The Bay of Pigs Incident, April 1961 (AQA GCSE History) : Revision Note
Why was the Bay of Pigs incident a disaster for the USA? - Summary
The Bay of Pigs incident was a huge disaster for President Kennedy and the USA. The Cold War was a propaganda battle between the communist Soviet Union and the capitalist USA. US propaganda showed the USA as the protector of freedom against the repressive Soviet Union.
The Cuban Revolution went against the USA's propaganda campaign. The rebels under the leadership of Fidel Castro overthrew the corrupt Cuban president, Batista. Kennedy ordered an invasion of Cuba. The Bay of Pigs invasion intended to remove Castro's government and place a pro-American government in Cuba.
Kennedy's actions went against the image of the USA as a protector of freedom. The failed invasion forced Castro closer to the Soviet Union, causing the Cuban Missile Crisis.
What caused Kennedy to invade Cuba?
The US government had fundamental issues with Cuba under the leadership of Fidel Castro
Castro did not want American influence in Cuba's economy
In May 1959, Castro's government began to take back land owned by foreign nationals
Castro appointed communists into his government. In February 1960, Cuba signed an agreement with the Soviet Union
In January 1961, John F. Kennedy replaced Eisenhower as the President of the USA
Kennedy was an anti-communist
He did not want a communist state only 90 miles away from the coast of the USA
When Kennedy assumed the presidency, the CIA created a plan to overthrow Castro
The CIA wanted to use Cuban exiles to invade Cuba
If Cuban exiles invaded Cuba, it would look like a counter-revolution rather than a US-backed invasion
The CIA's plans for the invasion of Cuba
The events of the Bay of Pigs incident
On 17th April 1961, the US government began their invasion of Cuba
The US government sent 1,400 Cuban exiles to Cuba
The invasion force landed in the Bay of Pigs on the southern coast of Cuba
In less than 24 hours, the invasion force surrendered to Castro's government
Reasons why the Bay of Pigs invasion failed
The weakness of the CIA and the invasion force
The CIA had given the Cuban exiles limited military training
They were unlikely to win against Castro's army due to their battle experience
In an attempt to distance themselves from the invasion, the US government refused to send military support to the Cuban exiles
The strength of Castro's government
Castro knew about the invasion before it began
Castro assembled an army of 20,000 soldiers to attack the Cuban exiles when they landed on the island
Cuban citizens were happy with Castro's government
The invasion gained limited support in Cuba
Examiner Tips and Tricks
A significant skill in Conflict and Tension Between East and West is the ability to identify causes and consequences. Events such as the Bay of Pigs incident had significant consequences to Cold War tensions, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis.
The impact of the Bay of Pigs incident on Cold War relations
The Bay of Pigs incident heightened Cold War tensions between the USA and the Soviet Union
The event was damaging to the USA's reputation
The USA had accused the Soviet Union of forcing people to live under their political influence in Eastern Europe
Attempting an armed uprising against the independent government in Cuba made the USA look as controlling as the Soviet Union
Cuba no longer wanted a diplomatic relationship with the USA
Castro did not trust the US government, further impacting the relationship between the two countries
The Bay of Pigs incident had benefits for the Soviet Union
Khrushchev claimed the failure of the invasion was a success for communism
The Cuban people were happy living under a communist government. It showed the world the benefits of communism
Cuba became closer to the Soviet Union
Castro publicly announced that he was a communist. He requested help from the Soviet Union to defend Cuba from the USA
In September 1961, Khrushchev declared that the Soviet Union would give weapons to Cuba
The aftermath of the Bay of Pigs incident drew the USA and the Soviet Union closer to nuclear war
Kennedy worried about Cuba gaining access to Soviet military training and more modern weaponry
Kennedy warned Khrushchev not to place nuclear weapons on Cuba. Khrushchev assured Kennedy that the Soviet Union would not do this. Kennedy did not believe Khrushchev
Distrust between the USA and the Soviet Union increased
Worked Example
Write an account of how the Bay of Pigs incident affected Cold War relations.
[8 marks]
Answer:
One way the Bay of Pigs incident affected the Cold War was that it pushed Cuba closer to the Soviet Union. In 1961, the USA supported a failed invasion of Cuba by Cuban exiles who wanted to remove Fidel Castro from power. The invasion was a disaster, and Castro’s forces quickly captured or killed most of the attackers. This was a major embarrassment for the USA, as it showed they were willing to use force to remove a communist leader in the Americas. The failure led Castro to publicly declare himself a communist and form a stronger alliance with the USSR. This increased Cold War tension, as it meant the Soviet Union now had a close ally just 90 miles from the USA.
Another way the Bay of Pigs incident affected Cold War relations was that it encouraged Khrushchev to challenge the USA further. The failed invasion made President Kennedy appear weak and inexperienced. As a result, Khrushchev believed he could take advantage of this by placing nuclear missiles in Cuba in 1962, which led to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Therefore, the Bay of Pigs incident increased Cold War tension by not only strengthening the USSR’s position in the Americas, but also escalating the arms race and risk of direct conflict between the superpowers.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
The 'Write an account' question relies on an understanding of causes and consequences.
Causes and consequences are like falling dominos.
The causes are what pushes the dominos over
The consequences are the other dominos that fall
For further guidance on this question, you can read this revision note on how to answer the 8-mark “Write an account" question.
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