Cuba's+role+in+the+development+of+the+Cold+War


 * 1959 - Cuban revolution, brought american backed Batista from power and Castro obtained power.
 * Castro introduced a plan to nationalize the american industry in order to get rid of the american influence.
 * At the time, Cuba was very dependent on the sugar export predominantly to the states and because the US imposed trade sanctions on Cuban exports. They had to look for a new trading partner to export their sugar to.
 * The USSR was their only choice which therefore forced Castro to trade with them
 * Cuba became a unfavoured to the Americans since Cuba was now heading towards communism e.g new social reforms.
 * Now there was a communist state in the backyard of America.
 * The USA tried to remove Castro from power through operation Mongoose and the Bay of Pigs, however, Castro survived these attacks.
 * The international relations became immensly tense when Americans discovered a missilebase in Cuba, only 90 miles off the coast of Florida, contructed by the order by the USSR, who wanted to even out the playing field due to the American missilebases in Turkey.
 * During the following thirteen days after the discovery of the base, which is now referred as the Cuban missile Crisis, the two superpowers demanded each other to remove the missile bases but no one succumbed to the demands and the world was for the first time at the brink of nuclear war (Khrushchev v. Kennedy).
 * To be the one who can say: "I saved the world from a Nuclear War", Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba, but not without any conditions which were:
 * American can never in the future invade Cuba
 * The missiles in Turkey were to be removed (unofficially)
 * The consequences of the crisis were:
 * A Test Ban Treaty was signed
 * Khrushchev was critizied by Mao, and also in Moscow
 * A Hot line. a direct telephone line, between the White House and the Kremlin were established.