Television presenter: As many of you may be aware, today marks the anniversary of the Cuban missile crisis. To celebrate this we have brought a well renowned historian to conduct a t.v news special for tonight. Would you please join me in welcoming Kyle Smyth, who will speak at length today with us about the long term significance of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Expert historian: The conflict began in October 1962 and lasted for 13 days between the two superpowers of the era; The Soviet Union and the United States. Although there was never any confrontation between the two during the conflict, as affirmed by one of Kennedy’s chief advisors, it’s regarded by many as ‘the most frightening time the United States has been through’ (Chomsky, 2012). …show more content…
When Fidel Castro took control of power by overthrowing the Colonel Batista his main aim was to ‘nationalise American companies in Cuba’ (BBC), because of this the United States stopped their alliance with Cuba. This slowed Cuba’s economy. It also led to Cuba deciding to become a communist country by allying with Russia. Due to fear of communism Kennedy, under the guidance of his advisors decided to invade Cuba in an attempt to overthrow Castro. This invasion was called the Bay of Pigs and was a complete failure diminishing Kennedy’s reputation at the time. The three leading causes of the Cuban missile crisis are: Superpower tension between the two nations, Fidel Castro’s new reign over Cuba and the Bay of Pigs invasion. Khrushchev saw this ‘as a way to level the playing field’ (History.com) because he ‘knew that the US had nuclear weapons in Italy and Turkey aimed at targets in the USSR’ (The national …show more content…
He was deemed to have suffered a humiliating loss which ultimately was a large reason for his disposition in 1964. Modern day historians note that the Cuban missile crisis could have led to the end of the world in mere minutes. General William Y Smith, a former joint chief of staff during the crisis authentically states that it ‘was the most frightening time the United States has been through’. Source J used in the historical book published by Oxford University relevantly and authentically states that ‘generations to come may well count John Kennedy’s determination as one of the decisive moments of the twentieth century’. This supports the information that states Kennedy’s image was enhanced domestically and internationally. The conflict is seen as one of the greatest crises in the cold war and the closest the world has been to nuclear
Expert historian: The conflict began in October 1962 and lasted for 13 days between the two superpowers of the era; The Soviet Union and the United States. Although there was never any confrontation between the two during the conflict, as affirmed by one of Kennedy’s chief advisors, it’s regarded by many as ‘the most frightening time the United States has been through’ (Chomsky, 2012). …show more content…
When Fidel Castro took control of power by overthrowing the Colonel Batista his main aim was to ‘nationalise American companies in Cuba’ (BBC), because of this the United States stopped their alliance with Cuba. This slowed Cuba’s economy. It also led to Cuba deciding to become a communist country by allying with Russia. Due to fear of communism Kennedy, under the guidance of his advisors decided to invade Cuba in an attempt to overthrow Castro. This invasion was called the Bay of Pigs and was a complete failure diminishing Kennedy’s reputation at the time. The three leading causes of the Cuban missile crisis are: Superpower tension between the two nations, Fidel Castro’s new reign over Cuba and the Bay of Pigs invasion. Khrushchev saw this ‘as a way to level the playing field’ (History.com) because he ‘knew that the US had nuclear weapons in Italy and Turkey aimed at targets in the USSR’ (The national …show more content…
He was deemed to have suffered a humiliating loss which ultimately was a large reason for his disposition in 1964. Modern day historians note that the Cuban missile crisis could have led to the end of the world in mere minutes. General William Y Smith, a former joint chief of staff during the crisis authentically states that it ‘was the most frightening time the United States has been through’. Source J used in the historical book published by Oxford University relevantly and authentically states that ‘generations to come may well count John Kennedy’s determination as one of the decisive moments of the twentieth century’. This supports the information that states Kennedy’s image was enhanced domestically and internationally. The conflict is seen as one of the greatest crises in the cold war and the closest the world has been to nuclear