REASONS FOR CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS
Significance of Cuba to USA
Tensions btwn US & Cuba
American political intervention in Cuba
Castro's policies that threatened US investments in Cuba
Cuban revolution & Castro's rise to power(1959)
Castro's friendship with Khrushchev at UN General Assembly meeting(1960)
Escalating tensions due to US retaliation against Cuba
USSR reasons
To test US and new US pres
- miscalculations
- Vienna Summit(1961)
- failure to negotiate meaningful concessions led Khrushchev to believe Kennedy was weak
- wrongly believed that Kennedy wld back down
To protect Cuba (from US-Cuba relations)
- Cuba's fear of invasion, convinced of invasion
- drove an alliance with USSR allowed USSR strategic foothold in Caribbeans
- resulted in soviet missile base in cuba and eventually cuban missile crisis
- however to cuba & USSR, it wld protect Cuba
As bargaining chips to bargain with US
- removal of jupiter missiles in Turkey and Italy
Result of Soviet insecurity
- behind on arms race
- USSR missiles cld only lauch against EU
- Jupiter missiles in Turkey ,150 miles from USSR cld strike enitre nation
- cuban missiles wld reduce US strategic advantage
- deter a potential US attack
Bay of pigs invasion (1961) ⭐
- by CIA to overthrow Castro's govt by training cuban exiles
- military disaster, Castro was well prepared
- able to rally nationalist sentiments
- diplomatic disaster, humiliation, angering int. communities
Operation mongoose (1961)
- no success in destroying Cuba's economy and assassinating Castro
Economic Pressure (1960)
Cuba's formal alliance with Soviet (1961)
- Bay of pigs, increased presence at guantanamo bay naval base, military exercise at Carribbean, convinced US intent of invading Cuba
- Cuba concerned about national security sought USSR as strong ally that cld compete against US
- declared communist, reorganised govt to fit model of communism
Strategic importance
Economic value
- geographically close and gateway to Carribean
- thus extremely impt to US security and important to any power who wished to control the area
reflected in Monroe Doctrine (1823)
- US viewed Americas as sphere of influence
- involved in Cuban War of independence
- After Spain's defeat, pro- american govt were set up in cuba
- Not allowed to make alliance with other countries w/o US approval
- Major producer of sugar and tobbaco (in high demand)
- Americans invested heavily in Sugar and tobacco industry.
(American companies owned 60% of Cuban Sugar Industry) - US was a major market for its goods
Cuban economy was largely dominated by US
- Installing of puppet leaders i.e. Batista grew Anti-American sentiments who did so to safeguard own's interests
- rule was corrupted, oppressed and exploited Cuba's commercial interests
US still supported for fear that opposition may bring about communism in Cuba
- did not accede to US's condition of establishing democratic govt (elections)
- US feared Castro's govt and foothold communism had over Cuba
Land reform law (1959)
- owners of large estates had to return land to govt
- large plots of land redistributed to smaller land to run as communes
- foreigners no longer allowed to own plantations
- to Castro, this was aimed at solving problem of inequality
- confirmed Castro's communist inclination
- adversely affected US economy
Seeking new markets for Cuban Sugar (1959)
- wanted to reduce reliance on Cuban Sugar Quota
- 1 mil of tonnes of sugar sold to USSR over 5 yrs
- Soviet trade delegation sent to cuba to improve trading relations
- barter trade cuban sugar for russian oil agreed upon
- US was suspicious as better trade relation seemed to indicated alignment with communist bloc
- reduced reliance on US also threatened US investments
- stayed in Harlem, high poverty rate & african-american pop
- visited by Khrushchev at hotel (political sig) (double demonstration discrimination)
- championed rights of african-americans at UN
- insulted US who did not want to grant rights, embarrassing them
- pointed out imperfections of US and flaws of capitalist system
- seen as associating himself openly with communism
- 300,000 tonnes of oil frm USSR to Cuba not processed
- reduced cuban sugar quota frm 3mil tonnes to 700,000 tonnes
- retaliated by nationalising US props
- US embargo on US exports excpt medicine and food
- US embargo ineffective bc USSR supported Cuba, bought 4 mil tonnes of sugar
- economic support by USSR and its allies enabled land reforms and nationalisation
- 30% farmland, 80% industry under national ownership