The Soviet Union began to set up a missile base in Cuba, which was very close to the United States. The United States then set up a blockade and issued an ultimatum requesting the removal of the missiles. The Soviets cooperated in return for the protection of the communist government of Cuba, headed by Fidel Castro. If the crisis had not been averted, a nuclear war could have wnsued between the two superpowers.

The United States supported Fulgencio Batista y Zaldivar because when he was in power, he went to great lengths to maintain Cuba's subservient relationship with the USA. The Soviets supported Castro because he claimed to be a marxist-leninist, and it presented an opportunity for the Soviets to establish their power in the Western Hemisphere.l

The Bay of Pigs invasion was the failed attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro's government. It lasted only three days before all troops were captured. The humiliating defeat diminished US prestige by showing weakness in their inability to take the island.

Cuba