0
Cuban Missile Crisis
In October 1962, the world teetered on the brink of nuclear war as the two Super Powers stared each other down over the placement of nuclear missiles in Cuba by the Soviets.
597 Questions
When were cruise missiles first tested?
The first cruise missiles were the German V-1 used in WW2 against Britain.
What effect did the Cuban missiles crises have on the US?
The American Public were scared. How would you feel if there were about 42 nuclear missiles pointed towards the U.S., ready to be launched at any moment right now? I know I'd be scared.
What where lasting effects of Cuban missile crisis?
The United States broadened its contianment policy
Prior to the Cuban Missile Crisis, the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion in April 1961 significantly influenced Fidel Castro's decision to seek military support from the Soviet Union. The invasion, orchestrated by the U.S. with the intent to overthrow Castro's government, heightened his fears of further American aggression. In response to this threat, Castro sought military assistance from the Soviet Union to bolster his regime and deter potential future invasions. This alignment ultimately led to the installation of Soviet missiles in Cuba, escalating tensions between the U.S. and the USSR.
Where was the Cuban Missile Crisis?
With the news of this confirmed evidence, President Kennedy called together a special group of senior advisers to meet secretly at the White House to help him come to a strategy as to avoid nuclear destruction of the United States. At this point in time, at the Cuban missile base, the Soviets were capable of hitting any city in the United States sans the far reaches of Washington state. This group created by Kennedy came to be known as the ExComm, or Executive Committee of the National Security Council. These officials discussed the various options, such as an immediate bombing strike or an appeal to the United Nations, both of which were dismissed early on. The real options for ExComm were only military- either a naval blockade and an ultimatum, or a full-scale invasion. The blockade was eventually chosen, even though a few of the officials of ExComm, notably Paul Nitze and Generals Curtis LeMay and Maxwell Tayler, pushed for more aggressive actions.
In the end, it came down to the wire. Soviet ships threatened to break the blockade and, at the last moment, turned back. The Soviets removed the missiles- under the condition that the US removed their own missiles from Turkey. President Kennedy ordered an end to the quarantine of Cuba on November 20th.
More information from WikiAnswers' contributors:
- Cuba was afraid that, after the bay of pigs (in which US-backed rebels attacked Cuba and failed) the US would try to topple the Communist party there. So they went to Khrushchev, an ally, and asked for help, and received some missiles. The Americans, who happened to be spying on Cuba at the time, discovered the missiles and raised a fuss, blockading the island. Khrushchev responded by telling his commanders that they could launch the missiles at the US if the Americans made any aggressive move. The world was sitting on the brink of nuclear war. Khrushchev realized this and, knowing that nuclear war would probably kill all human life, gave the order to remove the missiles.
- The Cuban Missile Crisis occurred in October 1962. When the Soviet Union secretly put nuclear missiles on the island of Cuba, it nearly started a nuclear war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The missiles were discovered by routine spy-plane surveillance. The missiles were still in the process of being made launch-ready. However, President Kennedy had very little time to make a decision regarding what to do about it. His military advisers all but demanded a full-scale air strike, followed by an invasion of the island. Instead, President Kennedy order the U.S. Navy to "quarantine" the island by not allowing any Soviet ships to travel to Cuba. This, combined with diplomacy, forced Soviet Premier Khrushchev's hand, and the missiles were withdrawn.
What might have happened if the Soviets did not back down in the Cuban Missile crisis?
Nothing. Nothing at all.
Just look at the modern equivalent: the USA's "missile shield" in Europe.
How did the US bring Cuban missile crises to a successful end?
President Kennedy forced the Soviets to remove all of its missiles from Cuba and promised not to invade Cuba. The so-called deal for the US to remove its missiles from Turkey is problematic.The bottom line was that neither superpowers wanted a thermonuclear war.
What defcon did the Cuban missile crisis reach?
We moved to Defcon 2 because relations with Fidel Castro were becoming complicated. After the failure of The Bay of Pigs Invasion Castro became Afraid of the U.S invading the island of Cuba. He considered launching all nuclear war heads that would be defined as MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction).
In 1963, when Kennedy was President of the US, trying to end the Cold War, when the US and the Soviet Union reached an arms control agreement. They also established a direct telephone line between the White House and the Kremlin.
Did the Cuban Missile Crisis increase tensions between the US and Russia?
The Cuban Missile Crisis helped to escalate and de-escalate tensions with the Soviet Union. It escalated the tensions because the Soviet Union repeatedly told the US that they would not place missiles in Cuba and that there was no reason for concern and then they went ahead and did it anyway. This caused tensions to escalate because the US and other countries could no longer trust the Soviet Union. Tensions de-escalated because the US was able to gain the support of so many other countries. This showed the Soviet Union that they had no support and that their testing the US and placing missiles in different places would not be tolerated at all. So, they removed their missiles from Cuba and the tensions partially de-escalated.
What was the blockade the United Stated used on Cuba?
Careful, you can't call it a "blockade" that would be an act of war and would have justified the USSR issuing a declaration of war on the US. Kennedy only called it a "quarantine". (even if effect was same)
Why did kruschev put missile in Cuba?
