What is the Cuban Missile Crisis? – Causes and consequences of this conflict

In October 1962, the entire world was about to submit to nuclear war. This was a terrible moment that took place in the Cold War and is what is known as the Cuban missile crisis. Here we tell you the story.

What was the Cuban missile conflict?

The Cuban Missile Crisis, also called the Caribbean crisis or October crisis, caused between United States, the Soviet Union and Cuba. It was the diplomatic conflict produced by the knowledge of the existence of Soviet army missile bases in Cuba.

It began on Monday, October 15, 1962, when McGeorge Bundy, who was then the US security factual adviser, briefed President John F. Kennedy on the military installations. These were loaded with nuclear missile armaments originating from the Soviet Union in Cuban territory.

These missiles that the Soviet Union had secretly installed on the island were capable of reaching and destroying several entire US cities in minutes. They included 42 missiles with atomic and medium-range warheads. These circumstances left Cuba like the main epicenter of the battle, since it could be the launch base for a Soviet missile, or the target of one from the US. Either case could have caused the end of the island and it is possible that part of the planet as well.

On Monday, October 22, Kennedy showed a television message in which he communicated to the US people about the existence of these Soviet missiles in the Cuban regions, where he informed them about his plan to establish around Cuba a naval siege. Hours later, planes and warships headed for the Caribbean Sea.

On the 24th of the same month, Nikita Jrushchov told Kennedy that his country took the lock like an assault. Sanctions were imposed on the Cuban government and a naval interruption was established to deny the entry of Soviet ships to the Cuban regions.

On Friday the 26th, Khrushchev proposes to Kennedy to withdraw his boats in exchange for the US government put an end to his idea of overthrow the Castro regime. Days later, when the crisis was over, US aerial intelligence confirmed that Soviet ships removed all the nuclear missile weapons scattered around the island of Cuba.

What were the causes of the Cuban Missile Crisis?

The main causes The causes of this crisis were the following:

• The multiple rivalries between the United States and the Soviet Union in the Cold War.
• The frequent attempts to overthrow the castrist mandate by the United States.
• The United States imposed on the Cuban government a economic and commercial embargo.
• The missile installation in Türkiye by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), which targeted Soviet cities.
• The governments of the Soviet Union and Cuba they had an alliance with the promise that the socialist party would buy the sugar belonging to the island and that it would no longer be allowed to buy from the United States.

What consequences did the missile crisis leave in Cuba?

This fact left some consequences like the following:

• begins a series of differences in relationships between the government of Cuba and the Soviet Union, since the latter publicly expresses its displeasure for the dismantling of its missile bases found on the island.
• The American pilot in charge of driving the spy plane was shot down by Soviet anti-aircraft defensescausing his death.
• was installed on acquaintance red phone, a line that served to communicate directly to the leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States. This allowed them to conclude agreements quickly in the face of any crisis that occurred.
• Six months later they were dismantled missiles that NATO had installed in the regions of Türkiye.

How is the Cuban missile crisis resolved?

The missile crisis in Cuba ended on Sunday, October 28, 1962, when the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party belonging to the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, announced the dismantlement and return transfer of the ballistic missiles found on the island, from Cuba to the USSR (The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics).

the american attack did not startsince the moderation requested by Khrushchev to Fidel Castro by means of a letter, which sealed his agreement with Kennedy, could put an end to the commotion caused during those days.

In this way the crisis ended, neither of the two powers showed signs of defeat and weakness, however The United States kept the tension on the Cuban government because it was considered a sufficient reason for instability and vulnerability in the area.