Dissertation Title: Understanding the Cuban Missile Crisis in The Context of The Cold War
Abstract
The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 was a major incident that could have led to severe nuclear war between the superpowers, specifically the United States and the Soviet Union. The primary purpose of this research was to develop an in-depth understanding of the Cuban Missile Crisis in the context of the Cold War. The study has explored the manner in which the crisis reflected the intense ideological struggle and nuclear brinkmanship that defined the Cold War era. The major findings from the conducted analysis include significant intelligence failures on the United States’ side, the vital role of crisis leadership and backroom diplomacy, and the profound lessons about miscalculation risks in the nuclear age. Through contextualization of this important historical event, the work enhances our understanding of the Cuban Missile Crisis as the seminal moment when bipolar Cold War tensions pushed the world to the verge of apocalypse before being defused through effective crisis management. Ultimately, it illuminates the crisis as one of the clearest historical examples of how fact-based, pragmatic decision-making can prevent catastrophic conflict.
Keywords: Cuban Missile Crisis, Soviet Union, Cold War