The 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 were bound to be made
in order to stop anything like the missile crisis from happening again
in both the near and far future.
So, what steps were taken by the superpowers that would ensure the
worlds safety from then on? And more importantly, can the events that
took place during October of 1962 on Cuba, be considered a turning
point in relations between the US and USSR, and if yes how and to what
extent? There are a number of points that can be analysed in this
topic that will show evidence of progress and in some cases
contradictory evidence to the improvement in the superpowers'
relations after the Cuban Missile crisis.
In the days just after the crisis one of J.F Kennedy's advisers said
to the press,
"Having come so close to the edge, we must make it our business not to
pass this way again". Though this was easier said than done. Kennedy
and Khrushchev lay the situation down in front of them and decided
what was the wisest thing to do first of all. One of the main aspects
of the crisis that made it particularly dangerous was the fact that
communications between the White House and the Kremlin were extremely
poor. Before and during the crisis messages were sen...
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...int in relations. The
space race also was effective in improving relations after the missile
crisis. It engaged both sides in a competition and history has often
shown us that competing in friendly terms is usually excellent for
relations. Also the combined efforts in the race when they started to
work together showed the world that the United States and Soviet Union
could cooperate and work as a team. As for the policy of détente, I
think this shaped the rate of improvement in relations between the
superpowers and ultimately I would say the introduction of détente was
a key turning point in the relations between the US and USSR after the
Cuban missile crisis, they took themselves on quite a bumpy ride, but
in the end their relations definitely improved after the crisis and
the effect of that can still be seen today.
The alliance formed between the US and USSR during the second world war was not strong enough to overcome the decades of uneasiness which existed between the two ideologically polar opposite countries. With their German enemy defeated, the two emerging nuclear superpowers no longer had any common ground on which to base a political, economical, or any other type of relationship. Tensions ran high as the USSR sought to expand Soviet influence throughout Europe while the US and other Western European nations made their opposition to such actions well known. The Eastern countries already under Soviet rule yearned for their independence, while the Western countries were willing to go to great lengths to limit Soviet expansion. "Containment of 'world revolution' became the watchword of American foreign policy throughout the 1950s a...
“The distinct differences in the political systems of the two countries often prevented them from reaching a mutual understanding on key policy issues and even, as in the case of the Cuban missile crisis, brought them to the brink of war” (Library of Congress). The Soviet Union and The United States were complete opposites, The United States was a democracy whereas The Soviet Union was a dictatorship. This only began their differences though, their economies, beliefs, goals, and even their fears, everything about them made them different except for their enemy. The
...elopment of the Cold War. Tensions between the East and West became worse as a result of these events and it would be years before relations between the United States and the Soviet Union improved. The Berlin Blockade/Airlift, China becoming Communist and the Korean War tested both Soviet and American policies and drove the two superpowers to further tension.
Things began to roll when a US-based U2 sky plane took photos of some USSR intermediate ballistic missiles with the capability of transporting nuclear heads. The situation got worse when the USSR dispatched 42 medium range missiles and 24 other intermediate range missiles to the Cuban. After the United States threatened to attack Cuba, UUSR withdrew her weaponry. The Cold War gets to give a description of the US-USSR relationship during that phase. The Cold War intensified in the late 1940s and the early 1950s because of the hysteria that the US citizens developed.
The political ideologies of the USA and of the Soviet Union were of profound significance in the development of the Cold War. Problems between the two power nations arose when America refused to accept the Soviet Union in the international community. The relationship between the USA and the Soviet Union was filled with mutual distrust and hostility. Many historians believe the cold war was “inevitable” between a democratic, capitalist nation and a communist Union. Winston Churchill called the cold war “The balance of terror” (1). Cold war anxieties began to build up with America and the Soviet Union advancing in the arms race for world dominance and supremacy. America feared the spread of Communism
Robert F. Kennedy's chilling account of his experiences with his brother, President John F. Kennedy over thirteen days in October of 1962 give an idea to the reader of just how alarmingly close our country came to nuclear war. Kennedy sums up the Cuban Missile Crisis as "a confrontation between two atomic nations...which brought the world to the abyss of nuclear destruction and the end of mankind."1 The author's purpose for writing this memoir seems to be to give readers an idea of the danger confronted during the Cuban Missile Crisis and to reflect on the lessons we should learn from it as a country, and for future members of government.
