revolutions
  5. cuba became closer to the ussr
  6. the usa responded by launching the bay of pigs invasion
  7. the cuban revolution was a factor in causing the cuban missile crisis
• What was the Bay of Pigs incident?

  A failed invasion of Cuba by exiles
• Who agreed on the plan to overthrow Castro?

  Eisenhower agreed with the CIA
• Who inherited the plan to overthrow Castro?

  John F. Kennedy
• What was the plan for the Cuban exiles?

  To invade Cuba and start an anti-Castro revolution
• When did the Cuban exiles land at the Bay of Pigs?

  17 April 1961
• How many Cuban exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs?

  Around 1400 exiles
• What did Castro's government do in response to the invasion?

  They prepared with around 20,000 soldiers
• Why couldn't the USA send military aid to the exiles?

  Due to political constraints
• How did ordinary Cubans react to the exiles' invasion?

  They did not rush to help the exiles
• What did Castro do to showcase the victory?

  He showed evidence to the world's media
• What was the outcome of the invasion?

  The invasion had failed
• what were the consequences of the bay of pigs incident?

  1. it was a public humiliation for the usa
  2. it was very embarrassing for kennedy who had just become president
  3. it was one of the reason khrushchev felt he could re-issue the berlin ultimatum at the vienna summit
  4. the failure of the cuban people to rise against castro allowed khrushchev to argue communism was popular
  5. cuba declared himself to be a communist
  6. it led to stronger relations between the ussr and cuba and in september 1961, khrushchev publicly announced he would send arms
• What date did the American U-2 spy plane take pictures of launch pads in Cuba?

  14th October 1962
• What type of missiles were discovered in Cuba?

  Medium range ballistic missiles
• What could the missiles in Cuba carry?

  Nuclear warheads
• Why was the presence of missiles in Cuba a concern for the US?

  They could destroy US cities
• What did US intelligence discover about Soviet ships?

  They were sailing to Cuba
• What was believed about the operational status of the missiles?

  They could become operational in two weeks
• What was President Kennedy's stance on the missiles in Cuba?

  He could not allow them to be placed
• When did Kennedy call an executive committee to discuss solutions?

  16th October
• What were the two opposing views within Kennedy's executive committee?

  'Hawks' wanted military response, 'doves' wanted peace
• What action did Kennedy take on 22nd October?

  He put a naval blockade around Cuba
• What happened on 24th October regarding the Soviet ships?

  They reached the blockade and turned around
• What did Khrushchev offer in his telegram on 26th October?

  To remove missiles from Cuba
• What condition did Khrushchev add in his second telegram on 27th October?

  US missiles in Turkey must not be removed
• What significant event occurred on 27th October involving an American U-2 spy plane?

  It was shot down
• How did Khrushchev respond to the two telegrams he sent?

  He ignored the second and agreed to the first
• What secret agreement did Robert Kennedy make regarding the Turkish missiles?

  To remove the Turkish missiles