The Cuban Missile Crisis Explained

Summary

In a captivating and engaging lesson by HipHughes, the Cuban Missile Crisis is explored, providing viewers with a comprehensive understanding of the events that transpired in October 1962. Starting with the geographical closeness of Cuba to the U.S, HipHughes traces a historical path from the Monroe Doctrine to the Cold War tensions that culminated in a near nuclear conflict. The narrative covers Fidel Castro's rise, the Bay of Pigs invasion, and the critical 13 days in October, revealing the intense political chess game between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the crisis. The resolution, including the diplomatic negotiations that led to a surprisingly peaceful outcome, underscores the precarious nature of Cold War politics and the importance of communication in defusing global threats.

Highlights

• HipHughes starts with a bang, diving into geographic and historical contexts. 🌎
• Learn about the Monroe Doctrine—America's 'keep off my turf' policy. 🚫
• Get the scoop on the revolution: Castro's rise to power in Cuba was a game-changer. 🔄
• Discover the botched Bay of Pigs invasion and its implications on US-Soviet relations. 🐖
• The Cuban Missile Crisis unveiled the concept of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD). 💥
• Kennedy's genius move: a naval blockade instead of an invasion kept World War III at bay. ⚓️
• Surprise! There was a secret deal to remove U.S. missiles from Turkey. 🤐

Key Takeaways

• Geography matters! Cuba's proximity to the U.S. set the stage for a global standoff in 1962. 🌍
• The Monroe Doctrine aimed to keep European powers out of the Western Hemisphere, marking early American imperialism. 📜
• Fidel Castro's communist revolution in 1959 scared the U.S., as the Cold War paranoia soared. 😱
• The Bay of Pigs invasion was a fiasco, signaling weakness to the Soviets. 🚀
• The Cuban Missile Crisis showed the world the brink of nuclear war, lasting 13 intense days in October 1962. 💣
• Both superpowers learned the importance of backdoor diplomacy, preventing a disaster. 🤝
• The agreement to dismantle missile sites exemplified Cold War brinkmanship and negotiation. 🎯

Overview

In this lively HipHughes History episode, we travel back to October 1962 during one of the most dangerous moments in Cold War history—the Cuban Missile Crisis. Our entertaining guide, Mr. Hughes, along with his trusty sidekick n Chomsky, navigates the geographical and historical highways leading up to this crucial point. The drama begins with the Monroe Doctrine's proclamation against European interference and the subsequent American imperialism in Cuba. 🎓

Fast forward to the late '50s, where the world trembles as Fidel Castro's communist ideals triumph in Cuba, just a stone's throw away from the United States. Amid this tension, President Eisenhower's plan culminates in the Bay of Pigs debacle, an act that only fuels Soviet aspirations. As the world watches, Kennedy, presented with Soviet missiles in Cuba and influential voices advocating invasion, opts for a naval blockade—a strategic decision saving the planet from nuclear annihilation. 💣

The aftermath of those harrowing 13 days is a lesson in diplomacy and strategy. The backdoor negotiations leading to an unexpected agreement—removal of Soviet missiles in exchange for U.S. concessions—illustrate Cold War chess at its finest. Despite lingering political tensions, this crisis forged a crucial 'hotline' between the two superpowers to avert future catastrophes. Truly, a testament to the patience, negotiation, and the will to avoid mutually assured destruction. 🌐

