Cuban Missile Crisis

  • Fidel Castro Rises to Power

    Fidel Castro and his army of rebels succeed in overthrowing the Cuban government and replacing it with his "socialist state"
  • Soviet Union becomes an ally

    The USSR and Cuba establish economic ties with each other following Castro's declaration of his intention of installing a "socialist state" in Cuba
  • Failed Bay of Pigs Invasion

    In response to the failed CIA-led invasion, Khrushchev agreed to Castro's demand they install nuclear missiles to deter a future invasion
  • Turkey

    The US missiles are fully functional by April and aimed at Moscow, USSR
  • Photographic Evidence

    A US U-2 spy plane discovers and takes photographic evidence of Soviet missile bases in Cuba, of which were installed in May
  • Blockage

    Following an emergency meeting with his advisors, Kennedy agrees on a "quarantine" as a blockage would be considered an act of war
  • Period: to

    Timeline

  • Soviet Missiles are stopped

    Khrushchev orders the ships carrying the missiles to stop in the Atlantic in order to prevent a confrontation with the US
  • Ease of Crisis

    A US pilot is shot down by the USSR, tensions running high, Khrushchev agrees to pull out the Soviets missiles if Kennedy promises not to invade Cuba, he agrees and promises to remove the US missiles at a later date
  • End of the Crisis

    Nikita Khrushchev agrees to remove Soviet missiles from Cuba and in return John F Kennedy agrees to remove America's missiles in Turkey