Cuban Missile Crisis Essay examples The Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis Essay Cuban Missile Crisis Cuban Missle Crisis Essay Cuban Missile Crisis Essay Cuban Missile Crisis Essay Essay about The Cuban Missile Crisis Cuban Missile Crisis. Essay The Cuban Missile Crisis Essay The Cuban Missile Crisis Essay

1. Cuban Missile Crisis Essay examples
Cuban Missile Crisis
The closest the world has come to nuclear war was the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962. This
was the tense cold war opposition between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union
had installed nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles off the coast of the United States
The Cold War was the result of a clash between communism and capitalism, two opposing
world–views. Another cause of the build up to the Cold War was the intransigent attitude of both
sides. The Soviet Union was extremely concerned about its security after having been invaded twice
in the twentieth century. In 1945 America created and used the atomic bomb against Japan and the
USSR was determined to create one of its own. Both the...show more content...
On Sunday, August 13, 1969 East Germany blocked off East Berlin from West Berlin with
barbed wire. A few days later the Berlin Wall was built to replace the barbed wire. From 1961 to
1981, there were 37,800 successful escapes across the Berlin wall from the East to the West. The
reunification of Germany took place on October 3, 1990.
In 1962, Cuba was convinced that the USA was planning to attack them and asked the Soviet Union
for military assistance. The USSR sent Cuba materials to build missile bases and launch sites. When
President Kennedy realized that Cuba could launch missiles into America, he demanded that the
USSR remove its weapons and troops. The Americans formed a naval blockade as the world stood
nervously on the edge of a nuclear war. The USSR removed its weapons despite protests from Cuban
leader Fidel Castro.
The United States believed that the Soviet Union's expansion threatened the developing nations of
the world. So, in 1949 President Truman and Congress approved nearly $400 million for technical
development programs in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. The goals of this Point Four Program
were to modernize and strengthen developing nations and discourage the growth of communism.
Gorbachev's policy of Glasnost eliminated the strict censorship practiced for hundreds of years.
Glasnost stands for openness, and Soviet citizens were now allowed to speak openly about their
country's problems. Perestroika, or
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2. The Cuban Missile Crisis
"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any
burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and
the success of liberty." The words of the 35th president John F. Kennedy. During the 1960's the
Soviets were looking to have world power. So they decided to expand their power towards the
America's. while in Vietnam they always had trouble keeping independence and now communism is
splitting the North and South and causing a civil war. Both the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam
War illustrate the United States attempt to combat communism. The Cuban Missile Crisis in the
prevention of a nuclear war. Whereas the Vietnam War ultimately curtailed the spread of communism.
(CMC) During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the U.S was trying to prevent a nuclear war, and attempting
to contain the hostility between the U.S and the Soviet Union. In 1962, an American U2 plane
spotted a Russian missile site being built with short, medium, and long range missiles (cite). After
Kennedy got the notice of there being a threat, he didn't want the public to know, so he met with
his close advisors in private (cite). He also needed to hurry as those missiles were ninety miles
away from the U.S. Kennedy and his advisors had to come up with a way to get rid of the missiles
without causing a worldwide conflict or causing a nuclear war. After many meetings Kennedy came
down to five options. The first option
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3. The Cuban Missile Crisis Essay
The Cuban Missile Crisis bought the world closer to extinction than ever before. It was through the
decisive actions of newly elected president John F Kennedy and then premier of the USSR Nikita
Khrushchev that the confrontation did not escalate into all out nuclear war. The Cuban Missile
Crisis lasted for 13 days, it was predicated on the fact that the Soviet Union was placing
intercontinental ballistic missiles on the island country of Cuba which is just off the coast of the
United States near the state of Florida. It can be assumed that the USSR was placing these missiles
in Cuba as a response to the United States placing missile system in Europe encircling the Warsaw
pact countries.
To understand to total extent of the conflict we can look at the recently declassified CIA
documents which explain in detail how all the fatal sequence of events that occurred. To better
understand the ideologies and perspectives of both the sides we can look at the letters exchanged
between President Kennedy and Chairmen Khrushchev. Sources from both sides of the Iron curtain
are very contrasting as they are from two different ideological perspectives. The letters also help us
understand the perspective of two of the most powerful people on earth, as their tone and rhetoric
changes during the confrontation. Lastly we can also observe that good and bad is all relative to
perspective.
The Cuban Missile Crisis officially lasted 13 days. Starting on October 14,1962 and ending on
October 28,
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4. Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban missile Crisis began in October 1962, when the US discovered Soviet missiles were
being stored in Cuba, finding these missiles meant the US & the Soviet Union were on the verge of
a Nuclear War.