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction This chapter serves as an introductory segment where Mr. Hughes, along with n Chomsky, introduces the purpose of the series. The focus is on providing a foundational understanding of the Cuban Missile Crisis to help viewers feel informed during discussions, essays, or tests. The tone is informal and encouraging, emphasizing a light-hearted and engaging approach to learning.
• 00:30 - 02:00: Geography and Early Context The chapter titled 'Geography and Early Context' begins with an examination of Cuba's geographic location, particularly its proximity to the United States, being only 90 miles from Florida. This geographic detail is crucial for understanding the context of the Cuban Missile Crisis, which occurred in October 1962. The discussion then backtracks to the year 1823, mentioning James Monroe and presumably his Monroe Doctrine, which serves as a historical backdrop to the evolving geopolitical dynamics within the Caribbean region.
• 02:00 - 04:00: Cuban Revolution and Cold War Tensions The chapter "Cuban Revolution and Cold War Tensions" begins with the influence of the Monroe Doctrine, which was essentially a warning for European powers to keep away from the Americas, thereby asserting U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere. This ideological stance leads into the Spanish-American war in 1899, where the U.S. engages with Cuba through conflict with Spain. This war is characterized as a manifestation of American imperialism.
• 04:00 - 06:00: Bay of Pigs and Kennedy's Challenges This chapter provides a background to the Cuban Missile Crisis, focusing on the period of American imperialism in Cuba following the Spanish American War. It highlights the control the United States exerted over Cuban trade, foreign policy, and economic affairs for approximately 50 years. The chapter sets the context for understanding the subsequent Cuban Communist Revolution in the late 1950s, by discussing historical aspects like the Monroe Doctrine and how they relate to the Spanish American War and American imperialism in Cuba.
• 06:00 - 08:00: Soviet Actions and Cuban Missile Crisis Events The chapter discusses the events leading up to and during the Cuban Missile Crisis with a focus on Soviet actions and the geopolitical tensions of the Cold War. It begins with the overthrow of the Cuban government in 1959 by Fidel Castro, who established a communist regime with close ties to the Soviet Union, causing significant concern for the United States. This marked a crucial phase in Cold War history, escalating fears and prompting a series of reactions from the U.S. as they navigated this new relationship between Cuba and the USSR.
• 08:00 - 10:00: Resolution and Aftermath The chapter discusses the geopolitical tensions during the era of President Dwight Eisenhower, focusing on the events leading to the famous Bay of Pigs invasion. The narrative highlights the violation of the Monroe Doctrine by Russia and the strategic responses considered by the United States. The text explains Eisenhower's initiation of a CIA operation using Cuban exiles to counteract Fidel Castro's regime in Cuba with the aim of restoring U.S. influence in the region.
• 10:00 - 11:00: Long-term Impact and Conclusion The chapter discusses the long-term impact and conclusions surrounding significant historical events, focusing particularly on the actions and decisions made by U.S. presidents in the context of the Cold War. The Monroe Doctrine is mentioned as a backdrop to the U.S. desire to prevent communist influence in the western hemisphere. The chapter highlights President John F. Kennedy's challenging decisions upon taking office in January 1961, including whether to approve the Bay of Pigs invasion. Ultimately, he decides to proceed, and the invasion is described as a disastrous attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro in Cuba.

