Question by mikeyinthecity: What were Nikita Khrushchev’s motives by placing nuclear missiles in Cuba?
Answers and Views:
Answer by Caribou “LIPS” Barbie™
Fear of conservatism
Read all the answers in the comments.
Know better? Leave your own answer!
Russian Life & People Digest
Chris says
"To counter the Jupiter missiles that the U.S. had in Turkey, right by the Soviet border, and to discourage the U.S. from invading Cuba again."
Unlikely, the Jupiter missiles located in Turkey were out of date and there were only a limited number of them. The USSR placed over 100 nuclear missiles on Cuba.
There are a few reasons why the missiles were placed on Cuba. First, the Cubans wanted them. Second, Khrushchev had a great deal of domestic pressure mounting against him for his allegedly weak stance towards the US. He was well known as liking Kennedy (even after his somewhat cold appearance at the Vienna conference) and was being labeled an appeaser by ardent communists. This fact coupled with his recent failure of a major domestic agricultural program left him in a very vulnerable position. Personally, it is suggested that he hated the missiles in Turkey because he could essentially see them from his resort house. It was a mental burden for him.
Any other reasons? Probably to encourage further revolutionaries around the world to push forth with their communist aims (and more importantly to side with the Soviets as opposed to the Chinese when doing so). Keep in mind that this was happening right when dozens of African countries were gaining independence. The conflict in Katanga (S.E. Congo), Angola, Ethiopia, and Somalia were just heating up. The blacks in S. Africa were showing signs of agitation against apartheid rule and K. seriously thought that he could set off a string of revolutions in the third world IF he could prove that the Soviets would support revolutionaries against the West.
jimulik says
Any president and leader of a country like the
US, will be tested militarily as Khrushchev tested
President JFK. Khrushchev thought he could
place missiles in Cuba and JFK would do nothing
about it, JFK didn't blink . I remember this incident when it happened and I still wonder what
would have been JFK's next move if Khrushchev
had said "No " ?
Mike S says
It was in response to us placing nukes around Europe.
Live To Fish says
He thought he could sneak them there and have a secret weapon on our doorstep. In the event war was imminent he could attack us with the missiles in Cuba before we could react.
Byte Me says
To counter the Jupiter missiles that the U.S. had in Turkey, right by the Soviet border, and to discourage the U.S. from invading Cuba again.
A classic case of justified self-defense, even if most Americans don't want to admit it.
.
Jordan A says
Castro requested that Khrushchev place the missiles in Cuba to deter a second Bay of Pigs invasion. Khrushchev's motive was simply protecting his ally and trading partner.
Joe in texas says
It was a response to the United States placing Nuclear missiles in Turkey, a short distance from the USSR.
Stefani says
Uh. Storage?
Or outsourcing. Cubans work for 4 bananas a day.
HawkEye says
Opportunism.
Castro reached out to the US and was rejected. He was forced to turn to Russia and they took advantage of the situation.
Period.
lemontree says
supporting a allie and taking advantage of the geographical location
towanda says
Hello. . .Cuba is just right off Florida and the US was in a cold war with Russia. That meant they could hit us with a missle and easily. . .