Exam 13: East and West in the Grip of the Cold War

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Fidel Castro was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and then as the President from 1976 to 2008. He was also the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from 1965 until 2011. Castro played a key role in the Cuban Revolution that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in 1959, and he subsequently transformed Cuba into a one-party socialist state under Communist Party rule. His leadership was marked by his support for anti-imperialist and socialist movements globally and his opposition to Western capitalism and imperialism.

The "Bay of Pigs" refers to the Bay of Pigs Invasion, which was a failed military invasion of Cuba undertaken by a CIA-sponsored paramilitary group known as Brigade 2506 on April 17, 1961. The invasion's intention was to overthrow Fidel Castro's increasingly communist government. The force was composed of Cuban exiles who had fled to the United States after Castro's takeover. The invasion was a disaster for the invaders, with most of the Brigade 2506 either killed or captured within three days. The event was a significant embarrassment for the United States, particularly the Kennedy administration, and it served to strengthen Castro's position in Cuba and his relationship with the Soviet Union. This incident also played a part in the escalation of tensions that led to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

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Détente is a French term that translates to "relaxation" or "easing." In the context of international relations, détente refers to a period of improved relations between countries, particularly between rival nations or blocs that have previously been in a state of tension or conflict. The term is most commonly associated with the general easing of the geo-political tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States during the Cold War, which was marked by a series of arms control agreements and diplomatic overtures from the late 1960s to the late 1970s.

The policy of détente aimed to reduce the risk of conflict and nuclear war by fostering understanding, increasing trade and cooperation, and facilitating communication between the rival powers. Notable events and agreements that emerged from this period include the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT), the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM Treaty), and the Helsinki Accords. Although détente reduced tensions for a time, it did not end the Cold War, which saw a resurgence of hostilities in the late 1970s and early 1980s before ultimately concluding with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.