Berlin Crisis & Berlin Wall (1961)
● June 1961: Khrushchev met JFK in Vienna with an ultimatum to resolve the Berlin
issue by December.
● Khrushchev determined to force the West out of Berlin; West Berlin was in the Soviet
sphere of influence.
● August 1961: Construction of the Berlin Wall began.
● Between 27th–28th August 1961: US and Soviet tanks faced off in a tense standoff;
US tanks pulled back.
● The Wall increased Cold War tension, especially regarding people moving from East
to West Berlin.
● The Wall brought stability to Berlin but also increased nuclear testing and
propaganda tensions.
● Khrushchev believed he could bully JFK after the Bay of Pigs failure and was
encouraged to place missiles in Cuba.
Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
● 1959: Fidel Castro took control of Cuba (communist regime).
● US refused to buy Cuban sugar; Khrushchev offered to buy it.
● April 1961: Bay of Pigs invasion—failed US attempt to overthrow Castro.
● Khrushchev sought to extend Soviet influence and counter US missiles in Italy and
Turkey.
● September 1962: USSR secretly placed missiles in Cuba.
● October 1962: American U2 plane shot down over Cuba.
● 20 October 1962: US announced naval blockade ("quarantine") around Cuba.
● Standoff between Soviet ships and US naval blockade.
● Crisis ended with USSR removing missiles from Cuba; US agreed to remove missiles
from Italy and Turkey.
● June 1961: Khrushchev met JFK in Vienna with an ultimatum to resolve the Berlin
issue by December.
● Khrushchev determined to force the West out of Berlin; West Berlin was in the Soviet
sphere of influence.
● August 1961: Construction of the Berlin Wall began.
● Between 27th–28th August 1961: US and Soviet tanks faced off in a tense standoff;
US tanks pulled back.
● The Wall increased Cold War tension, especially regarding people moving from East
to West Berlin.
● The Wall brought stability to Berlin but also increased nuclear testing and
propaganda tensions.
● Khrushchev believed he could bully JFK after the Bay of Pigs failure and was
encouraged to place missiles in Cuba.
Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
● 1959: Fidel Castro took control of Cuba (communist regime).
● US refused to buy Cuban sugar; Khrushchev offered to buy it.
● April 1961: Bay of Pigs invasion—failed US attempt to overthrow Castro.
● Khrushchev sought to extend Soviet influence and counter US missiles in Italy and
Turkey.
● September 1962: USSR secretly placed missiles in Cuba.
● October 1962: American U2 plane shot down over Cuba.
● 20 October 1962: US announced naval blockade ("quarantine") around Cuba.
● Standoff between Soviet ships and US naval blockade.
● Crisis ended with USSR removing missiles from Cuba; US agreed to remove missiles
from Italy and Turkey.
