The Cuban Missile Crisis• For Americans, one of the

most terrifying events in the Cold War took place 90 miles off the coast of Florida.

• In 1959, Fidel Castro overthrew the dictatorship of the Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista.

• At first, Castro promised free elections and many reforms.

• Castro did not follow through with his promises, however, and soon declared Cuba a Communist nation. He began accepting military aid from the Soviet Union.

Fidel Castro

In late 1962,• United States spy planes spotted

proof of long-range missiles based on Cuba.

• President John F. Kennedy announced on television that the United States had photographs of Soviet missiles in Cuba.

• President Kennedy took swift action.

• He ordered the nave to blockade, or close off, Cuba and prevent the Soviets from the delivering more missiles.

• Kennedy also told the Soviets that if they fired any of the missiles at the United States, he would launch a nuclear attack.

• This situation became known as the Cuban Missile Crisis.

In 1962, continued…• As the two superpowers grew

closer to a nuclear attack, the world held its breath for five days.

• Nikita Khrushchev ordered Soviet ships, many of which carried missiles, to continue on to Cuba.

• Shortly after President Kennedy’s announcement, however, a few Soviet ships did turn back.

• Finally, the United States and the Soviet Union reached an agreement and the remaining Soviet ships turned back.

• The Soviets later removed all their missiles from Cuba.

• More importantly, a nuclear war had been avoided.

• The outcome of the Cuba missile crisis contributed to Khrushchev’s fall from power in 1964.

During the Cold War…

• During the Cold War, Europeans recognized that colonial rule in Africa must end.

• Nationalism inspired people to seek their independence.

• In 1957, Kwame Nkrumah guided the Gold Coast (Ghana) to freedom from the British.

• Jomo Kenyatta did the same for Kenya in 1963.

Revolutions in Africa• Kwame Nkrumah became the

first prime and later president of Ghana.

• Kenyatta, Jomo 1894-1978, first prime minister 1963-1964 and then first president 1964-1978 of Kenya.

Revolutions in Africa…• In these unsettled conditions, however, the

United States and the Soviet Union used money and military aid to influence the new nations.

• Money and military aid were powerful attractions for nations struggling to overcome poverty and build stable governments.

• Some nations avoided the influence of the United States and Canada.

• They formed an unaligned block—an alliance of new nations– to counter the superpowers that wanted to control them.