what political change did fidel castro undergo after taking power and how did this impact the u.s.?...
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What political change did Fidel Castro undergo after taking power and how did this impact the U.S.?Cuba in crisis and the U.S. response
Berlin CrisisHomework: 28 Section 2
November 29, 2010
The Election of 1960
Mood of Voters: Economy in recession USSR’s launch of Sputnik USSR development of long range
missiles U-2 incident Cuba aligns with Soviet Union
The Candidates had similar policies but Kennedy had two key factors on his side Television Civil Rights
The Candidates
Republican: Richard Nixon
Democrat: John F. Kennedy
Televised Debate: Launching TV in Politics
Kennedy Well-organized Wealthy family
background Handsome and
charismatic 43 and inexperienced Roman Catholic Coached by TV
producers
Nixon Expert on foreign
policy and hoping to expose opponent’s inexperience
Current Vice President
Kennedy and Civil Rights
October 1960: Police Arrest Martin Luther King, Jr. in Atlanta, GA 33 other demonstrators released King sentenced to hard labor Eisenhower (and Nixon) refused to do anything Kennedy called King’s wife to express sympathy Robert Kennedy persuaded judge to release King on
bail. African-American Voters heard of this
The Camelot Years:
Kennedy’s inauguration set tone of grace, elegance, and wit
He and his wife invited artists and celebrities to the White House
JFK’s Mystique: Many took speed-reading classes First ladies fashion sense
Family constantly televised and photgraphed
Kennedy’s Team:
McGeorge Bundy – Harvard Dean as National Security Advisor
Robert McNamara – Ford Motor Company President as Secretary of Defense
Dean Rusk – President of Rockefellor Foundation as Secretary of State
Robert Kennedy – brother as Attorney General
New Military Policy
Eisenhower – brinksmanship (edge of nuclear war)
Kennedy – Flexible Response Strengthen ability to fight nonnuclear war Increase defense spending to boost
conventional military in order to create elite branch of the army (green berets)
Tripled nuclear capabilities across the U.S.
Crisis over Cuba: Eisenhower cut off
diplomatic ties with Cuba because of Fidel Castro
He gained power by promising democracy and toppled dictator Batista
Promised to eliminate poverty, inequality, & dictatorship
U.S. supported until he took over oil refineries
Castro broke up Commercial Farms and American Sugar Companies
Congress started a trade embargo
Castro relied on aid from Soviet Union
Some saw Castro as great while others saw him as tyrant
10% Cuban population going into exile
Bay of Pigs
March 1960 – Eisenhower allowed CIA to train Cuban exiles for invasion
Hoped to trigger revolution Kennedy learned of this 9 days after
becoming president
What Went Down?
April 17, 1961 – Cuban rebels and U.S. military landed on the Bay of Pigs (Cuba)
What went wrong? Air strike failed to take out Cuban air force Small force sent to distract Castro’s forces did
not reach the shore When the commando landed they faced 25,000
Cuban soldiers backed by Soviet tanks and aircrafts
Thoughts?
Cuban media sensationalized the defeat of “North American mercenaries”
U.S. comments were that the U.S. “looked like fools to friends, rascals to enemies, and incompetent to the rest”
What Happened Afterwards?
Kennedy paid a ransom of $53 million in food and medical supplies for surviving commandos
Kennedy condemned communism in Western Hemisphere but Cuba continued with Soviet aid
Cuban Missile Crisis Nikita Krushchev promised to protect Cuba with
Soviet arms Summer 1962 – flow of weapons to Cuba from the
Soviet Union increased (including nuclear missiles) Kennedy warned America won’t tolerate offensive
weapons in Cuba October 14 – photographs reveal Soviet missile
bases in Cuba with missiles ready to launch October 22 – Kennedy informed the nation of
such missile sites and of plans to remove them Any attack would result in war
Cuban Missile Crisis (cont’d)
The world faced the possibility nuclear war
How did we prepare? Soviet ships in Atlantic U.S. ships block Cuba
How did it end? U.S. agreed not to invade
Cuba & remove missiles from Turkey
USSR agreed to remove missiles from Cuba
Both World Leaders Criticized
KhrushchevKhrushchev Prestige in Soviet
Union fading
KennedyKennedy Practiced brinksmanship not
flexible response or diplomacy
Others said he passed up chance of taking over Cuba
Castro:Castro: Closed Cuba’s doors to exiles in November 1962Banned all flights to and from Miami3 years later he allowed Cubans to join families in the U.S. until 1973
Crisis over Berlin
The Berlin Wall – a concrete wall topped with barb wire that severed the city in two
East Germany proving to fail as people flee communism and enter West Berlin Weakened the economy
of East Germany
Summit Meeting in Vienna
Khrushchev threatens treaty with East Germany to close off all roads to West Berlin U.S.n refuses to give up West Berlin The threat of nuclear war prevented Khrushchev from closing roads to West Berlin
August 1961 – he began the construction of the wall separating East Germany from West Germany
The Wall ended the Berlin crisis but strengthened Cold War tensions
Searching for ways to ease Tensions
1963 – Kennedy announced that the two nations had established a hot line between the two Allowed communication between the two
leaders Limited test ban Treaty – barred nuclear
testing in the atmosphere
Essay Question:
Explain how the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Cuban missile crisis, and the Berlin crisis each placed the U.S. in conflict with the Soviet Union. What happened in each event? How did Kennedy handle the event? How was Kennedy viewed after the event?