POL SCI 140L Lecture Notes - Lecture 25: Cuban Missile Crisis, Mutual Assured Destruction, Nikita Khrushchev
21 Mar 2018
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1970s: want a d tente to play ussr against the prc. 1980s: prc is reforming, not very active internationally. 1 january 1959: fidel castro comes to power in cuba. Political dictatorship led by a charismatic leader who led a social/political revolution and then rules for more than 45 years. Social transformation in direction of greater equality. Efforts to improve education and health for whole population (especially countryside) Assist marxist revolutions in latin america and africa. Castro was concerned the us would launch a counterrevolution. Turns to marxism to get ussr"s support. 1962: khrushchev changed his risk calculus from gain ground by nuclear threats (but also can"t win nuclear war rhetorical threat. To putting a missile in cuba real threat. This was done secretly, they hoped that the nukes would be operational before the us detected them. Upping the ante appealed to the previously cautious khrushchev. Reduce strategic nuclear gap (usa had more than the ussr)
