The Cuba Missile Crisis (1962)
The Cuba Missile Crisis, a turning point in the Cold War
Cuba is a Caribbean island which is during the Cold War governed by Fidel Castro*, a USSR allied. [With his “guerilleros “knocked over the dictator Fulgencio Batista (1901-1973\ soldier and politician) on January 1959 ] Due to its localization, Cuba had an important place in the nuclear part of the war. In 1962 some missile sites were settled in Cuba. Why was the Cuba an ideal place for a missile crisis?
The first document is a map without title and source (low reliability). It represents the Cuban missile crisis (1962). We can see a red circle which is the zone concerned by an eventual missile attack. This zone is composed of states and cities such as Dallas, New Orleans, Cuba, Jamaica, Panama, a large part of Mexico, and so one. The Missile Range is 1800 kms in 12 min. There are 3 Soviet Missile Bases in Cuba. And 4 Us Bases in the Caribbean one of which in Cuba (Guantanamo Bay). These bases are placed around Cuba. There also is an Us Blockade from Miami to Puerto Rico to drive back the 2 Soviet ships. The second document is an extract of President Kennedy’s speech taken from President Kennedy’s radio and television address, October 22, 1962. We don’t know the title but the source (medium reliability). It is about the Cuban Missile Crisis. The USA is on alert. The President informs the population and announces his plan in response against any missile launching. These 2 documents are complementary: the different measures taken by the President are represented in the first document. The tension between the USA and the USSR is very loud.
Medium efficiency concerning the subject: “ Soviet Missile Bases”, “ Each…are”, “US Bases”, “Missile Range”, “Us Blockade”, “Soviet ships”, “initial steps”, “the United States”, “ the Soviet Union”.
In 1959 Fidel Castro knocked over the dictator Batista to liberate his country from the American economic trusteeship (tutelle). The