The Cuban Missile Crisis Was A Key Part Of The Cold War

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a key part of the Cold War, and one which major scholars and historians see as the closest the world has come to thermonuclear war. This has made it one of the most documented events of the Cold War, with journal entries, books and films being made about the defining thirteen day period, each giving a unique perspective and overview of the crisis. The fact that both the United States and the Soviet Union managed to avoid the use of nuclear weapons is seen by many as a victory in itself; President Kennedy claiming afterward that the chances of a calamity were ‘somewhere between one out of three and even’. Proposing therefore the idea it was a form of Russian roulette, nuclear weapons playing the role of the revolver. This fascination with how adjacent the two superpowers seemingly were, plus the consequences that could have prevailed has kept the public and academics captivated for the last 50 years. This paper will opposed a lot of previous t houghts about how close the world came to nuclear war, but instead attempt to show how close it felt, and how it was in fact both Khrushchev and Kennedy’s commitment to avoid nuclear war that kept that idea distant. Throughout this paper I involve a brief overview of how the crisis unfolded and will outline the difficulties which made the crisis what it was, as well as drawing up why the crisis was seen as the closest the world has come to nuclear war. I will then advance to why Khrushchev and Kennedy had noShow MoreRelatedKhrushchev s Influence On America1543 Words   |  7 PagesDuring his time as leader, Khrushchev took part in many events that defined the climate of the Cold War. In the Berlin Crisis, where a significant number of people were leaving East Berlin for West Berlin, Khrushchev played a key role by demanding Kennedy attend a meeting to discuss the problem, and subsequently disrespecting the young president. 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