Higher History The Cold War The Cuban Missile
Higher History The Cold War: The Cuban Missile Crisis Why was there a crisis in Cuba in 1962?
We are learning to… Explain why there was a crisis in Cuba in 1962. I can… Build up notes on the topic Plan a 20 mark essay Pass a 20 mark timed essay
Introduction to the Essay • By the early 1960 s clear divides had been created between the east and the west. • US President Kennedy and Soviet leader Khrushchev sought to assert the power and authority of their respective countries leading to increased tensions and strained relationships. • In 1962 the Cuban missile crisis brought the world to the brink of nuclear war.
Background (need for intro) • In 1952, General Fulgencio Batista had taken control of Cuba in an armed coup. • Batista favoured wealthy landowners, including American companies, and awarded lucrative contracts to them. • Relations between the Cuban and American governments were close and they helped Batista with financial and military aid. • By the 1950 s the corrupt Batista was extremely unpopular with the ordinary Cuban citizens who lived in desperate poverty. • Challenges to this set-up began to grow.
The arguments for a crisis in Cuba ‘The Factors’ 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Castro’s victory US foreign policy Khrushchev’s domestic position Kennedy’s domestic context The arms race You should aim to cover 4 of these in your essay; but you must know all of them in case it is the isolated factor.
Intro • 2/3 sentences of background. • List of factors. • Line of argument. If the essay question is: To what extent was US foreign policy the main reason for the Cuban Crisis of 1962? In 1952, General Fulgencio Batista had taken control of Cuba in an armed coup. Relations between the Cuban and American governments were close and they helped Batista with financial and military aid. By the 1950 s the corrupt Batista was extremely unpopular with the ordinary Cuban citizens who lived in desperate poverty. US foreign policy was important in the Cuban Crisis of 1962 but there were many other reasons for the crisis occurring such as Castro’s victory, Kennedy’s domestic position, the arms race and ideological differences. The most important reason why there was a crisis in Cuba was… as….
Peer Marking • Swap your intro with a partner. • Has the intro you now have got the following: √ At least two facts in the background. √ A list of the factors that will be discussed in the essay. √ A factor chosen as most important and a reason why. 2/3 = 1 mark 3/3 = 2 marks
Castro’s victory: Knowledge Opposition to the Batista regime was led by Fidel Castro, who had previously been imprisoned and exiled for attempting to seize power in 1953. • In 1956, Castro returned to Cuba and waged a guerrilla war against Batista’s forces. Castro was charismatic and had important allies such as Che Guevara. • Castro’s forces grew in size and popularity until Batista fled the country on 1 st January 1959. • Castro took power and initially created a coalition government supporting Cuban nationalism. • Gradually, Castro sought to improve the lives of the Cuban people by introducing reforms in health and education; this came into conflict with American interests. • In 1960, Castro signed a trade deal with the Soviet Union and sought to nationalise many businesses. • President Eisenhower introduced an economic blockade of Cuba.
Castro’s Victory: Analysis (basic) • Cuba’s increasing push for nationalisation of industries meant that tensions increased between the USA and Cuba, as did suspicions. • The actions of the US created an opportunity for the Soviet Union to step in to support the Cuban economy which led to increased tensions between the US and the Soviet Union due to the closeness of Cuba to the USA.
Castro’s Victory: Analysis (+) • However, tensions may have increased between the two countries but a stronger economic connection between the two countries would not have led to a nuclear crisis on its own.
US Foreign Policy: Knowledge • The presence of a Communist country so close to the US mainland was viewed as a threat to the US governments who feared the spread of Communism. • President Kennedy had inherited a plan to remove Castro as leader of Cuba. • Kennedy authorised support for anti-Castro Cubans but would not commit to the use of American troops. • In April 1961, over 1000 US-trained Cubans invaded the Bay of Pigs but were forced to surrender three days later. • After the attack Castro made it clear that his government was now pro-communist.
US Foreign Policy: Analysis (basic) • This was important as the US feared that further communist revolutions could take place in Latin America which would promote the spread of communism. • This was important as the US involvement in the attempted coup united the Cuban people behind Castro and pushed Castro further towards the USSR. • This was important as Castro’s response seemed to confirm the US’s suspicion that communism was spreading and had to be stopped.
US Foreign Policy: Analysis (+) • However, the failure of the Bay of Pigs led Khrushchev to misjudge President Kennedy which may have led the USSR to feel more confident in their position on the international stage.
Khrushchev’s Domestic Position: Knowledge • Khrushchev was facing criticism at home over a number of issues such as cuts in the armed forces, economic failures and the issues surrounding de. Stalinisation. • De-Stalinisation also led to suspicions from China who began to believe that they were the true protectors of communism. • In May 1962, Castro also disbanded a pro-Soviet group in Cuba.
Khrushchev’s Domestic Position: Analysis (basic) • Khrushchev believed that a foreign policy victory, such as being able to place missiles on Cuba, would help to ease the pressures he faced and improve his position. • Khrushchev wanted to ensure that China did not overtake the USSR. Khrushchev believed that placing missiles on Cuba would reassert Soviet authority.
Khrushchev’s Domestic Position: Analysis (+) • However, Khrushchev also hoped to use the placement of missiles on Cuba to put pressure on Western forces to withdraw from Berlin.