In the lead up to the Cuban Missile Crisis, the US governments' intention was to have Castro
overthrown. However Castro had both the political & military support of the Soviet Union and started
receiving secret shipments of Soviet arms.
On the 14th October 1962 during a routine mission over Cuba, a spy plane obtained pictures
confirming the presence of nuclear missiles. Two days later, a detailed analysis of this evidence was
presented to President Kennedy. As the US Government had received indications that the Soviet
missiles would be...show more content...
However once there was no longer a threat of German and Japanese control, the Soviet Union took
this opportunity to try and win global domination. As the Soviet Union continued to spread through
Eastern Europe, America feared for their safety and freedom.
American citizens were worried their way of life and what defined them as a nation would be taken
away by communist nations, with Russia being the most threatening. After WW11, the depression
ended and for the first time in decades the economy was at its best. However the communists were
still a threat and had the potential to completely change the American way of life.
As the Cold War continued, the possible threat of nuclear war sent America into paranoia. Bomb
shelters were built in every new home; people began to stockpile foods in case they were required
to stay in the shelters for a length of time. Emergency procedures were put in place and practice runs
carried out at home and schools.
The decisions made by President Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis could have been the
turning point in the capitalism that Americans were accustomed to and given them a taste of
communism. If this had happened, the world would be a total contrast of what we know it as
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5. Cuban Missle Crisis Essay
Cuban Missle Crisis
Many agree that the Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest the world ever came to nuclear war; but
exactly how close did it come? The Crisis was ultimately a showdown between the United States
and the Soviet Union from October 16 to October 28, 1962. During those thirteen stressful days, the
world's two biggest superpowers stood on the brink of a nuclear catastrophe. The Crisis started as a
result of both the Soviet Union's fear of losing the arms race, and Cuba's fear of US invasion. The
Soviet Premier, Nikita Khrushchev, thought that both problems could easily be solved by placing
Soviet medium range missiles in Cuba. This deployment would double the Soviet arsenal and protect
Cuba from US invasion. Khrushchev...show more content...
did, in fact, have more missiles than the Soviet Union. What worried Khrushchev the most, though,
was that the Soviet missiles were only powerful enough to be launched against Europe, but the US
missiles were capable of striking the entire Soviet Union. He worried that if the Soviet Union lost
the arms race that badly, it would invite a nuclear attack from the US. Khrushchev needed a way to
counter the United State's lead. (May 49) In April of 1962, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev came
up with the idea of installing medium–range missiles in Cuba. Cuba was close enough to the United
States that the Soviet missiles would be an effective deterrent to a potential US attack against either
the Soviet Union or Cuba. Castro accepted Khrushchev's offer, since it would protect Cuba and,
therefore, solve Castro's previous dilemma. In mid–July of 1962, the Soviet Union began its buildup
of offensive weapons in Cuba. The Soviets spent most of the late–summer and early–fall of 1962
ferrying launch equipment and personnel necessary for the preparation of missiles to Cuba. Since
they could not use military ships (for fear of being discovered) the Soviets used civilian vessels.
However, even with this caution, their actions were detected. As the US monitored the suddenly
increased shipping activity to Cuba, rumors started in Washington. On August 10, John McCone,
director of the CIA, sent the President a letter stating his belief that the Soviets were placing
MRBMs in Cuba.
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6. Cuban Missile Crisis Essay
For 13 days in October 1962, the world was threatened by nuclear war. This event is known as the
Cuban Missile Crisis. This event was the closest to nuclear war then world has ever gotten since
the US dropped the nuclear missiles on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The USSR had been shipping
nuclear missiles to Cuba to deter the threat of the nuclear missiles that could hit the USSR that
were in Turkey and Italy. Cuba is a repressive communist society just like the USSR, and it was
close enough to the US to hit any major city with the nuclear missiles. In order to protect the USSR
and Cuba from the acts of aggression from the western world to keep the unequal political system of
Capitalism, the USSR wanted to keep communism in the world, they...show more content...
