Vietnam War and Cuban Missile Crisis: History

Vietnam War: Origins and Conflict

Vietnam War: Following the end of the Indochina War of independence in 1954, the territorial division of Vietnam into two states was ratified.

The Communist leader Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam announced the decision to send troops to conquer South Vietnam. In 1960, the Communists in South Vietnam formed the National Liberation Front, also known as the Vietcong, and supported the offensive in the north to achieve reunification. The Vietnam conflict became a new scenario of the Cold War.

This was the origin of a long war that lasted 20 years. The Americans, along with the governments of South Vietnam, provided troops and armament. Because of the wear faced by a population, the guerrillas in the United States had difficulty obtaining a military victory there. In Vietnam, they began negotiations in 1968.

President Nixon defended the Vietnamization of the conflict, the gradual withdrawal of troops abroad so that confrontation is reduced. The U.S. increased bombing. In January 1973, talks concluded with the Paris agreements. In 1975, the withdrawal of U.S. troops was completed.

Cuban Missile Crisis: A Cold War Confrontation

The Cuban Missile Crisis: The government of Fulgencio Batista, an ally of the United States, was besieged by guerrillas from 1956, led by Fidel Castro. His troops entered Havana in January 1959.

Economic, political, and cultural dependence of Cuba on the United States - The Triumph of the revolution caused the hostility of the government of Washington, which imposed an economic boycott on Cuba, including a ban on buying sugar. He also offered his support to Cuban political exiles.

The Soviet Union offered its assistance to Cuba. In 1960, all trade relations were established. They signed a military cooperation treaty. That year, Castro proclaimed the socialist character of the Cuban Revolution in 1961.

The tension between Cuba and the United States was aggravated in 1961, when the Bay of Pigs invasion occurred, a landing of Cuban exiles. Following the failure of the invasion, an agreement was made with the USSR to install nuclear missiles on the island to the United States.

The United States detected the operation, blocking Cuba to prevent the arrival of the missiles on the island.