Cuban Revolution & Missile Crisis

Question	Answer
Cuba	-Cuba was traditionally a US ally -American companies ran: -90% of phone and electricity supply -50% of railways -40% of sugar production -Supplied and ran all oil refineries
Cuban Revolution	-Cuban revolution overthrew the pro America government -Fidel Castro declared all land belonged to Cuba, France accepted money for this, USA didn't and banned import of sugar, nearly bankrupting the economy -Cuba traded sugar with USSR and took it's oil -US refineries refused to take the Soviet oil -Castro nationalised the refineries -USA banned all trade with Cuba
Bay of Pigs: Planning	-By this time CIA had tried and failed to assassinate Castro on multiple occasions -CIA persuaded Kennedy to launch an invasion of Cuba to put Batista back into power They told Kennedy: -It would look like a Cuban revolt, they'd been training Cuban exiles as guerrilla fighters -Castro's hold on the country was weak -Most Cubans would join in the invasion
Bay of Pigs: Invasion	-Castro was aware of the supposedly secret plan -Most Cubans did not want Batista back -Disguised US planes missed the target, were photographed and US involvement made public -Cuban exile army of 1 400 faced heavy air attacks and 20 000 of Castro's troops -Kennedy sent in planes but it was too late, the Cuban exiles surrendered
Bay of Pigs: Consequences	-Ended any chance of a friendly relationship -Castro declared himself communist -Americans made new plans to overthrow Castro -USSR negotiated with Castro about military protection -Khrushchev decided to put nuclear missiles on Cuba, which would deter invasion and boost the USSR in the arms race
Spotting of the Missiles	-25th September 1962 Khrushchev sent 114 ships to Cuba carrying (secretly) nuclear warheads and long-range missiles -Missiles spotted by US spy plane mid-october
Cuban Missile Crisis	-16th October 1962 Kennedy discovers USSR's plans -20th October 1962 Kennedy imposes a naval blockade -22nd October 1962 Kennedy publicly announces the blockade and tells Khrushchev to recall his ships -Khrushchev says Soviet ships will break through the blockade -American and Soviet armies prepare for war -Khrushchev proposes to withdraw nuclear missiles in return for a guarantee that US won't invade Cuba -27th October 1962 Khrushchev learns that the US have plans to invade Cuba within 24 hours -Proposes withdrawal of missiles in return for no invasion of Cuba and a withdrawal of turkey missiles -Robert Kennedy accepts the deal but insists withdrawal of Turkey missiles is to remain secret -28th October 1962 Khrushchev accepts the secret deal
Hawks and Doves	-Kennedy's advisers split into two groups, hawks and doves -Hawks wanted an aggressive policy, some US generals thought war was inevitable and Kennedy should start it as US had a good chance of winning -Doves advised caution and diplomatic strategies
Cuban Missile Crisis: Immediate Consequences	-Khrushchev looked weak as withdrawal of missiles from Turkey remained secret -June 1963 hotline set up for direct communication between the Kremlin and the White House -August 1963 Limited Test Ban Treaty limited nuclear testing to only underground -Beginning of detente, a relaxing of tension
Cuban Missile Crisis: Long-term Consequences	-Leaders of USSR determined not to be pushed around again, by 1965 caught up in the arms race with nuclear capability -Realised that war would be MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) -1966 France left NATO, as Cuban Missile Crisis had been too close a call
Czechoslovakia	-Satellite state where communism had few benefits for the people -Majority of Czech people suffered a decline in standard of living -In mid 1960s secret police still brutally crushed all opposition -Political resentment and economic problems made Antonin Novotny highly unpopular -5th January 1968 Alexander Dubcek became communist party leader, the most powerful person
Dubcek	-Committed communist who was friends with Brezhnev (Khrushchev's successor) -Wanted a genuinely popular form of communism, "socialism with a human face" -Wanted to get rid of oppressive parts of communism -Reform the economy -Allow cultural feedom
Prague Spring	-Started April 1968 -Relaxation of press censorship -Legalisation of political opposition groups -Official toleration of government criticism -More power to regional Czech Parliament -More power to regional governments -"Market socialism" introduced capitalist concepts into the economy
Prague Spring: Popularity	-Welcomed with enthusiasm by students, intellectuals, workers and younger people -Artists and writers took advantage of it and books, plays and essays critical of soviet-style communism were published -Older communists along with Brezhnev and Eastern European allies shocked
Brezhnev's Dilemma	-Considered Dubcek a friend -Dubcek had made no attempt to leave the Warsaw Pact or harm the USSR -Intelligence reports suggested that the reforms were weakening soviet control though -From August to July was in constant contact with Dubcek trying to persuade him that the reforms had gone too far
Prague Spring: Soviet response	-20th August 1968 Soviet tanks rolled into Czechoslovakia -Dubcek ordered the Czech people not to respond with violence -A lot of non-violent civil disobedience -Many students stood in the way of tanks holding anti invasion banners -Dubcek arrested and taken to Moscow -Forced to sign the Moscow Protocol which reintroduced press censorship and removed opposition
Brezhnev Doctrine	The idea that the USSR has the right to invade any country that threatens the security of the Eastern Bloc
Prague Spring: American Response	-America was very preoccupied with Vietnam -Kept detente -Publicly condemned the invasion but offered no military support
Prague Spring: Western European Response	-Followed America's lead, publicly condemned the invasion but offered no military support -Communist parties of Italy and France declared themselves independent of the USSR
Prague Spring: Eastern European Response	-Yugoslavian and Romanian government condemned the invasion and distanced themselves from the USSR -They also formed and alliance with China -East German and Polish Governments welcomed the response as their pro-Moscow leaders may lose they're jobs

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