Kennedy And Khrushchev's Role In The Cold War

The key actors in the Cold war were far more limited, being the two leaders and not thousands of ground forces, than any previous war. This allowed for more gamesmanship and in most cases, reasonable decision-making. Despite being influenced by military leadership, personal advisers and public opinion, the final call came down to one man on each side. This allowed for continuity in decision-making leading to an understanding of the enemy’s way of thinking. By knowing past decisions, Kennedy and Khrushchev were able to make an educated guess at the others next steps. Had the US military leadership been in charge of the response to the discovery of weapons in Cuba, they almost undoubtedly would invade with full military force. Had it been the …show more content…
As the blockade raged on and the U2 spy plane incident took place, Khrushchev began to realize the need to back away from the precipice of nuclear war. Because of his total control over the Soviet Union in all facets, he was able to give the order for removal of the weapons from Cuba without question. Despite argument from Castro and silent disagreement from his military leadership, the order to dismantle the weapons was carried out and the missile crisis …show more content…
As both Kennedy and Khrushchev understood nuclear war to be unacceptable as it would likely lead to the deaths of millions and the destruction of both nations. Not only did the fear of nuclear war encourage reasonable decision-making, but it also allowed for empathy between enemies. Despite the mutual hatred and ideological animosity towards each other, there was a mutual fear that things would escalate beyond control. Throughout the war, the fear of nuclear holocaust was always greater than the fear of the other side. Even when one provoked the other, such as the bay of pigs or the Cuban missile crisis, there was a resolution by both leaders to avoid such a calamity at all costs. This fear was enabled by a firm belief in the idea of mutually assured destruction. This means that the launch of a nuclear attack by one nation necessitated an equal or greater retaliatory attack by the other. Pairing this with the fear of nuclear war ensured that neither leader wanted to test the other on their resolution in terms of nuclear response. This also helped to place actions like the decision to place nuclear weapons in Cuba in a clearer light in the eyes of Kennedy. Because Kennedy knew Khrushchev didn’t want to use his nuclear arsenal he could better understand the missiles in Cuba as a strategic bargaining chip and deterrent instead of preparations for impending attack. This, in turn, allowed Kennedy to