The Cuban Missile Crisis was a pivotal moment of the Cold War that saw the US. and the Soviet Union at the close of nuclear war. The confrontation that took place in October 1962 spanned 13 days, with the U.S. taking multiple steps to prevent a nuclear attack from the Soviet Union. The Cuban Missile Crisis began when the United States discovered Soviet ballistic missiles deployed in Cuba, which was only 90 miles away from U.S. shores. As a result, the U.S. imposed a quarantine on this socialist nation in an attempt to pressure the Soviets to withdraw their weapons. The Cuban Missile Crisis was ultimately resolved when Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev accepted U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s offer to dismantle and remove the missiles deployed in Cuba in exchange for the U.S. pledging to not invade the country and to remove American missiles stationed in Turkey.
Essay Topic Ideas:
1. Causes and Effects of the Cuban Missile Crisis
2. The Role of the United Nations During the Cuban Missile Crisis
3. How the Cuban Missile Crisis Changed U.S.-Soviet Relations
4. The Impact of the Cuban Missile Crisis on Cold War Historiography
5. Analysis of John F. Kennedy’s Leadership During the Cuban Missile Crisis