Abstract

The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 was one of the most important and highly escalated confrontations of the entire Cold War period. Today, there is more information than ever before about this important event, allowing for a more comprehensive analysis than past studies. In this study I sought to employ a wide array of perspectives and sources from both participants and scholars to examine the overall outcome of the Cuban Missile Crisis, analyzing both strategic and diplomatic impacts of the confrontation. This study was influenced both by primary source material such as meeting transcripts, public statements and individual accounts of the Crisis as well as a great deal of secondary source literature. In conducting my research I placed a great deal of emphasis on incorporating material from different perspectives to allow for a balanced and comprehensive analysis, thus avoiding a conclusion influenced by the bias of any one side. In diversifying the sources examined for this study, I also concentrated on including accounts and studies from not only different national perspectives, but also from different points in time, as the scholarship of the Cuban Missile Crisis has rapidly evolved over time. Through careful examination of these primary and secondary sources, I conclude that the ultimate outcome of the Cuban Missile Crisis was a definitive American victory and a resounding defeat for both the Soviet Union and their Cuban allies in both strategic and diplomatic terms. The diplomatic defeat was particularly devastating for Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev and his government, irreparably damaging the prestige and reputation of both the Soviet state and its leader. The outcome of the Cuban Missile Crisis had profound implications for the involved states and their governments, and marked a major turning point in the Cold War battle for ideological supremacy.

Advisor

Holt, Katherine

Department

History

Keywords

Cuban Missile Crisis, Khrushchev

Publication Date

2016

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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© Copyright 2016 Nicholas Halle