Why Did The Cuban Missile Crisis Almost Trigger A Nuclear War

Why and how did the Cuban Missile Crisis almost trigger a nuclear war?
By: Erin Chua

After the second World War, the tension between the United States and Soviet Union did not end but only grew, and in the late 1940’s the build up tension started the Cold War. Unlike other wars, such as the Vietnam War where the Northern Vietnamese and the Southern Vietnamese were fighting, the two main countries, the United States and the Soviet Union, never went to war against each other. They involved themselves in proxy wars, such as the Afghanistan War and the Vietnam war, and races, such as the Arms Race and the Space Race. If these two countries every went into war against one another it would assure mutual destruction. The Cold war lasted about 44
Firstly, What is the Cuban Missile Crisis? The Cuban Missile Crisis is a 13 day political and military standoff between the United States and Europe (History). This was a very direct and dangerous confrontation between the two superpowers (The Cuban Missile Crisis). What caused the Cuban Missile Crisis? In 1959, a man named Fidel Castro came to power in Cuba. During his time as the leader, he nationalized American companies which caused the United States to retaliate (BBC). The americans stopped all aid to Cuba and all imports of Cuban sugar, which affected the economy of Cuba greatly (BBC). Doing this forced Cuba to ask the Soviet Union for help and in 1960, the USSR signed an agreement and in return Castro became Communist (BBC). In April 1961, the CIA invaded Cuba, this is called the Bay of Pigs Invasion. However, the invasion did not go to plan and failed instead. They were outnumbered by Castro’s troops and surrendered (History). On September 1961 Castro asked for weapons that could be used to defend Cuba from the United States; and on October 14 1962,
President John F. Kennedy, who at the time was the President of the United States, decided that he would do all that he could to get the missiles out of Cuba. In a TV address on October 22, 1962, President Kennedy made it clear that the United States was prepared to use military force to neutralize the perceived threat (History). In an address to the nation made of October 22, 1962, President Kennedy states “The purpose of these bases can be none other than to provide a nuclear strike capability against the Western Hemisphere” which shows how President Kennedy was trying to protect the United Stated from the Soviet Union. This speech shows President Kennedy’s point of view on the Cuban Missile Crisis. However since this speech is written from only the point of view of someone from the United States, which means that this quote could show some prejudice towards the United States. Despite this, President Kennedy did not want to invade Cuba, as it might start a war, all he wanted to do was remove the missiles in Cuba. He sent a letter to Nikita Khrushchev, who was the leader of the Soviet Union at the time, stating that the United States would not permit offensive weapons to be delivered to Cuba (History). President Kennedy dictated that he wanted all the missile bases to be taken apart and that all weapons be returned to the U.S.S.R.This was the first of several letters exchanged by the White House