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Cuba wins its independence from Spain in 1898 with the help of the United States. For the next 60 years, Cuba was strongly influenced by the United States.
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The Platt Amendment was passed by the American Congress in 1901 and was added to the Cuban constitution. It gave the United States the right to lease land for a naval base on Cuban territory, and gave the United States the right to intervene with military force should events on the island seem to be dangerous to American interests.
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Fidel Castro organized a guerrilla army and fought against Fulgencio Batista who was leading a repressive and corrupt government. Castro established a communist dictatorship in Cuba. He became close to Soviet leader Krushchev.
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The United States supported a plot to kill Fidel Castro that was led by Cuban exiles. The invading forces were quickly crushed.
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The U.S. imposed a trade embargo with Cuba. It refused to trade with Cuba because it was a Communist Nation.
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Fidel Castro sought closer ties with the Soviet Union. Castro allowed the Soviet Union to build nuclear missile sites in Cuba.
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The Soviet Leader, Nikita Krushchev agreed to remove missiles from Cuba if President Kennedy pledged that the U.S. would not invade Communist Cuba.
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After demanding the removal of missiles from Cuba and ordered a naval blockade. This incident became known as the Cuban Missile Crisis.
