Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Bay of Pigs Invasion :
April 1961
- CAUSE
- 1. In 1959, rebel Fidel Castro overthrows
Cuban gov and takes power
- Before him, Cuba was corrupt and run
as a right-wing military dictatorship
- However many Americans
had business interests in Cuba
- Castro nationalises
American companies in Cuba
- Americans stop
all aid to Cuba
- Incl. all imports of Cuban sugar
- (Sugar is main income for Cuba)
- 2. Castro seeks help from USSR
- In 1960, USSR agree to buy 1M tonnes of Cuban sugar per year
- Soviets see this as an opportunity to get involved closer to America
- Castro becomes communist
- 3. America is alarmed that there are
communists at such close proximity
- Potential threat
- CONSEQUENCES
- 1. September 1961, Castro asked for weapons
to defend Cuba against America
- Russia publicly promises to
supply them with weapons
- 2. 14 October 1962, the Americans
discover the missile sites in Cuba
- These sites brought every
town in the US within range of
Soviet nuclear missiles
- 3. 22nd October, JFK announces on
national TV that America is under threat
- Communism spreads
closer to America
- WHAT HAPPENED
- 1. Cuban exiles (supporters of Batista) living in
US are trained to invade Cuba and remove Castro
- Trained by CIA
- Costs of $45M
- 2. April 1961, 1300 of them land in Cuba
ready to overthrow Castro
- "La Brigada"
- 3. Invasion failed as Castro was
popular amongst Cubans
- He was aware of the invasion
- 4. All of La Brigada's equipment destroyed
- President JFK humiliated