Canadian-American relations were severely hurt during the Cuban Missile Crisis due to the actions taken by John Diefenbaker. The crisis between the Soviet Union and Cuba on one side and America on the other was one of most heated moments during the Cold War. America had hoped that Canada would provide basic necessities during the crisis. However, when Canadian Prime Minster; John Diefenbaker failed to give full support, the relationship between the two countries stood on edge. It was through Diefenbaker’s lack of cooperation and doubt during the situation that had affected the relationship between the two countries. Not to mention Diefenbaker’s dislike towards the US. President; John F. Kennedy had also been a reason to why the two countries relations were falling apart. Canada and America’s relations had broken down during the Cuban Missile Crisis as a result of Diefenbaker’s lack of cooperation, doubt and dislike towards the United States President.
The relationships of the United States and the Soviet Union were driven by a complex interplay of ideological, political, and economic factors, which led to shifts between cautious cooperation and often bitter superpower rivalry over the years. The distinct differences in the political systems of the two countries often prevented them from reaching a mutual understanding on key policy issues and even, as in the case of the Cuban missile crisis, brought them to the brink of war.
Without the occurrence of the Cuban Missile Crisis we would may not be living in the world we are today. During the Cold War the Cuban Missile created a stalemate between the two major countries involved in the war, the Soviet Union and the United States. This event greatly known as a turning point in the it during the 1960's period of the infamous war, by being able to turn the tables and prevent a “hot” war to form out of one of the “coldest” wars in history. The Cuban Missile Crisis was an exceptionally significant event during the Cold War because of its ability to affect multitude of aspects between the two sides involved during the war.
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a major event in U.S History that almost led to nuclear destruction. It was over a period of thirteen days in which diplomats from the U.S and the Soviet Union were trying to reach a peaceful resolution so that they wouldn’t have to engage in physical warfare. The crisis was the hallmark of the Cold War era which lasted from the 1950’s to the late 1980’s. The Cold War was a power struggle between the U.S and Soviet Union in which the two nations had a massive arms race to become the strongest military force. The U.S considered Communism to be an opposing political entity, and therefore branded them as enemies. Khrushchev’s antagonistic view of Americans also played a big role in the conflict. The Cold War tensions, coupled with a political shift in Cuba eventually lead to the military struggle known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Cuban Missile Crisis was the point of most tension and near collapse causing the Cold War to almost shift from a passive and underground struggle to a violent and catastrophic one.
... destroying others to preserve ourselves as Miss Emily did. We also must not isolate ourselves by becoming drawn into behavior that is self destructive. It does not matter if its an effort to find the ultimate truth or become the perfect society. Once we start believing that wrong is right or up is down, we will find that we are isolating ourselves to our own delusions and on the path to destruction as the protagonist in “The Yellow Wallpaper” did.
“There is a point at which everything becomes simple and there is no longer any question of choice, because all you have staked will be lost if you look back. Life 's point of no return.” - Dag Hammarskjold
The Soviet Union is no longer a communist government and now gets along well with the United States.
To answer this question, we must consider what the right thing to do was. Moral reasoning poses two questions: What is the right thing to do? and What are the virtues of traits of a person who lives life well.
In 1962 nuclear war seemed inevitable to the world, it was the first time nuclear war was hanging on a thread. The Cuban Missile Crisis presented a threat to the world, in which the USSR planted nuclear missiles on Cuba. America’s response was to threaten launching nuclear missiles at the Russians. This incident launched the world into a new time, which presented nuclear weapons as a source of power.