The Cuban Missile Crisis occurred in October 1962 and brought the United States and Soviet Union closest to nuclear war. The Soviet Union had placed nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from American shores. The US imposed a naval blockade of Cuba to prevent further Soviet shipments of nuclear weapons to the island. For 13 days, the world stood on the brink of war as the US and USSR confronted one another. Through secret negotiations and a public agreement between President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev, the Soviets agreed to remove the missiles from Cuba and the US lifted the blockade, averting nuclear conflict.

2. When
?
15 October 1962.

3. The Cuban Missile Crisis
was the closest the world
What is?
ever came to nuclear war.
The United States armed
forces were at their highest
state of readiness ever and
Soviet field commanders in
Cuba were prepared to use
battlefield nuclear weapons
to defend the island if it was
invaded. Luckily, thanks to
the bravery of two
men, President John F.
Kennedyand Premier Nikita
Khrushchev, war was
averted.
in Vietnam and Laos, the
failed Vienna summit (1961)

4. Where?
It was between Cuba and the
untied states but the actually
missals were brought to Mexico

5. 1. Superpower Tension All the
tensions that had grown up between
Russia’s assertive ‘peaceful competition’
and Kennedy’s promise to be tough on
Russia – including the space race, the
arms race and nuclear testing, American How did it happen?
funding of anti-Communists in Vietnam and
Laos, the failed Vienna summit (1961) and
the Berlin Wall.
2. Fidel Castro’s Cuba In
1959, Fidel Castro took power in
Cuba. This was very threatening to the
USA because it was right next to
America. In 1960, Castro made a trade
agreement with Russia, whereby Cuba
sent sugar to Russia, in return for
oil, machines and money. This frightened
the Americans more, and in 1960 they
stopped trading with Cuba. In
retaliation, Cuba nationalized all American-
owned companies.
3. The Bay of Pigs In April 1961 the CIA
encouraged, funded and transported an
attempt by anti-Castro Cuban exiles to
invade Cuba.