Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Cuban Missile Crisis
When the Russians put nuclear missiles in Cuba, the US responded by blockading Cuba and threatening the start of nuclear war. Tensions rose when the US supported rebels in a failed attempt to overthrow the communist dictator of Cuba, Fidel Castro. Placing the missiles in Cuba only made situations worse by showing that they were able to launch a first strike. Only 90 miles from the mainland, Cuba was the perfect place to store missiles and keep a location that the Soviets could launch a first strike. The two ideologies, now closer geologically than ever, were at the brink of an actual nuclear war. Within 30 minutes from launch, the missiles from Cuba could hit the White House and destroy the US government. In response, the US set up nuclear launch stations in Turkey, right next to the Soviet Union. This event is significant because it was the closest the US had ever gotten to all out nuclear war. They had literally been 12 hours from launching missiles at the Soviet Union when Khrushchev sent a message to the White House saying that the Soviet Union will take the missiles out of Cuba. The two powers both backed down, both removing the missiles close to the other, the Americans taking their missiles out of Turkey, and the Soviet Union removed their missiles from Cuba.
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During the Cuban missile crisis, it is obvious that tensions were at an all time peak, but I also believe that after the crisis their need communications and realization of how dire their situation was really hit them. It can also be argue that the two countries never really trusted each other again afterwards, though, so the Cuban missile crisis harmed and benefited their relations.
ReplyDeleteI think that this was the closest the two superpowers ever came into actual contact to a nuclear war, meaning destruction for all which was very scary for both nations. Luckily this never did happen, but this was a time when all the tensions built up.
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