The Cuban Missile Crisis
Contemporary Diplomacy
Essay: The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union represented socialism and the USA and its NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) allies represented capitalism. The world was divided between these ideologies, with United States controlling the West and the USSR spreading socialism with the Warsaw Pact in the East. Not only were their ideologies different but they were racing against each other in the field of science. In terms of military might, both sides acquired nuclear weapons yet military conflict was unlikely thanks to the theory of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). This theory stated that in the Cold War, whoever fired first would start a war which nobody could win, eventually destroying the world.
The Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro established a socialist government in the island with close relations to the USSR. The moment came when the Monroe Doctrine should be again invoked, in order to prevent further spreading of communism in Latin America backed by the Soviet Union.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, from 14th to 28th October 1962 the world stood on the brink of extinction because the Soviet Union had placed nuclear missiles in Cuba. The United States military forces were on full alert, ready to attack. In the meantime, in Cuba Soviet commanders stood ready to fire the missiles if a US invasion occurred. Neither side was willing to hold back, unless an agreement was reached, the crisis could have turned into World War.
This essay will analyse the main points of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the effects of the crisis, how the crisis was managed and how for 14 days Nikita Khrushchev and John F. Kennedy, the two most powerful political leaders in the world at the time tried to reach a compromise and avoid nuclear war.
The Cold War
During the Cold War, the two super-powers in the globe viewed each other with suspicion. However, neither the US nor the Soviet Union wanted to engage in
Essay: The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union represented socialism and the USA and its NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) allies represented capitalism. The world was divided between these ideologies, with United States controlling the West and the USSR spreading socialism with the Warsaw Pact in the East. Not only were their ideologies different but they were racing against each other in the field of science. In terms of military might, both sides acquired nuclear weapons yet military conflict was unlikely thanks to the theory of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). This theory stated that in the Cold War, whoever fired first would start a war which nobody could win, eventually destroying the world.
The Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro established a socialist government in the island with close relations to the USSR. The moment came when the Monroe Doctrine should be again invoked, in order to prevent further spreading of communism in Latin America backed by the Soviet Union.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, from 14th to 28th October 1962 the world stood on the brink of extinction because the Soviet Union had placed nuclear missiles in Cuba. The United States military forces were on full alert, ready to attack. In the meantime, in Cuba Soviet commanders stood ready to fire the missiles if a US invasion occurred. Neither side was willing to hold back, unless an agreement was reached, the crisis could have turned into World War.
This essay will analyse the main points of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the effects of the crisis, how the crisis was managed and how for 14 days Nikita Khrushchev and John F. Kennedy, the two most powerful political leaders in the world at the time tried to reach a compromise and avoid nuclear war.
The Cold War
During the Cold War, the two super-powers in the globe viewed each other with suspicion. However, neither the US nor the Soviet Union wanted to engage in
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