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The Significance Of The Cuban Missile Crisis

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The Cuban Missile Crisis was a pivotal moment in the history of the Cold War that nearly escalated into a global nuclear war. It was a political and military standoff between the United States, the Soviet Union, and Cuba that occurred in October 1962.
According to an article in the Journal of Cold War Studies, the crisis began when the United States detected the presence of Soviet missile sites in Cuba. The Soviet Union had installed missiles that were capable of reaching the United States, which led to a tense standoff between the two superpowers(Allison 5). The US government, led by President John F. Kennedy, demanded that the Soviet Union remove the missiles from Cuba. However, the Soviet Union was unwilling to do so, which led to a dangerous situation that nearly resulted in a nuclear war. …show more content…

As a BBC article points out, it was the closest the world ever came to a nuclear war(BBC News). The crisis highlighted the dangers of nuclear weapons and led to increased efforts to reduce the risk of nuclear war. It also demonstrated the importance of diplomacy and negotiations in resolving conflicts between nations. The crisis had a significant impact on the political landscape of the Cold War, as it led to a thaw in US-Soviet relations(Leffler 15).
The role played by the transportation and messaging departments during the Cuban missile crisis was crucial. According to a declassified document from the US Department of Defense, the transportation department was responsible for moving US military forces to the Caribbean. The department had to coordinate with various branches of the military, including the Army, Navy, and Air Force, to transport troops and equipment quickly and efficiently(Department of Defense). This was a critical task as it enabled the US to respond to any potential military threat posed by the Soviet

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The US government turned the weapons to Cuba immediately. “I call upon Chairman Khrushchev to halt and eliminate this secret and reckless threat to the world peace” (Doc. A). Even though, it missile site is outside of US, it is still a dangerous nuclear threat to US from SU. Because behind Cuba, its biggest support was Soviet Union.

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The Cuban Missile Crisis demonstrated the United States’ use of the policy of containment because the United States issued a quarantine of Cuba and also entered in diplomatic talks with the Soviet Union to try to halt the conflict. However the Cuban Missile Crisis also demonstrated how containment was not successful because despite how friendly the two leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States became Cuba still became a communist

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Khrushchev’s time in power is especially known for being the period where the maximum level of tension was exerted between the two superpowers. Indeed, the two times world war III was the closest were the standoff at checkpoint Charlie in 1961 and the Cuban missile crisis in 1952, which were conducted during his service as head of the USSR. During the Checkpoint Charlie standoff, several American and Soviet tanks stood 75m away on each side of the border, aiming at each other, for 16 hours, until they, one by one, left the zone. Such tension was repeated during the Cuban Missile crisis, which was due to the implantation of Soviet medium-length ballistic nuclear-warhead missiles in Cuba, within Striking range of the US. They led to the instauration of the Moscow – Washington hotline, often called “red telephone”, which was intended to be used as fast and reliable means for the two powers to share crucial information or to negotiate in the case of an emergency, to manage to avoid the accidental start of a nuclear war.

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The USSR was to be blamed for the Cuban Missile Crisis to a large extent however the USA was also to be blamed for the Cuban Missile Crisis. The USSR was to be blamed due to their involvement with Cuba and the implementation of the missiles in Cuba including their implementation of resources to influence Cuba to join the USSR political ideology which was communism. However the reason for the USA also being blamed for the Cuban Missile Crisis was their factors and their aggressive policies which increased the tensions between the two superpowers in the Cuba Missile Crisis. Mr Kennedy’s aggressive policies, the blockade implemented by Kennedy as well as getting them involved where it was not necessary. USSR and the USA had many factors they

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This was due to an incident called the Cuban Missile Crisis. The crisis was a result of the USSR putting nuclear weapons in Cuba. The, Cuba would be in range to hit the US with weapons of mass destruction. The incident lasted only a few days until the Kennedy administration defused the ticking time bomb. Though a great charismatic leader, one operation puts a blemish on JFK’s report card.

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America, fearing for their own safety, then put a quarantine around Cuba, not allowing any ships with weapons to enter. (Doc D) Tensions were high, with both capitalist and communist nations having the potential to launch a nuclear strike against the other. After some time, the Soviets decided to retreat. They removed their missiles from Cuba and the threat of a nuclear war subsided.

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In addition, the Nuclear Arms and the Space Race, both of which were competitions of whom could develop technology faster, contributed to the cold war. However, the most dangerous and terrifying decision they made was the Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1962 it was discovered that the Soviet Union had nuclear bombs in Cuba, only 90 miles off the coast of the US. The Soviet Union placed the bombs in Cuba out of fear of a nuclear war. This way, if it became necessary, the Soviet Union could be prepared.

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A large component of the Cold War was the Cuban Missile Crisis; this started when the U.S. attempted to assist the rebel Cubans to defeat the Cuban dictator, Fidel Castro. The United States failed during the Bay of Pigs invasion by not properly taking out the Cuban Navy and solider as planned. After the attack, Fidel Castro gave a speech stating “Everybody, men and women, young and old, we are all one in this moment of danger. ”(Document H). This attacked caused the people of Cuba to fear what would happen if the U.S.—an omnipotent country of the time—attacked Cuba again.

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After several tense days of negotiation, the Soviet Union agreed to remove the missiles in exchange for a U.S. promise not to invade Cuba and to remove U.S. missiles from Turkey. Significance: The Cuban Missile Crisis was significant because it brought the world close to nuclear war and highlighted the dangers of the arms race. The resolution of the crisis demonstrated the importance of diplomacy and negotiation in preventing conflict between nuclear

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One can clearly see that the United States was the blame for the increasing tensions during the Cold War by taking drastic measures to protect themselves, forming alliances and being hypocritical towards the Soviet Union. The United States had installed a nuclear arsenal in Turkey, which was not looked on so lightly from the Soviet Union’s view point. Once USSR realized what was being taken place, they placed nuclear bombs in Cuba. As an act of defense, U.S.A decided to allow force if necessary in Cuba to protect themselves from USSR weapons.

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Findings Analysis In 1962 nuclear war seemed inevitable to the world, it was the first time nuclear war was hanging on a thread. The Cuban Missile Crisis presented a threat to the world, in which the USSR planted nuclear missiles on Cuba. (Source B).America’s response was to threaten launching nuclear missiles at the Russians. Kennedy clearly stated that he is prioritising on the security of the United States and of the southern hemisphere.

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“Since the 1950’s, as part of the Cold War, U.S. and Soviet Military strategy had focused on building nuclear weapons that could be used against each other in a conflict. ”(Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis 22). In this quote it proves that John F. Kennedy’s actions did not lead to the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Soviet Union had been planning the crisis for a while. They were building the nuclear weapons since the

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In 1962, it led to a dangerous crisis that put much of the U.S in a state of fear, the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Cuban Missile Crisis was caused when the United States discovered Soviet offensive missile sites in Cuba in October of 1962. The missiles were placed strategically so they would land on U.S soil when launched from Cuba. This was the closest the U.S and Soviet Union’s got to a nuclear war during the Cold

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During the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis took place. It was when two superpowers were close to causing a nuclear war. Its main origin was when the United States invaded Cuba, on April 10, 1961; which is also known as the Bay of Pigs invasion. After the invasion, previous Prime Minister; Fidel Castro of Cuba, was ‘paranoid’ because he felt like America was planning another attack. So in order to protect his nation, he sought military and economic help from the Soviet Union.

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