Soviet Premier Khrushchev wanted to put nuclear weapons in Cuba, because the US had placed Nuclear weapons in West Germany, Greece, Turkey, Japan, and A few pacific islands.
He wanted to equalize the strategic advantage
Did the us win the Cuban missile crisis?
"Won" is not the usual idea of a crsis end. All of mankind "won" because we are still alive. The fact we got into such a crisis means we all lost something also. The idea that Cuba and Russia could have got nuclear missles that close to us and setup means we could have easily had a major loss of life.
The end result is that President Kennedy got Russia and Castro to flicnh and move the missles out of Cuba.
How did the US discover the missiles?
If you are asking about the missiles in Cuba they were discovered by the use of spy planes and people on the ground. A spy plane flew over and shot pictures of the silos for the missiles. The people on the ground confirmed that they were there. Kennedy told Russia that they had to remove the missiles and the result was the Cuban Missile Crisis.
What best characterizes the outcome of the Bay of Pigs?
The Bay of Pigs was when the US tried to invade Cuba under the rule of Fidel Castro in 1961. This invasion failed and the USSR based nuclear missiles on Cuba in 1962. This led to the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.
How many soviet missile and jet bomber bases were in Cuba and on which island were they located?
Six soviet missile and jet bomber base.
What was the underlying cause of the Cuban Missile Crisis?
President Kennedy admitted to lack of missile gap unlike Eisenhower. He said that the US was way ahead of the Soviets in the developing missiles. This made Khrushchev (The Soviet leader) look bad. And this angers Cuba a lot especially, after our failed attempt with the Bay of Pigs. Castro starts to buddy up with the Soviets a lot more. Khrushchev doesn't want to see the US take Cuba down. So he offers to arm Castro with weapons. The US had the Soviet Union surrounded with missile sites and the Soviets wanted at least one site near the US. If they could get Cuba they would have their "one place". A U2 planes discovered installation sites being built in Cuba by the soviets. Kennedy called together the National Security Council, DOD, etc. to discuss what to do with this. We came up with three options. 1)Invade Cuba-Bay of pigs was a failure. 2) Air Strike- were afraid if we did do that ,t hey would shoot our planes3) Leave it alone. No one was really satisfied with those three option so we decided to Quarantine AKA Blockade Cuba. The Cuban Missile Crisis scared everyone to death; we were on the verge of nuclear war. In 1963 the US and the Soviet Union Signed a nuclear Test Ban Treaty which banned the testing of atomic weapons. A hotline was also set up between Moscow and Washington D.C.
Well, if i knew that some dangerous people were constructing missiles, i would want to stop it, so he was probably scared and wanted to keep the country safe without causing too much of a problem.
Why does Khrushchev want missiles removed from Cuba?
Khrushchev withdrew the missiles from Cuba to prevent World War III and because the US government assured him that they would remove their nuclear arsenal from Turkey. However, the latter part of this agreement was not publicized until much later.
What were the most important developments of the 1950s?
I became super great at everything :) the beginning.
What statement best characterizes the outcome of bay of pigs?
The Bay of Pigs was a failed invasion attempt at Cuban exiles. The mission was run by the Kennedy administration.
How did the manchurian crisis occur?
The Manchurian Crisis 1931-1933
The first major failure of the League, in 1930, was over the Japanese invasion of Manchuria.
Why did Japan invade?
Japan had been badly hit by the Depression. Her industrial strength depended on exports. These fell by 50% between 1929 and 1931. Without exports she could not buy the inports she needed. The country was also overcrowded. The military leaders believed that Japan should expand for more living space and raw materials. Japan chose Manchuria because:
- It belonged to China which was very weak at this time. It was spilt in two by civil war between Nationalists and Communists.
- Japan argued that Manchuria would act as a buffer against the USSR and Communism.
- Japan already claimed special interests in Manchuria. They ran the South Manchurian Railway and controlled some of the cities along its route.
The Mukden Incident
In September the Japanese army staged the Mukden incident. On the night of 18 September, there was an explosion on the South Manchurian Railway just outside the city of Mukden. The Japanese claimed this was an act of sabotage by the Chinese. The Chinese denied this, claiming that all their soldiers in the areas were in barracks at the time. This gave the Japanese the ideal excuse to take over Manchuria. The invasion was a great success. In 1932 Manchuria was renamed Manchukuo. The last Chinese Emperor, Pu Yi, who had been overthrown in 1911, was made the Japanese puppet ruler.
What did the League of Nations do?
Most countries were horrified at what Japan had done. China asked the League of Nations for help. The League:
- Condemned Japan's actions and ordered the withdrawal of Japanese troops. The Japanese government agreed but the army refused.
- Appointed the Lytton Commission to investigate the crisis. This took over a year to report, by which time the invasion and occupation was complete. The Commission found Japan guilty of forcibly seizing part of China's territory.
- Accepted the Lytton Report and instructed all of its members not to recognize Manchukuo. It invited Japan to hand Manchuria back to China.
The Japanese government kept Manchuria and then left the League in 1933. The League did not stop Japanese aggression. Indeed Japan went on to occupy the Chinese city of Jehol.
