The U.S./Cuban Showdown and the Cold War - 1556 Words

The 13 days in where the Soviet Union confronted the USA by placing nuclear missles in the island Cuba which is just 90 miles off American mainland is regarded as the closest the two countries came to war in the Cold War period. The short term signifcances were huge, as the world came close to a third world war, but in the long term it actually helped USA and the Soviet Union build a stronger relationship. It led to the Moscow-Washington hotline. However, during the 13 days it proved to many leaders and citizens around the world how fragile a relationship the two countries had, and showed a glimpse into the future that no one wanted to experience. However, what was most significant about the event in the short term was that the outcome seemed to give the USA the upper hand in the cold war. The result of the crises was that the Soviet Union retreated and took all their offensive weapons in Cuba away, whilst the American missiles in Turkey were allowed to stay where they were. Although the Cold War continued for another three decades after, the event led to the decline of Khrushchev, which proves how significant a defeat it was for the Soviets. Opposition had mounted against Khrushchev during and after the crisis and for all his dramatics, bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war for example, he had not delivered any meaningful victories. In the early days of September 1962, American U-2 spy planes detected that the Soviet Union were building surface-to-air launchShow MoreRelatedThe Cold War Summarized Essay1619 Words   |  7 Pagesfollowing the Second World War is known as the Cold War. This period was full of tension and fear that the United States and the USSR would destroy each other and the world with their arsenals of atomic weapons. The seeds of this rivalry were planted nearly a quarter of a century before its actual commencement with the Revolution of 1918 in Russia. 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