Rise of American-Cuban Tensions

Significance of Cuba to USA

Strategic importance of the Caribbean Islands

• Cuba geographically close to USA

Important to USA's security

Safeguards economic interests in Cuba

• Cuba: major producer of tobacco and sugar, high in demand in USA
• Many US companies heavily invested in Cuba, need pro-US government
• Cubans did not like USA's dominance in their economy

Useful for USA's economy

US-Cuba tensions

American political interventions in Cuba

• US installed people that worked for the interests of USA in Cuba
• Cubans resented USA due to their intervention

The Cuban Revolution

• Fidel Castro overthrew Colonel Batista (did not immediately identify as communist)

Cubans did not like USA, sought independence

Castro's new policies

• Sought new markets for Cuban Sugar
  • USA had a Sugar Quota, amount and price controlled by USA
  • Wanted to decrease reliance on USA's demands for sugar
  • Signed agreement with USSR to trade Cuban sugar for Soviet oil

USA thought Cuba was aligning with the communist bloc as only communist-aligned states trade with each other [COMECON]

• Land Reform Law

  • Land owned by US corporations and the rich in Cuba broken up and redistributed to poor farmers [similar to Collectivisation]
  • Affected US businesses and USA saw this as communist act

• Castro and Khrushchev developed close friendship

  • USA saw this as openly associating with USSR

Escalating tensions due to US retaliation against Cuba

Economic pressure on Cuba

• Placed embargoes on US exports to Cuba on everything except food and medicine
• Ineffective as USSR stepped in and fulfilled Cuba's needs

US attempts to remove Castro

• Bay of Pigs Invasion and Operation Mongoose
  • Attempts to destroy Cuban economy / remove Castro
• USA denies involvement but gave training and funding to exiles

Cuba's alliance with USSR

• After Bay of Pigs Invasion, Castro thought USA would go for large-scale invasion
  • Started to look for allies: USSR
• Castro declared himself Marxist-Leninist, becoming part of communist bloc

Fulfilling USA's worst fears