Cuba’s Impact

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the start of a nuclear war came very, very close. Tensions decreased between the superpowers as they realized the destruction they could have brought onto the world. A period of détente happened after this crisis, and treaties and agreements were signed to push a peaceful coexistence between America and the Soviet Union.

This illustrated the ideological struggle between the two, because with such contrasting ideas, both superpowers would try to fight to increase their sphere of influence. It is interesting to note that Cuba is located closer to American than it is to the Soviet Union. Even though the USA tried to maintain their ideas when Castro was leader, the USSR proved victorious in maintaining their sphere of influence. Obviously this brought fear to Americans, as they believed that if one country was communist, all countries around it would become under the Soviets’ rule as well.

The Soviets used the policy of brinkmanship to place missiles in a country that gave them geographic advantage and instill fear to their rivals. They were able to spread their sphere of influence, proving that communism could be victorious against democracy. This was a big conflict, which led to the Cuban Missile Crisis, which in turn resulted in a period of détente. But like I said, with all good things comes an end, and tensions between the superpowers increased.