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cuba in the cold war
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castro in cuba
In Cuba Fidel Castro leads his guerilla forces into Havana, toppling the government of Fulgencio Batista. While most Cubans initially celebrate Castro's victory over the unpopular, corrupt Batista, Americans fear that Castro will establish a Soviet-friendly regime just 90 miles off the Florida coast. -
castro goes to the US
Cuban leader Fidel Castro tours the United States, hiring a prominent American PR firm to coordinate a charm offensive in hopes of reassuring Americans that the new revolutionary government in Cuba poses no threat to the United States. While Castro receives some positive coverage in the American press, President Dwight Eisenhower refuses to meet with him. -
Cuba and US Sever Ties
Fidel Castro negotiates a trade agreement with the Soviet Union, allowing Cuba to import Soviet oil. Cuba's refineries—all owned by American corporations—refuse to process the Soviet crude, and Castro retaliates by nationalizing the refineries. Castro's seizure of this American property leads to the severing of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba. -
The Missile Gap
Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy, Democratic Senator from Massachusetts, argues that the Eisenhower administration has allowed a "missile gap" to develop between the United States and the Soviet Union. He claims that the Soviets are outpacing the United States in missile production, and that he will reverse this gap if elected. -
Kennedy Elected
Democratic Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts is elected president, narrowly defeating Republican Vice President Richard Nixon in the 1960 elections. -
Peace Corps
President John F. Kennedy establishes the Peace Corps to send idealistic young Americans to aid developing countries around the world. -
Soviet Becomes First Man in Space
The USSR's Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man in space, successfully completing one orbit around earth in his Vostok 1 spacecraft. -
Bay of Pigs
A CIA-organized force of anti-Castro Cuban exiles attempts to invade Cuba, landing at a place called the Bay of Pigs. Rather than toppling Castro's government, the invasion is quickly crushed by Cuba's armed forces. President Kennedy takes full responsibility for the debacle. -
Berlin Wall
East Germany builds the Berlin wall, dividing East and West Berlin. The wall separates families, cuts off workers from jobs, and devastates Berliners on both sides, becoming the most powerful symbol of the oppression of Eastern Europe under Soviet domination. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis begins after American U2 surveillance flights confirm that the Soviets have placed nuclear missiles on Cuba. President John F. Kennedy rejects advice from military advisors to launch an immediate attack on Cuba. -
Cuba Quarantine
President John F. Kennedy goes on national television to announce the presence of Soviet missiles on Cuba and the imposition of an American "quarantine" or naval blockade around Cuba. Kennedy begins negotiations with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, largely leaving Cuban leader Fidel Castro out of the loop. -
Cuban Missile Crisis Resolved
The Cuban Missile Crisis ends after President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev reach a secret agreement: the Soviet Union agrees to remove its missiles from Cuba if the Americans will remove its own Jupiter missiles from Turkey (which is about as far from the USSR as Cuba is from the US). The deal is kept secret from the public, which believes that Kennedy has won his victory through pure resolve rather than through negotiation.