The Cuban Missile Crisis Explained Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 [Music] hey guys welcome to hip Hughes history my name is Mr Hughes and this is n Chomsky and we deliver lessons on the internet that's right we're about to teach you the very Basics about the Cuban Missile Crisis so you can get through the next dinner conversation without looking like an idiot or maybe you got to throw down an essay or you're studying for a test or you just like learning I don't care let's go giddy up
• 00:30 - 01:00 all right let's start first with geography so if you look at the map really quick obviously Cuba really close to the United States and the Caribbean 90 miles from the shores of Florida so if I'm writing about the Cuban Missile Crisis which occurs in October of 1962 I'm going to start with geography and talk about proximity and closeness and then I'm going to backtrack go back in time let's go watch and suddenly we're in 1823 in 1823 James Monroe warns
• 01:00 - 01:30 Europe with the Monroe Doctrine to stay the hell away from my side of the globe dog piss in the hood we're really trying to Mark our territory and claim kind of the Western Hemisphere as our Hood as our side of the globe fast forward Spanish-American war in 1899 the United States engages Cuba through Spain in the Spanish American war this is really a war of imperialism it's a whole another leure
• 01:30 - 02:00 but in order to understand the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Communist Revolution in the late 1950s in Cuba we need to understand that the Cuban people had lived under American imperialism after the Spanish American war for upwards of 50 years so we're controlling trade and their foreign policy and their economics so that's going to be kind of the context for the beginning of the Cuban Missile Crisis start with the Monro Doctrine and then talk about kind of the Spanish American war and imperialism and then we're ready to
• 02:00 - 02:30 go so fast forward to 1959 after 60 years of imperialism the government of Cuba which is a nationalistic kind of pro-american government under Batista is overthrown by the Revolutionary the Communist Guerilla Fidel Castro and Fidel Castro is going to make an alliance with the Soviet Union and you have to remember context band that this is occurring during the Cold War so this is provoking a giant fear in the United States what's going to happen now that
• 02:30 - 03:00 Russia is in our backyard and violating the Monroe what you learned something the Monroe Doctrine so giddy up what are we going to do so in 1959 we had a Republican president Dwight Eisenhower so Eisenhower puts into motion a CIA plan which will be known as the Bay of Pigs which is designed to use Cuban Exiles that were you know from Cuba send them back with American Support to to overthrow Castro and you know revive the
• 03:00 - 03:30 Monroe Doctrine and get these commies out of our backyard and then JFK's elected so JFK is faced with a tremendous decision when he takes office in 1961 January whether or not to go with the Bay of Pigs and Under Pressure he decides he's doing it the Bay of Pigs is a tremendous disaster he also authorized a program called operation Mongoose and um it's a really complicated CIA program but basically they tried to kill Castro and Castro
• 03:30 - 04:00 knew this and the Soviet Union knew this so knowing them what are they going to do and you know I think there's another part of this they also I think see Kennedy kind of as weak um he didn't back up the Cuban Exiles in the Bay of Pigs in 1961 the Soviets build the Berlin Wall I think testing the young president and he really doesn't do anything so I think his Youth and his an experience on the Berlin wall and the Bay of Pigs really is showing Cru Jeff the leader of the Soviet
• 04:00 - 04:30 now is the time to play our hand so they're going to do something that's going to mess everything [Music] up so if you're Cru jef if you're the leader of the Soviet Union and you know our policy's containment and you know we tried to invade and you know we're trying to kill the leader of Cuba what's your best move their best move is to get nukes on the island now if you compile the contextual ideas that I just laid out for you and you kind of understand that JFK is really young and cruff has
• 04:30 - 05:00 seen JFK falure with the Bay of Pigs he's seen JFK not react strongly when they built the Berlin Wall in ' 61 he's going to make his move so in the summer of 1962 he begins to install icbms intercontinental ballistic missiles pointed at the United States under our noses so the Cuban Missile Crisis let's get to this it's mad mad ad stands for
• 05:00 - 05:30 Mutual assured destruction and this is a policy that basically is going to come down to nobody's willing to die nobody's willing to press the button so in 1962 in October to be exact this is October 15th to October 28th it's called 13 days in October right we discover the missile sites a U2 flight not the band but a plane High out of R uh radar range Tak some snapshots and we find out that the
• 05:30 - 06:00 Soviet Union is putting missiles on the island so JFK has to react what is he going to do let's find out his first reaction was actually to invade the island not many people understand how close to the abyss we were um he had uh generals Underneath Him lame who was the commander of the uh anay and dropped the bombs and Hiroshima was still around he was yelling for
• 06:00 - 06:30 Invasion Voices All Around The JO chief of staffs were saying you need to invade you cannot let the Soviet Union putting missiles into Cuba because that throws off Mutual assur destruction Mutual assur destruction only works if both sides have enough time to react and if you have missiles in Cuba jez that's pretty damn close now we have missiles in Turkey so the Soviet Union would counter by saying hey we're only doing what you're doing but never theless
• 06:30 - 07:00 we're ready to invade guys I'm serious man we had the the airplanes ready to go and then actually it's kind of a neat story and I'm going to keep it really short but in one of the last meetings before The Invasion or kind of making that final decision um the secretary uh the former uh foreign ambassador to Moscow his name was Tommy Thompson um was sitting at the kind of the cabinet table I I want to say he was a Cabinet member at that point maybe interior or something like
• 07:00 - 07:30 that and he had known cruff so he made the statement with Kennedy and everyone kind of sitting there um don't invade if you invade you're pushing Kush to the wall and you're going to start World War II if you give KF a chance to say face and get out of this he'll do it so the decision is made rather to invade to block a to block a this is the Regent's answer the answer on the final exam so the blockade be Begins the kind of standstill we can see these Soviet ships
• 07:30 - 08:00 and the American ships kind of facing off at each other no one really knowing what's going to go on what was really going on was backdoor negotiations and in those backdoor negotiations a deal is finally going to be struck and then I'll tell you the [Music] surprise so look at the end of the day um even though at the end of the crisis I believe in the 27th or the 26th the Soviet shot down a U2 plane and that kind of escalated everything um cooler
• 08:00 - 08:30 heads um Prevail and here's the deal and you're going to get some people in the United States that are going to be really upset with this deal because part of the deal is we're not going to invade Cuba again that's what the Soviets got out of this we agreed never to invade Cuba and we agreed to dismantle some of our own icbms in turkey and Italy which are really close to the Soviet Union but the Soviet Union agrees to do what we wanted which is get the missiles out so kind of everybody saves face but the
• 08:30 - 09:00 Communist Regime is going to remain in Cuba and Castro he's still ticking he's not in charge anymore but he outlived Eisenhower he did JFK LBJ and then after LBJ he went through and Nixon then he went through Ford and Carter and Reagan and Bush one and Clinton and Bush two and now Obama and I might even miss the president that's a long time guys one more thing
• 09:00 - 09:30 so the last thing um and one other answer I've seen before is um we created a phone line between the Soviet Union and the United States kind of like a hotline uh where we can talk to each other to avoid you know miscommunication that could have ended in war and you might say like maybe we wouldn't have had a war maybe we would have invaded and kicked out Castro and gotten communist out of there right away but what nobody knew at the time that we know today is not only were the missiles being put together the missiles were put
• 09:30 - 10:00 [Music] together hey guys if you wouldn't mind if you can hit subscribe below right I want to live like an edu gangster I want to live off YouTube Forever Until I'm like 120 and I can't do it unless you subscribe and you keep watching new content so please pretty please with history on top but