The Cuban Missile Crisis

History · A Level: The globalisation of the Cold War, 1950-1975 (exams to Nov 2026). The idea in plain words, the rules to remember, the mistake to avoid and a worked example, written and checked by Mega Lecture.

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The idea

Fidel Castro took power in Cuba in January 1959 and moved towards the USSR. The USA replied with a trade embargo and then backed the Bay of Pigs invasion of April 1961, which failed and pushed Castro closer to Moscow.

In 1962 Khrushchev secretly sent nuclear missiles to Cuba. He wanted to protect Cuba from invasion, to reduce the US lead in missiles and to answer US Jupiter missiles in Turkey.

A U-2 spy plane photographed the sites in October 1962. Kennedy chose a naval quarantine instead of an air strike. After thirteen tense days Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles, and both sides then looked for ways to lower the risk of nuclear war.

Rules to remember

January 1959: Castro overthrew Batista. 1960 to 1961: US trade embargo and break in diplomatic relations.
April 1961: Bay of Pigs, a CIA-backed landing by Cuban exiles, defeated within days.
14 October 1962: U-2 photographs showed missile sites; 22 October: Kennedy announced the quarantine on television.
28 October 1962: Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles.
Public terms: Soviet missiles out, US pledge not to invade Cuba. Secret term: US Jupiter missiles to leave Turkey later.
June 1963: hotline between Washington and Moscow. August 1963: Partial Test Ban Treaty.

Common mistake

Do not say the USA openly traded its missiles in Turkey for those in Cuba. The removal of the Jupiter missiles was a secret promise, so in public the crisis looked like a clear win for Kennedy.

Worked example

Why did Kennedy choose a naval quarantine instead of an immediate air strike on the missile sites?

An air strike might not destroy every missile and would kill Soviet personnel.
Soviet deaths could bring retaliation, perhaps against West Berlin, and a wider war.
A quarantine showed firmness, stopped more shipments and left Khrushchev time to back down.

Answer: The quarantine was firm but limited: it applied pressure while keeping the chance of a peaceful settlement open.

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