Question

The Cuban missile crisis:

a. led to a United States-backed invasion of Cuba.
b. showed Kennedy's tendency to back down in a tense confrontation.
c. ended the cold war.
d. brought the United States and the Soviet Union close to nuclear war.
e. saw the United States destroy some missile sites with surgical air strikes.

Answer 1

The correct answer is option d. brought the United States and the Soviet Union close to nuclear war.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Cuban Missile Crisis was indeed a pivotal moment during the Cold War when the United States and the Soviet Union stood on the brink of nuclear war. In October 1962, the world tensed as the discovery of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, just 100 miles from the U.S. coastline, led to a 13-day diplomatic standoff.

President John F. Kennedy faced immense pressure to act militarily but instead chose to impose a naval blockade on Cuba, leading to negotiations with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. Ultimately, both leaders agreed to de-escalate the situation by removing their respective missiles from Cuba and Turkey, thereby avoiding a potential nuclear catastrophe.