Question

How did the Cold War change after the Cuban Missle Crisis?

Answer 1

Until the early 1960s the US was not in serious danger of a major nuclear strike on our cities. The Soviet Union did not have bases close enough for their bombers to have a good chance of penetrating our air defense in a crisis. That was about to change BIG TIME as both the USA and the USSR geared up to deploy large numbers of ICBMs that could strike at international ranges and could not be stopped with the technology available at the time. Access to Cuba as a base gave the Soviets something similar to the ring of overseas bases the US had around the USSR from Norway, to North Africa, Pakistan, the Philippines up to Japan/Korea which we could launch our bombers from. Deploying short range surface to surface missiles gave them a really credible first strike capability, and the American people were not about to stand for it. However, the Cuban Missile Crises was sort of a prelude to the upcoming reality of Mutually Assured Destruction we all had to live with from about 1964 until the end of the Cold War. There was a real danger of a nuclear exchange caused by the crisis, but it was just the beginning of a long, drawn out nightmare known as MAD. It was the opening crisis in a new phase of the Cold War.

Answer 2

Thank you! :)