Question

How did the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War contribute to the start of the Cuban Missile Crisis?

A. It prevented either side from accepting any responsibility for starting the crisis.
B. It led the Soviet Union to place missiles in a location that could threaten the United States.
C. It convinced the United States that only a military strike could resolve the crisis.
D. It made it possible for U.S. and Soviet leaders to communicate directly to end the crisis.

Answer 1

The answer is B. The Cold War was in essence a series of events in which both powers were trying to demonstrate how better their ideology was than the others. The reason they never started a war was because of what is called “mutually assured destruction”, in which both sides had nuclear weapons and could destroy the other power of they were to launch their nuclear weapons. The Soviets placed missiles in Cuba in response to America’s placement of missiles in Turkey. Both powers did this as a way of threatening the other. Hope this helps and gives you a broader context!