Cuban Missile Crisis

During the Cold War, be associated with communism was like say the word Voldemort at Hogwarts. So when Cuba converted from a dictatorship to a communist government, they then became one of America’s biggest enemies. Before Cuba became a communist government they were run by a dictatorship that treated the lower class very poorly. This caused Fidel Castro to lead a revolution to end the dictatorship in Cuba. The rebels won with the help of Soviet Union leader Nikita Khrushchev because he helped give the recourses that the rebels needed to overthrow the dictatorship. Khrushchev gave the rebels recourses to win because he wanted to expand the communist regime. “Castro’s anti-American stance, admiration for the successes of Soviet communism, and close geographical proximity to the United States made Cuba under his leadership an able pawn for Khrushchev to wield in the Cold War,” (“Cuban Missile Crisis”). Since America were the Soviets biggest rival, Cuba becoming a communist nation was really good for the Soviet Union because of how close Cuba was to America. Cuba becoming a communist country started the Cuban missile crisis. One of Kennedy’s main goals, now that Castro was the leader, was to overthrow Castro in the Bay of Pigs invasion, however the Americans where not successful. Not only did this cause humiliation for Kennedy and the CIA, but it also caused the people of Cuba to rally with Castro, and for Cuba to officially become a communist country. The Soviets started to send nuclear ballistic missiles into Cuba. The worst thing happened was when an American plane was shot down over Cuba. Kennedy was very close to a nuclear war, however Kennedy and Khrushchev ended the crisis by withdrawing the nuclear arms from Cuba. The Cuban missile crisis only went on for thirteen days, however it was the closet America ever came to a nuclear war.

"Cuban missile crisis." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010. .