Cuba

Questions 3A-3C

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How did the Cuban Missile Crisis bring the two superpowers to the brink of war?

In October 1962, an American U-2 spy plane secretly photographed nuclear missile sites being built by the Soviet Union on the island of Cuba. President Kennedy did not want the Soviet Union and Cuba to know that he had discovered the missiles. He met in secret with his advisors for several days to discuss the problem. After many long and difficult meetings, Kennedy decided to place a naval blockade, or a ring of ships, around Cuba. The aim of this "quarantine," as he called it, was to prevent the Soviets from bringing in more military supplies. He demanded the removal of the missiles already there and the destruction of the sites. On October 22, President Kennedy spoke to the nation about the crisis in a televised address.

B. Why did the United States support Fulgencio Batista y Zaldivar? (1950s) Why did the the Soviet Union support Fidel Castro? (1959)

Fulgencio Batista ruled Cuba, sometimes formally and sometimes by proxy, for most of the 25 years before Fidel Castro's rise to power at the end of 1958. During that time, he subverted the constitution and terrorized political opponents. He enjoyed a wealthy lifestyle from the money generated by the influx of tourism and American corporations to the island, while the country's poor became even more impoverished. He did so with the explicit support of American mobsters and with the acquiescence of the American government. American interest in Cuban democracy did not emerge until after the country had a communist government.

C. How did the Bay of Pigs invasion diminish U.S. prestige.

JFK authorized invasion to overthrow Castro and supporters bc they were allied with USSR. 1,500 anti Castro-Cubans landed at Bay of Pigs in April 1961. Did not invoke internal uprising. Promised American air support failed to appear. Invasion fizzled. Within 3 days castors forces had either captured or killed the entire invasion force. Diminish US prestige in Latin America. Cause USSR to deploy missiles in Cuba to prevent further invasion

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