Cuban Missile Crisis - Close Call for Nukes
 
Cuban Missile Crisis

The world’s closest call with nuclear war was the Cuban Missile Crisis. Steaming this problem on was both Soviet insecurity and Cuba’s fear of U.S. invasion. Tension and secrecy drove the three nations to the breaking point, and yet, miraculously, not a missile was launched.

What caused such a virulent situation? Well, there were two main factors provided by Cuba and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was far behind in the arms production race with the U.S., and they feared a first strike from the U.S.’s base in Turkey which was only 150 miles away. Khrushchev noted that Cuba was only 90 miles off the coast of Florida, but the 60 mile difference was "nothing for a missile." Most of all, however, Khrushchev feared a first-strike by the U.S. If the Soviet Union lost the arms race so badly, he worried, it would invite a first-strike nuclear attack from the U.S. Consequently, Khrushchev began looking for......

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Title: Cuban Missile Crisis
Approximate Word Count: 763
Approximate Pages: 4 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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