What was the cause of the Cuban missile crisis?

1 Answer
Jul 29, 2016

There are a number of causes.

Explanation:

The Cuban Missile Crisis took place in 1962. Throughout the 1950's the Cold War had been at its height with the USA and USSR stockpiling massive arsenals of nuclear weapons. There was fear and indeed paranoia on both sides.

Cuba is in an area the Americans, since the Monroe Doctrine, have seen as their sphere of influence. This usually meant supporting brutal right wing dictators in return for control of strategic bases and access to raw materials such as fruit, sugar, coffee, tobacco, oil and cocaine.

The Batista regime in Cuba was one such example with heavy Mafia investment and control. When the regime was overthrown and Castro came to power the Americans reacted by cutting off all ties, including all economic links.

This meant that Castro had to look elsewhere to buy his sugar and tobacco and the USSR was only too willing to step in.

The Kennedy administration had already supported the Bay of Pigs invasion which turned out to be a fiasco, so Kennedy was under considerable pressure. He was also largely unsuccessful in domestic policy at the time particularly his efforts to bring forward civil rights legislation.

Khrushchev who had succeeded and denounced Stalin also saw a role for himself in world politics to establish himself and make his mark in his own right.

When US spy planes took photos of missile bases being constructed on Cuba, Kennedy made it clear that this was unacceptable and ordered the US navy to intercept Soviet ships approaching Cuba. Initially Khrushchev insisted on the ships continuing but eventually backed down.

Kennedy emerged with his reputation greatly enhanced whilst Khrushchev was removed from power shortly afterward. The two superpowers had almost gone to war and the Crisis marked the beginning of thawing of relations leading to detente.