Crisis Over Cuba
· By the 1960’s, the U.S. and the Soviet Union emerged as superpowers.
· In 1959, Fidel Castro led a communist revolution in Cuba, causing thousands of Cubans to flee to the United States.
· The U.S. became worried as Cuba received increased amounts of aid from the Soviet Union.
· In 1961, President John F. Kennedy approved of a plan to overthrow Castro’s government with the help of Cuban exiles.
· The exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs in Southern Cuba where they were easily defeated by Cuban forces, strengthening Fidel Castro and embarrassing the United States.
· The Soviet Union began to build missile bases in Cuba, worrying Americans that we were vulnerable to attack.
· Pres. Kennedy announced that American warships would stop any Soviet ship carrying missiles.
· Upon approaching Cuba, the Soviets turned back.
· Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove Soviet missiles from Cuba, and the U.S. agreed not to invade Cuba.
Intervening in Latin America
· Many poor Latin Americans viewed communism as a solution to their problems.
· Therefore, the U.S. created several programs aimed at helping Latin America, and other third world nations.
I. Alliance for Progress – Latin American nations were urged to make urgent reforms in order to help the lives of their people in exchange for U.S. aid for schools, hospitals, farming, and sanitation services.
II. Peace Corps – American volunteers work as teachers, engineers, and technical advisers in developing nations for two years.
III. Organization of American States – the U.S. promoted economic progress in the Americas by investing in transportation and industry.
Intervention:
· The U.S. supported the harsh governments of El Salvador and Guatemala against revolutions because they were anti-communist.
· Tens of thousands of people died and thousands more fled to the U.S.
Nicaragua:
· A group known as the Sandanistas overthrew the Nicaraguan dictator and started a communist government.
· President Ronald Reagan opposed the Sandanistas and supported an anti-communist group called the Contras.
· Congress disagreed with Pres. Reagan and passed a law banning military aid to the Contras.
· However, some government officials illegally raised money for the Contras by selling weapons to Iran. This scandal became known as the Iran-Contra Affair.
· In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite.
· Feeling that the U.S. was falling behind technologically to the Soviets, the U.S. created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which developed a space program to compete with the Soviets.
· In addition, the Soviet Union and the U.S. competed with each other in weapon development. Both sides developed enough weapons to easily destroy the other.
