This investigation examines the question, to what extent did the USSR place missiles in Cuba to protect Cuba’s existence as a Socialist nation? To assess the degree to which the USSR’s missile deployment was for Cuba’s protection, the investigation analyses the global Cold War backdrop that set the tone for the USSR’s missile deployment. The period investigated is the events between 1953, when Khrushchev assumed control of the USSR, and 1961 when the missiles were actually deployed. The events within this analysis are Khrushchev’s leadership, Castro’s rise and early years in power, the state of relations between the USA and USSR and parallel Cold War issues between 1953 and 1961, gathered from secondary sources, which present differing interpretations.
