19.1.15

Relations with Cuba

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Soviet and US Relations With Cuba

Before the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, the USA's relationship with Cuba was strained.

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The Cuban Revolution

  • In 1959 there was a revolution in Cuba and the country became communist.
  • The USA refused to recognise the new leader Castro and his new government.
  • Cuba began to build economic links with the USSR instead of the USA.
    • It began to trade Cuban Sugar for Soviet oil.
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Assassination

  • The USA did not like having a communist country so close to them.
  • They refused to recognise the government of Fidel Castro (the revolutionary who took power in 1959).
  • The CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) unsuccessfully tried to assassinate him.
    • The CIA convinced American President JF Kennedy, that they needed to invade Cuba for national security.
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The Bay of Pigs

  • At the Bay of Pigs on the 17th April 1961, America invaded Cuba.
  • The CIA told Kennedy that the invasion would look like a Cuban revolt.
    • It would be carried out by trained Cuban exiles and old-style, disguised US planes.
  • The USA believed Castro’s control of the island was weak.
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The invasion

  • The 1,400 US-backed soldiers were met by an army of 20,000 Cubans.
  • The US-backed Cuban exiles surrendered.
  • Castro had found out about the invasion in advance and the planes were recognised as American from photographs.
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Consequences

  • The incident ended the chances of a good relationship between Cuba and the USA.
    • Fidel Castro’s communist rule of Cuba was there to stay.
  • The USA was totally discredited because it had supported illegal acts (an armed rebellion against a country’s government).
    • Kennedy was embarrassed and his position was weakened.

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1.1The Rise & Fall of Ancient China’s Empire

1.2The Medieval Greatness of the Byzantine Empire

1.3The Golden Age of the Islamic Empire

1.4The Politics & Power of the Holy Roman Empire

1.5Medieval Religion

1.6The Influence of the Church in Medieval Times

1.7How Religion Tested the Power of Kings

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1.10Revolts, Rebellions & Rights

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2The Medieval World: 450-1450 AD

2.1Anglo-Saxon England

2.2The Contest for the English Throne

2.3Conquering the Holy Land, 10-96-1396 AD

2.4King John

2.5The Magna Carta & Parliament

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3Worldviews

4The Empire of Mali: 1076-1670 AD

5The Renaissance & Reformations: 1500-1598 AD

6The British Empire: 1583-1960 AD

7The Peasants' Revolt: 1381 AD

8Religion in the Middle Ages

9Slavery: 1619-1833 AD

10The English Civil War: 1642-1660 AD

11The Industrial Revolution: 1750-1840 AD

12US Independence: 1775-1783 AD

13The French Revolution: 1789-1815 AD

14The British Empire: 1857–1930 AD

15Suffrage: 1840-1928 AD

16World War 1: 1914-1918 AD

17The Inter-War Years: 1919-1939 AD

18World War 2: 1939-1945 AD

19The Cold War: 1947-1962 AD

20Civil Rights in the USA: 1954-1975 AD

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