Khrushchev was very involved with the communists even before they took power. Kruschev joined
the Communist Bolsheviks in 1929 when he moved to Moscow with his family. When Joseph
Stalin died in 1953, Kruschev positioned himself to be his successor, 6 months later, he became the
leader of the Communist party and one of the most powerful people in the USSR. Kruschev had a
bad relationship with the west. Relations were gone when the Soviets shot down a U–2 spy plane
deep inside Russian airspace. Russia did this 1– to see how US would react to a plane being shot
down and 2– Because the Soviets did not want an American plane flying over their country taking
pictures without there permission. This was not a smart idea for the Soviets because we lost all
diplomatic relations with each other and hated each other. A year later, 15 nuclear tipped Jupiter
missiles were placed in Turkey, ready to fire if needed. This event made Kruschev look weak for
not doing anything in response. Russia decided to up the ante and called for the deployment of
"defensive" missiles in Cuba. In July 1962, Fidel Castro's brother went to Russia on a
non–explainable mission. Later that month, US U–2 spy planes watched as ships left the USSR
headed for Cuba with various types of military equipment, Including bombers, patrol aircraft and 24
surface to air missiles. The planes failed to notice the 80 missiles and 40 nuclear warheads. How did
these planes fail
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7. Cuban Missile Crisis Essay
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13 day political and military deadlock in 1962 between the United
States and the Soviet Union. It appeared that the Soviet Union was installing nuclear missiles in
Cuba, and it was the closest the United States has ever came to a nuclear war. Using the movie, 13
Days, the Cuban Missile Crisis is explained and compared to the actual event. The crisis was led to
by the Cold War. The Cold War was a period between 1947 and 1991 of geopolitical tension
between the corrupted East and the free West of Europe. It first started off by the Truman Doctrine,
which was a foreign policy where the United States agreed to aid any nations threatened by the
Soviets geopolitical expansion. This means, that when when Eastern...show more content...
ExCom spent about two weeks discussing their options and left the public out for about a week.
They came up with six possible courses of action, the first, do nothing. The second, a diplomatic
route where the U.S uses diplomatic pressure to get the Soviets to remove the missiles. Third, an
air strike. Fourth, an invasion where they remove the missiles along with Castro. Fifth, a blockade
where the U.S Navy stops any more missiles arriving into Cuba. The sixth is a secrete approach to
push a wedge between Fidel Castro and the Soviet Union. The first option was almost immediately
out because the missiles imposed a threat on the U.S. The Joint Chiefs of Staff agreed that the
only way they would succeed would be and attack followed by an invasion. In the movie,
someone stated that if they were to attack with an air strike, it would cause the Soviets to make a
move against Berlin and cause a war because the air strike will kill Russians. Another point made
in the movie is that if we did an invasion, it would be played out like, we would demand the Soviets
to withdraw the missiles from 12–24 hours, they would refuse. Then our strikes would follow the
invasion, they will resist and retaliate against another target (they figured Berlin). Then we would
resist them there which would cause a war. President Kennedy wanted to go the diplomatic route to
not start any violence, however
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8. Essay about The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis
In 1962, an American spy plane discovered the Soviet nuclear missile bases in Cuba. Castro had
turned to the USSR for military assistance in fear of a US attack. It was the sighting of these missile
bases that marked the beginning of the Cuban missile crisis. There were many reasons why the
Cuban missile crisis came about, and undoubtedly the USSR and America's history played major
roles in the coming about of this incident.
The Soviet bitterness towards America following the Second World War was amongst others one of
the definitive causes of this crisis. Such events as the Berlin blockade and airlift, the Berlin Wall and
the arms race had divided the two countries...show more content...
An ongoing rivalry between the USA and the USSR played a fair part in the taking place of the
crisis in Cuba in 1962. The ideological differences between the countries often led to conflicts, like
the Korean War. There was a mutual fear of each other; America had always feared Communism
and the USSR remained in terror of the capabilities of weapons in the USA. The arms race had left
both countries fearing the damage the opposing country could impose upon them. This arms race
was an example of the fierce rivalry between the Super Powers. It is this competition that sees the
countries going head to head at various times. The Cuban missile crisis seems just another excuse for
these rival countries to challenge one another once again.
The battle to surpass each other extends to positions of influence. America had control of missile
bases in Turkey, which is positioned very close to the USSR. Khruschev's eagerness to assist
Castro may have been to ensure Soviet weapons were positioned near to America: a ploy to let the
USA know that the USSR was as powerful a country as them. The fact that both America and the
USSR influences were extending meant the two countries grew even closer; so the Cuban missile
crisis is the result of the two countries desire to expand.
The revolution leading to Castro's rule in 1959, combined with his Communist type policies led
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9. Cuban Missile Crisis. Essay
The Cuban Missile Crisis: The Events Before, During, and After
Let the record show that our restraint is not inexhaustible. Should it ever appear that the
inter–American doctrine of noninterference merely conceals or excuses a policy of nonaction – if the
nations of this hemisphere should fail to meet their commitments against outside Communist
penetration – then I want it clearly understood that this
Government will not hesitate in meeting its primary obligations, which are to the security of our
Nation. Should the time ever come, we do not intend to be lectured on " intervention "
by those whose character was stamped for all time on the bloody streets of Budapest. ( Address by
President Kennedy, 20 April 1961, " The...show more content...
