GCSE · History · AQA · Spec 8145

Cuban Missile Crisis

In October 1962 the USA and the USSR came closer to nuclear conflict than at any other moment. So who won?

History · Cause & effect

The road to the Cuban Missile Crisis

It opens on the secret deal of July 1962. Tap 01 to go back to the start and work forward: what led to each step is on the left, what followed is on the right.

Causes ←

What led here

The failed Bay of Pigs invasion — while the Kennedy administration was planning Operation Mongoose
Cuba and the USSR suspected that the USA was planning to invade Cuba
Khrushchev was concerned by US missiles installed in Turkey
The Soviets believed missiles on Cuba could help resolve the balance of power and deter any American attack on Cuba

Event

Secret missile deal

July 1962

Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev reached a secret agreement with Cuban premier Fidel Castro to place Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, to deter any future invasion attempt. From Cuba, the missiles would be capable of hitting most of the USA. The Soviets knew this could trigger a crisis.

→ Consequences

What followed

Construction of several missile sites began in the late summer
Watch out: Castro was not a Soviet ally from the start. He mainly turned to the USSR in 1960, after the USA had already begun restricting trade with Cuba — and the missile deal came later still, after the Bay of Pigs.

Your call

The photographs reached the White House the day after they were taken. ExComm, the group that helped President Kennedy make decisions during the crisis, now had to help him choose a response.

Some of Kennedy’s closest advisers — including all the Joint Chiefs of Staff — argued for an air strike to destroy the missiles, followed by a US invasion of Cuba. Others favoured stern warnings to Cuba and the Soviet Union. What did Kennedy decide?

The thirteen days — and after

Put the moves in order

When each move happened

1 · Earliest7 · Latest

  1. Khrushchev publicly announces that Soviet missiles will be dismantled and removed from Cuba

  2. Kennedy answers Khrushchev’s first message, offering a guarantee not to attack Cuba

  3. Kennedy orders a naval quarantine of Cuba and writes to Khrushchev demanding the bases be dismantled

  4. US Jupiter missiles are removed from Turkey

  5. Khrushchev demands the removal of US missiles from Turkey, and a US U-2 is shot down over Cuba

  6. Khrushchev calls the US “blockade” an “act of aggression” and orders Soviet ships to keep going

  7. Robert Kennedy meets the Soviet Ambassador, Anatoly Dobrynin, in secret

Watch out: Kennedy did not answer Khrushchev’s second message, the one that demanded the removal of US missiles from Turkey. He answered the first one.

Who won?

Weigh the results of the crisis

The claim

The USA won the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Place each piece of evidence to load the balance. Mark the strong ones — they count double.

  1. Soviet missiles were dismantled and removed from Cuba.

    Evidence 1: does it support or challenge the claim?

  2. Kennedy’s tough stance against the USSR was praised in the USA.

    Evidence 2: does it support or challenge the claim?

  3. The crisis strengthened Kennedy’s image at home and around the world.

    Evidence 3: does it support or challenge the claim?

  4. Khrushchev’s reputation suffered in the USSR.

    Evidence 4: does it support or challenge the claim?

  5. The USA gave a guarantee that it would not attack Cuba.

    Evidence 5: does it support or challenge the claim?

  6. The USA removed its Jupiter missiles from Turkey in April 1963.

    Evidence 6: does it support or challenge the claim?

  7. Both superpowers agreed to compromises to avoid war, and both were glad not to have gone to war.

    Evidence 7: does it support or challenge the claim?

After the brink

?

Reason it through

Why did the Cuban Missile Crisis lead to a Hotline between the White House and the Kremlin?

Link 1 of 3

First link · your turn

How dangerous did the two sides think October 1962 was?

2
Locked — reveal the link above first
3
Locked — reveal the link above first

Write it yourself

Account: from secret deal to public announcement

Write an account of how the Cuban Missile Crisis developed, from the secret agreement of July 1962 to Khrushchev’s public statement of 28 October 1962. [8 marks]

0 words · your answer stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED

A quick recap of today's lesson.

How a revolution in Cuba brought the superpowers to the brink of nuclear war — and who gained when they stepped back.

What you need to know

  • Castro mainly turned to the USSR for support in 1960, after the USA had already begun restricting trade with Cuba; relations deepened after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion.
  • In July 1962 Khrushchev and Castro secretly agreed to place Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, to deter any future US invasion; Khrushchev was also concerned by US missiles in Turkey, and the Soviets believed the missiles could help resolve the balance of power.
  • The crisis began on 14 October 1962, when a US U-2 photographed Soviet missile sites under construction in Cuba.
  • Kennedy chose a naval quarantine (22 October); Khrushchev called it an act of aggression (24 October); 27 October brought a demand over Turkey and a shot-down U-2; Khrushchev announced the missiles would be removed on 28 October.
  • Both sides compromised: Soviet missiles left Cuba, and the USA guaranteed not to attack Cuba and removed its Jupiter missiles from Turkey in April 1963.

