Cuba–United States relations in the context of "Bay of Pigs Invasion"

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⭐ Core Definition: Cuba–United States relations

Modern diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States are cold, stemming from historic conflict and divergent political ideologies. The two nations restored diplomatic relations on July 20, 2015, after relations had been severed in 1961 during the Cold War. The U.S. has maintained a comprehensive trade embargo against Cuba since 1960. The embargo includes restrictions on all commercial, economic, and financial activity, making it illegal for U.S. corporations to do business with Cuba.

Early 19th century relations centered mainly on extensive trade, before manifest destiny increasingly led to an American desire to buy, conquer, or control Cuba. The U.S. attempted to purchase Cuba in 1848 and in 1854 from Spain. It successfully took over Cuba in 1898 as a U.S. territory within the Treaty of Paris. The U.S. position of economic and political dominance over the island persisted after Cuba became formally independent in 1902. Relations became closer still as the U.S. provided weapons, money, and its authority to the military dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista that ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1958. They deteriorated during the Cuban Revolution of 1959. The U.S. recruited operatives in Cuba to carry out a violent campaign of terrorism and sabotage on the island, killing civilians and causing economic damage.

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👉 Cuba–United States relations in the context of Bay of Pigs Invasion

The Bay of Pigs Invasion (Spanish: Invasión de la Bahía de los Cochinos, sometimes called Invasión de Playa Girón or Batalla de Playa Girón after the Playa Girón) was a failed military landing operation on the southwestern coast of Cuba in April 1961 by the United States and the Cuban Democratic Revolutionary Front (DRF), consisting of Cuban exiles who opposed Fidel Castro's Cuban Revolution, clandestinely and directly financed by the U.S. government. The operation took place at the height of the Cold War, and its failure influenced relations between Cuba, the United States, and the Soviet Union.

By early 1960, President Eisenhower had begun contemplating ways to remove Castro. In accordance with this goal, Eisenhower eventually approved Richard Bissell's plan which included training the paramilitary force that would later be used in the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Alongside covert operations, the U.S. also began its embargo of the island. This led Castro to reach out to the U.S.'s Cold War rival, the Soviet Union, after which the U.S. severed diplomatic relations.

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Cuba–United States relations in the context of United States embargo against Cuba

The United States embargo against Cuba is an embargo preventing U.S. businesses and citizens from conducting trade or commerce with Cuban interests since 1960. Modern diplomatic relations are cold, stemming from historic conflict and divergent political ideologies. U.S. economic sanctions against Cuba are comprehensive and impact all sectors of the Cuban economy. It is the most enduring trade embargo in modern history. The U.S. government influences extraterritorial trade with Cuba. The embargo has faced international criticism for its adverse impact on Cubans, including by the United Nations who have formally condemned it intermittently since 1992.

The U.S. government first launched an arms embargo against Cuba in 1958, with their energy and agricultural sectors targeted in 1960. The Cuban Revolution led to nationalization and a trade war with the U.S. that prompted seizure of American economic assets, including oil refineries. The U.S. retaliated with a total embargo on Cuban trade, with exceptions for food and medicine. Cuba held nuclear missiles for the Soviet Union during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, which resulted in the U.S. fully blockading the island. The embargo was loosened during the Cuban thaw from 2015 to 2017, tightening sharply thereafter over human rights in Cuba.

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Bay of Pigs Invasion ← Bay of Pigs invasion ← United States embargo against Cuba
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Embassy of Cuba, Washington, D.C. → Washington, D.C. → Embassy of the United States, Havana → Havana → Cuba → United States → Cold War → United States embargo against Cuba → Manifest destiny → Ostend Manifesto → Insular area → Treaty of Paris (1898) → Military dictatorship → Fulgencio Batista → Cuban Revolution → Terrorism → Sabotage →