In 1920, a new leader, Joseph Stalin, became head of the Communist Party. Stalin did not want to
make a truce with the United States, but he did decide to join World War II. The Soviet Union
suffered considerable damage, but fought successfully with the other allies and eventually defeated
Hitler. In post – World War II, this alliance began to wither as mistrust and tension grew between
Stalin and President Truman, thus giving birth to the Cold War. Opposition, broken promises, and a
continuing struggle over who would unite Europe led the United States and the U.S.S.R even
farther apart. Most believed that peace was not an option and war was inevitable for the two
nations. Although both countries were not keen on going to war, tension and stress of the Cold War
was at its height ( Encarta ).
In a sense, it can be said that the stage was set for a deciding conflict. Both the United States and
the Soviet Union had been preparing for war by increasing their military power, which included
nuclear capabilities. No one could be certain when or who was planning to attack first. The answer
was soon to come.
In September of 1962, various American intelligence agencies became flooded with reports which
stated that the Russians were supplying and assembling surface–to–air and surface–to–surface
missiles inside Cuba. When questioned, the Soviet Premier, Nikita Krushchev, denied that any
missiles were being supplied to Cuba (
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10. The Cuban Missile Crisis Essay
Thirteen days in October of 1962 changed the course of the World in the nuclear age forever. The
Cuban Missile Crisis represents the closest brink of mutual nuclear destruction the World has ever
been close to reaching. The leadership in place throughout the crisis is critical to the story of the
Cuban Missile Crisis. Three men dominated the nations involved in the crisis and captivated citizens
of all corners of the world. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy of the United States, Soviet Premier
Nikita Khrushchev, and Cuban Dictator Fidel Castro dominated the airwaves and news circuits
leading up to the infamous crisis, which put the three leaders and nations in a cold silence of
misperceptions, miscommunications, and unprecedented...show more content...
Each meeting among the Executive Committee members was essential to the case and had a great
impact on the final outcome. President Kennedy deliberately composed the group of men with
various positions and alternate viewpoints. The President's intended to receive as many options and
counter–arguments as possible before making a catastrophically uninformed decision again,
referring to the Bay of Pigs debacle. Instead of a public relations defeat and loss of life among
Cuban exiles, complete nuclear annihilation was on the table, which upped the ante of this decision
enormously. President Kennedy relied heavily on the opinions of his brother Attorney General
Robert F. Kennedy and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, whom adamantly supported the
blockade option of which President Kennedy ultimately aligned with.
Without the precise and cautious actions of President Kennedy the World as we know it today may
not exist. One of the many ironies of the crisis is how uninformed the public was of the boiling
situation, until the President addressed the nation on the night of October 22nd. America watched as
President Kennedy spoke sternly yet eloquently about the possible days ahead, publicly warning the
Soviet and Cuban leaders of the retaliations that would inevitably follow if not resolved properly.
United States Foreign Policy thrived at that very moment because of the monumental effect the
President's words had on the entire
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11. The Cuban Missile Crisis Essay
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. America's response was to threaten launching nuclear missiles at the
Russians. This incident launched the world into a new time, which presented nuclear weapons as a
source of power.
The incident of the Cuban Missile Crisis still connects with us today because the power nuclear
weapons present, which provides incentives for countries to want them. Although nuclear technology
was around prior to this incident, the power they represented didn't fully develop till this time. Since
the crisis five new countries have...show more content...
The reason this stance can and is sometimes taken is because the entire crisis began with nuclear
weapons and nearly ended everything with them as well. America placed Jupiter Missiles with
nuclear capabilities in Turkey and Italy, as part of NATO'scold war deterrent against the soviets.
This is what many people say started the tensions, we placed Nukes at their doorstep, thusly
Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet Premier feared the imbalance of power would prompt America to
strike first. While this psychological fear of Khrushchevs is a piece to the puzzle, many other
things factor into the eventual crisis. The economic dealings between the Soviets and Cuba,
already gave Khrushchev a footing near America in which he could fix the imbalance of power.
But the only reason the USSR and Cuba began dealing with each other is because America cut off
80% of its exports, creating economic tensions in Cuba. While those are 2 places people point the
blame for the start of the crisis, a final nail in the coffin could also be blamed. The political ideology
John F. Kennedy which feared the spreading of nuclear technology to new nations; he did claim that
the U.S. lagged behind the Soviets in nuclear capabilities during his campaign. JFK knew as well as
Khrushchev did that this was false, but the general thought could only procure more reason for
Khrushchev to plant missiles near America. If America believed they lagged behind
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