Superpower Relations and the Cold War, 1941-91: The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962
The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 was the closest the Cold War came to direct nuclear war between the USA and the USSR. After Fidel Castro's communist revolution in Cuba (1959) and the USA's failed attempt to overthrow him at the Bay of Pigs (April 1961), Khrushchev secretly agreed to place Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, close enough to strike most of the USA. American U-2 spy planes photographed the missile sites in October 1962, and President Kennedy responded with a naval 'quarantine' (blockade) of Cuba rather than an immediate air strike or invasion, announcing the discovery to the world on 22 October 1962. After a tense thirteen-day standoff in which Soviet ships approached the blockade line, the crisis was resolved through secret negotiation: the USA publicly promised not to invade Cuba and secretly agreed to remove its own Jupiter missiles from Turkey, in exchange for the USSR removing its missiles from Cuba by 28 October 1962.
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Method
- Learn the build-up as two connected steps: Castro's communist takeover of Cuba (1959) worried the USA, which backed a failed invasion by Cuban exiles at the Bay of Pigs (April 1961); this failure pushed Castro closer to the USSR, and Khrushchev then agreed to place nuclear missiles on Cuba both to protect Castro and to close the nuclear gap with the USA.
- Learn the discovery and the choice Kennedy made: American U-2 spy planes photographed missile sites under construction in October 1962; Kennedy's advisers (Excomm) considered air strikes or invasion but Kennedy chose a naval blockade ('quarantine'), a less aggressive option that still forced the USSR to respond publicly.
- Learn the resolution as a genuine two-sided compromise, not a one-sided American victory: publicly, the USA promised not to invade Cuba in exchange for the USSR removing its missiles; secretly, the USA also agreed to remove its own Jupiter missiles from Turkey, a concession kept hidden from the public for decades.
- Learn the crisis's lasting effects: a direct telephone hotline was set up between Washington and Moscow (1963) to prevent future misunderstandings, and the Partial Test Ban Treaty (1963) banned nuclear weapons testing in the atmosphere, in space and underwater, marking the first small step toward arms control.
- For 'write a narrative account' questions on this crisis, the marked sequence is: discovery of the missiles, Kennedy's blockade decision and announcement, the tense standoff at sea, and the secret deal that ended it; always explain WHY each step led to the next, for example why a blockade rather than an air strike changed what happened next.
- For 'explain two consequences' questions, separate short-term consequences (the missiles' removal, the near-miss of war) from longer-term consequences (the hotline, the Test Ban Treaty), since examiners reward two genuinely different effects rather than two versions of the same point.
Worked example
Write a narrative account analysing the key events of the Cuban Missile Crisis, from the discovery of Soviet missiles in Cuba in October 1962 to the resolution of the crisis. You may use the following information to help write your answer: the US naval blockade; the removal of US missiles from Turkey. You must also use information of your own.
- Plan the sequence: discovery of missile sites (mid-October 1962), Kennedy's decision to blockade and his public announcement (22 October), the tense standoff with Soviet ships approaching the blockade line, and the secret deal that ended the crisis (28 October 1962).
- Open with discovery: U-2 spy planes photographed Soviet missile sites under construction in Cuba, giving Kennedy's advisers evidence that missiles capable of striking most of the USA were being installed close to its coast.
- Link forward: 'As a result of this evidence, Kennedy rejected more aggressive options such as an air strike and instead announced a naval blockade of Cuba on 22 October 1962, which stopped further Soviet ships delivering weapons without immediately attacking Cuba.'
- Link forward again: 'Following the announcement, Soviet ships approached the blockade line, creating several tense days in which a direct clash at sea, or a Soviet response to any invasion, could have triggered nuclear war.'
- Close with the resolution: 'Because both leaders wanted to avoid war, they reached a secret compromise: the USA publicly promised not to invade Cuba and secretly agreed to remove its Jupiter missiles from Turkey, and in return Khrushchev agreed to remove the Soviet missiles from Cuba by 28 October 1962.'
- Check the account shows cause and effect at each stage, not just a list of dates: each Soviet or American decision should be explained as a response to what came immediately before it.
Practice questions
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Q1What event in April 1961 worsened relations between the USA and Cuba before the missile crisis?Show answer
Answer: The failed Bay of Pigs invasion, a US-backed attempt by Cuban exiles to overthrow Castro's communist government.
Q2How did the USA first discover the Soviet missile sites in Cuba?Show answer
Answer: American U-2 spy planes photographed the sites under construction in October 1962.
Q3What action did Kennedy take on 22 October 1962, and what other options did he reject?Show answer
Answer: He announced a naval blockade ('quarantine') of Cuba; he rejected more aggressive options such as an immediate air strike on the missile sites or a full invasion of Cuba.
Q4What did the USA publicly agree to, and what did it secretly agree to, in order to end the crisis?Show answer
Answer: Publicly, it promised not to invade Cuba; secretly, it agreed to remove its Jupiter nuclear missiles from Turkey.
Q5By what date had the USSR agreed to remove its missiles from Cuba?Show answer
Answer: 28 October 1962.
Q6What was set up between Washington and Moscow in 1963 as a direct result of the crisis?Show answer
Answer: A direct telephone hotline, to allow the two leaders to communicate quickly and avoid future misunderstandings.
Q7What did the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963 ban?Show answer
Answer: The testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere, in space and underwater.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE History exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Explain two consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 for relations between the superpowers.
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Explain two of the following: (a) The importance of the Bay of Pigs invasion for the origins of the Cuban Missile Crisis. (b) The importance of Kennedy's choice of a naval blockade for the outcome of the Cuban Missile Crisis. (c) The importance of the Cuban Missile Crisis for the arms race in the years that followed. You must answer on two options.
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