Cuban Missile Crisis

• Argued Cuba is 'a natural extension of North America'


  1783
• Monroe Doctrine became regional in response to the influence of the imperial countries. The USA intended to create a power vacuum.


  1823
• The Caribbean was regarded by the US as its own "back yard"
• By 1877 the US accounted for 83% of Cuba's total exports meaning it was able to control price and production levels
• 1901 the US had the right to intervene in newly independent Cuba political and military affairs
• America was determined to maintain stability there to protect its own national interests. The Cuban constitution gave the US rights of intervention and required Cuba to provide land for naval bases.
• Batisa was pro-America and allowed the domination of Cuba's economy by the US. He ran a repressive regime.
• Castro began the guerilla struggle

  December 1956
• Batista's regime collapsed and Castro rose in Havana


  January 1959
• America had shown little support for the Batista regime during Castro's revolution.
• Vice President Nixon visited several Latin American states which led to a shift in US policy towards the region. Economic stability became a target, and the US supported the creation of regional banking institution (Inter-American Development Bank). Eisenhower also agreed not to offer unconditional American support to dictators.


  May 1958
• The US initially accepted Castro – he was not communist
• Castro planned to reduce the economic and political influences to consolidate his position as leader
• Castro introduced a programme of agrarian reform which led to several American-owned property being seized. This was moderate and did not gather much response from the US.


  May 1959
• Soviet minister Mikoyan visited Cuba and offered economic aid. The USSR offered $100M which made an economic alliance.


  February 1960
• Nationalisation of Cuba industries

  Threatened America's economic investments
• The first shipment of crude oil from the USSR arrived in Cuba, when the US oil companies refused to refine it, Castro nationalised them. America responded with economic sanctions on Cuba and reduced their imports of Cuban sugar by 95%.


  April 1960
• Castro seized $1 billion worth of the US assets in Cuba.


  October 1960
• The US decided that it was time to remove Castro from his regime in Cuba.

  1961
• Bay of Pigs: Planned under Eisenhower but executed under Kennedy. 1,500 anti-Castro exiles landed in Cuba with the aim of carrying out a miliary coup and overthrowing Castro. The invasion was a disaster for USA. The exiles were met by 20,000 armed Cuba soldiers. Exiles were forced to surrender, this resulted in a bad relationship between Cuba and the US, Castro declared he was communist.


  17 April 1961
• Castro asked the USSR for military protection in case the USA tried to attack them
• It confirmed the USSR's and Castro's fears about the USA's intentions for Cuba. It also allowed Castro's power in Cuba to be affirmed and consolidated. He had protected Cuba from American imperialism.
• The USA: Confirmed the US attitude towards the 'sphere of influence' and showed a lack of decision on their part.
• The US prepared further military responses
• Operation Mongoose: Kennedy authorised the operation. Its aim was to overthrow Castro and his regime, mainly using covert operations with Cuba to destabilise the regime and make an anti-Castro revolt. General Lansdale was head of the operation. Kennedy's advisers developed air strike plans known as OPLAN 312 and a land-based invasion known as OPLAN 314.


  30 November 1961
• Operation Quick Kick: US military carried out tactics on how to attack

  March 1962
• In 1961 there was a missile gap and China rising as a communist challenger, food shortages and rising prices in the USSR, Eisenhower announces severances of diplomatic links with Cuba and the Bay of Pigs, Berlin wall and Vienna Summit
• In 1962 the USA had more weapons that the USSR, this led to them having more power.
• The soviets were willing to support Castro. They installed nuclear weapons in the mountains of Cuba. They also provided fighter planes, bombers and 14,000 ground troops.
• Nuclear weapons were both short and medium range, meaning they could reach between 1100 and 2800 kilometres.
• Geostrategically, Cuba was an opportunity for Khrushchev. Soviet missiles in Cuba would allow them to close the missile gap to a certain extent.
• Enabled Khrushchev to direct more resources into the expansion and modernisation of the Soviet nuclear arsenal and the non-military civilian economy.
• Khrushchev may had hoped to develop a linkage strategy between Cuba and Berlin.