Cuba's Role In The Cold War

Cuba played a large role in the Cold War between the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Bay of Pigs, occurring in 1961, was prompted after Fidel Castro overtook a American supported president of Havana. The invasion was poorly planned and due to the small numbers, the troops fighting for America were defeated after twenty-four hours. America had initially gotten into this predicament because while they did not believe that Fidel Castro was a real threat, they believed that they could prove to Russia, China and other others that the American officials were serious about winning the Cold War. The invasion was initially kept a secret but, when it was was finally let out of the bag – due to the radio – from there the plan began to fall apart. Ships were sinking, …show more content…
The Soviet Union believed that by having the nuclear weapons 90 miles off the coast of American territory it would serve as a balancing act due to American’s storing nuclear weapons in Turkey. The tension between the Soviet Union and America grew so large, it became known as the closest the world has ever been to a nuclear war. Cuba is arguably the most problematic area during the Cold War due to the unrest felt between the two main powers that were in the area. Cuba was undeniably very involved with the Cold War and therefore was a very significant part of the war. In the end, the Soviet Union dismantled and eradicated their nuclear weapons from Cuba. Due to this, a year later in 1963, America retaliated by removing their nuclear weapons from Turkey. The issues with Cuba led to ultimately positive consequences because due to the tensions, the world began its first strides towards banning nuclear weapons. The threat of the nuclear war had a large effect by striking fear into everyone while simultaneously strengthening Kennedy’s domestic and international image, making him a more respected