The big picture

After Fidel Castro took power in Cuba, the USA opposed his government and restricted trade, and in 1960 Castro turned mainly to the USSR. After a failed US attempt to overthrow him at the Bay of Pigs, Khrushchev and Castro secretly agreed in July 1962 to place Soviet nuclear missiles on Cuba to deter another invasion. A US U-2 photographed the sites on 14 October 1962, starting thirteen days in which the superpowers came closest to nuclear conflict. It ended in compromise: Soviet missiles left Cuba, while the USA promised not to invade Cuba and to remove its missiles from Turkey.

Key points

1The Bay of Pigs invasion relied on a small group of Cuban exiles — JFK refused US ground troops or air support — and it failed, damaging the USA’s reputation.
2The Soviets knew missiles on Cuba could trigger a crisis, but believed they could deter an American attack on Cuba; from Cuba they could hit most of the USA.
3ExComm helped Kennedy decide; he rejected an air strike and invasion, and stern warnings, in favour of a middle course: the quarantine.
4Kennedy ignored Khrushchev’s second message and answered the first; Robert Kennedy told Dobrynin in secret that the Jupiters would go, but not as part of any public resolution.
5Afterwards, Kennedy’s image was strengthened and Khrushchev’s reputation suffered; a Hotline was set up, both sides took first steps towards a Test Ban Treaty, and agreements were made aimed at making a future war less likely.

Worked example

Problem

Explain why the Cuban Missile Crisis was so dangerous.

⚠ Watch out

Saying only the USSR backed down. Both sides compromised: the Soviet missiles left Cuba, but the USA guaranteed not to attack Cuba and removed its missiles from Turkey.

🧠

Memory hook

Spot it, stop it, swap it: SPOT the sites (14 October), STOP the ships with a quarantine (22 October), SWAP to end it (28 October) — missiles out of Cuba for no invasion of Cuba and the Jupiters out of Turkey.

✓

Check yourself

Castro turned mainly to the USSR in 1960, before the Bay of Pigs and long before July 1962. How does that date change the way you explain why Soviet missiles ended up on Cuba?

Flashcards

(13)
How did Fidel Castro gain power in Cuba?
After a revolution. The Batista government that ruled Cuba before him was very unpopular.
When did Castro mainly turn to the USSR for support?
In 1960 — after the USA had already begun restricting trade with Cuba, not straight after the revolution.
What was the Bay of Pigs invasion?
A failed US attempt to overthrow Castro. It relied on a small group of Cuban exiles: JFK refused to involve US ground troops or air support.
What were two results of the Bay of Pigs invasion?
The USA’s reputation was damaged, and Cuba and the Soviet Union deepened their relations.
What did Khrushchev and Castro agree in July 1962?
In secret, to place Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba to deter any future invasion attempt.
Give three Soviet reasons for putting missiles on Cuba.
They suspected the USA was planning to invade Cuba; Khrushchev was concerned by US missiles in Turkey; they believed it could help resolve the balance of power.
How and when did the crisis begin?
On 14 October 1962, when a US U-2 photographed Soviet missile sites under construction in Cuba.
What did Kennedy order on 22 October 1962, and why is it called a middle course?
A naval “quarantine” of Cuba. It was between the air strike and invasion some advisers wanted and the stern warnings others favoured.
How did Khrushchev respond on 24 October?
He called the US “blockade” an “act of aggression” and said Soviet ships bound for Cuba would be ordered to proceed.
What happened on 27 October 1962?
Khrushchev’s second message demanded the removal of US Jupiter missiles from Turkey, and a US U-2 was shot down over Cuba.
What did Robert Kennedy tell Dobrynin in secret?
That the USA planned to remove its Jupiter missiles from Turkey soon anyway, but this could not be part of any public resolution.
Which results of the crisis favoured Kennedy, and which harmed Khrushchev?
Kennedy’s tough stance was praised in the USA and his image strengthened; Khrushchev’s reputation suffered in the USSR.
What was the Hotline, and why was it set up?
A direct telephone link between the White House and the Kremlin, set up because the leaders had struggled to understand each other’s true intentions during the crisis.

Tap any card to flip it, or use Study as deck to go through them one at a time. In the full lesson these run as a spaced-repetition deck — you rate each card Hard, Good or Easy and the tricky ones keep coming back until they stick.

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