The Cuban Missile Crisis as a Turning Point in USA and...

The Cuban Missile Crisis as a Turning Point in USA and USSR The Cuban Missile Crisis was indeed a turning point in USA and Soviet relations during the Cold War. The event stands in history as one that nearly brought humanity to the brink of destruction and is known as perhaps the single greatest political battle between the two superpowers, the world has ever seen. It also started a dà ©tente that which instigated an end to the arms race between the two nations. Following the Cuban Missile Crisis the two leaders, Kennedy and Khrushchev, found a new respect for each other, and this laid the foundations for a strengthened understanding between the two countries. Yet above all things it caused the†¦show more content†¦First, Khrushchev now saw Kennedys character and hold on his party as being weak, and hence mistakenly assumed non-existent American opposition to his plans. Also, the Cuban public now resented the Americans and accepted the construction of Soviet nuclear weapons, as they saw it would raise concerns within the Whitehouse. When the President was given the evidence that nuclear missiles with the capability to attack America were operational, his warnings towards the Soviets that the gravest issues would arise had materialised. The events that unfolded in the thirteen days following the revelation to Kennedy, is known in history as the Cuban Missile Crisis. The United States demanded the unconditional removal of nuclear weapons in Cuba, whilst the Soviets believed the establishment of nuclear warhead was justified, as long as the Americans had similar such weapons in Turkey. Both nations had various options to choose, yet with the persistence of the USSR, it seemed the decision making fell on Kennedy. The United States had two feasible options, one involving military action and the other a blockade of Cubafollowed by political negotiations. Military action could induce an international nuclear conflict which would endanger millions ofShow MoreRelatedThe Cuban Crisis During The Cold War1935 Words   |  8 PagesThe Cuban Crisis was a significant key turning point in USA and USSR relations during the Cold War. Historians pin down this event as the most intensified proxy war in the history of mankind, which nearly trigged a Nuclear War. On the one hand, a dà ©tente began to put an end to the arms race. But, it was also a time of epiphany as the superpower leaders noticed their unwise behaviour could have led to a nuclear war. This in return, made Kennedy and Khrushchev show mutual respect for each other reoccurringRead MoreThe Cuban Missile Crisis as the Turning Point in Relations Between the Superpowers2475 Words   |  10 PagesThe Cuban Missile Crisis as the Turning Point in Relations Between the Superpowers The Cuban Missile crisis is recognised by the entire world to have been one of the most dangerously fragile points in the history of conflicts between the United States of America and the Soviet Union. Surely after it was over, after the US and USSR had realized they had nearly thrown the world into nuclear war, after an event that could ultimately have spelt the planets doom, changes wereRead MoreThe Cuban Missile Crisis2013 Words   |  9 PagesInvestigation The purpose of this investigation is to establish the extent to which there was a victor at the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. 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