Kennedy’s domestic context: Knowledge • US interests and investments in Cuba had been lost in the revolution. • Cuban exiles in Florida were vocal in their demands for US action against Castro. • Kennedy also agreed to army drills that simulated an American invasion of a Caribbean island with a dictator named Ortsac: Operation Mongoose.
Kennedy’s domestic context: Analysis (basic) • This was important as Kennedy faced pressure from various groups at home to take action against Cuba. • This was important as it seemed to confirm Castro’s fears over American aggression, leading to further deterioration between the two countries.
Kennedy’s domestic context: Analysis (+) • However, although Kennedy’s use of the media was beneficial to him at home, it meant that international diplomacy was being played out in public. This made it more difficult for either leader to back down without losing face.
The arms race: Knowledge • During the 1950 s, Khrushchev (falsely) claimed that the Soviets were mass-producing nuclear weapons and were significantly superior to the US. • In response, the United States had placed their ICBMs in Turkey which meant that any area of the USSR could be a target. • These missiles became a major threat to the Soviets because they were capable of striking anywhere in the USSR. • In order to defend themselves, and let the United States know what it was like to be surrounded by a deadly threat, the Soviets placed missiles in Cuba.
The arms race: Analysis (basic) • This was important as the USA felt that they had to strengthen their position against the USSR which, in turn, led to an escalation in tension between the two countries. • This was important as the USSR responded by attempting to place missiles on Cuba, which served to heighten the divide between the countries.
The arms race: Analysis (+) • However, placing missiles on Cuba may have simply been an attempt to restore a power balance between the two countries.
Paragraph structure Topic sentence One factor that contributed to the Cuban Crisis was the arms race. K A A+ During the 1950 s, Khrushchev (falsely) claimed that the Soviets were mass-producing nuclear weapons and were significantly superior to the US. This led to the Cuban crisis as the USA felt that they had to strengthen their position against the USSR which, in turn, led to an escalation in tension between the two countries. In response, the United States had placed their ICBMs in Turkey which meant that any area of the USSR could be a target. These missiles became a major threat to the Soviets because they were capable of striking anywhere in the USSR. This was important as the USSR responded by attempting to place missiles on Cuba, which served to heighten the divide between the countries. However, placing missiles on Cuba may have simply been an attempt to restore a power balance between the two countries rather than a serious threat to international peace which suggests other factors also contributed to the Cuban Crisis.
A (up to 3/6) and A+ (6/6) ALWAYS LINK TO THE QUESTION A: This contributed to the Cuban Crisis as… This is important in the Cuban Crisis because… A+ However, on the other hand this is limited in the Cuban Crisis as…
Introduction – 3 step plan • Background (give 2 -3 sentences of what was happening in Cuba and internationally) ‘By the early 1960 s…’ • Factors (what are the factors in the essay? ) There were many important factors in the Cuban Crisis including… (a list is fine) • Argument (what will you be arguing is most important? ) It can be argued that the most important factor was …because…
Essay Questions • Cuba is an example of an isolated factor essay – this means the SQA will ask you whether the Cuban Crisis occurred because of a specific factor (one of the 5 we cover) • You must talk about the factor in the question BUT you do not need to agree it is the most important • Examples To what extent was US foreign policy the main reason for the Cuban Crisis of 1962? “Domestic pressure on Kennedy is the main explanation for the Cuban Crisis of 1962. ” How valid is this view? To what extent was the arms race the main reason for the development of the Cuban Crisis of 1962?
Conclusion – 4 step plan • In conclusion, there were many reasons for the Cuban Crisis of 1962. • On the one hand… (you should take one or two key factors here and explain why it was important) • On the other hand… (now you should do the same with another key factor to balance your argument) • Overall, the most important factor was… (keep your strongest until last, backing up why it is so important and it should be clear why it outweighs the other factors)
Evaluation • A good way to approach trying to get the final 4 marks for evaluation is to take your factors (5 in this case) and rank them from most important to least important • Try to come up with a reason WHY each is in that place (not why it is important but why it is more or less important) • A priority diagram can be a good technique to use – try to relate every factor back to your most important
Arms Race US Foreign Policy Castro’s Victory Kennedy’s Domestic Position Khruschev’s Domestic Position
Evaluation E 1 and E 2 - 2 marks can be gained from making evaluative comments which relate to individual factors Example – Upon evaluation, the arms race was the main reason for the Cuban Crisis as the competition between both countries over weapons escalated the tension between them. The arms race provided a real, physical threat to both countries and fuelled concerns from groups on both sides which added to the pressure faced by Kennedy and Khrushchev. NB – You must be saying something new in your evaluation, not repeating your analysis or doing ‘mini conclusions’
Evaluation + E+ - up to 4 marks can be gained from making evaluative comments which show the relative importance between factors (i. e. you compare two) Example – Upon evaluation, US foreign policy was less important than the arms race because the foreign policy was based on the tensions that had been created as a result of the arms race. If both countries had not been competing to obtain superiority in this area, then US foreign policy may have been drastically different and less threatening to the USSR and Cuba. NB – You must be saying something new in your evaluation, not repeating your analysis or doing ‘mini conclusions’ Remember analysis is really tricky and many candidates get 0/4 but still get an A!
Consolidation • A good idea when you have taken all your notes for a topic is to create a condensed revision guide for the essay • This might be a mind map, picture map, bullet points etc. but should fit on one page • Do this for homework (example on next page)
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