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How effective was Kennedy's handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis?

Autumn Venmore

Oh boy, let me tell you about Kennedy's handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis - it was a rollercoaster of a ride! Some say he was a hero, others say he was lucky. But let's dive into the details and see just how effective he really was.

First of all, let's set the scene. It was 1962 and tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union were high. The Soviet Union had placed missiles in Cuba, just a hop, skip and a jump away from the good ole U.S.A. Kennedy had to act fast and he did - he set up a naval blockade around Cuba and demanded the Soviets remove their missiles. This move was hailed as bold and decisive - everyone was on the edge of their seats waiting to see what would happen next.

Well, things got pretty intense. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev exchanged letters full of not-so-veiled threats, tensions were high and it seemed like war was on the horizon. But Kennedy remained cool as a cucumber (or at least that's how the history books tell us) and the world breathed a collective sigh of relief when Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles.

But was Kennedy's handling of the crisis really effective? Some argue that he was simply lucky - that Khrushchev didn't want to escalate the situation and that the removal of the missiles was inevitable. Others say that Kennedy's strong leadership and willingness to confront the Soviet Union head-on was what saved the day.

Either way, one thing is for sure - Kennedy's handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis was a defining moment in Cold War history. It renewed tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, but also showed the world just how dangerous the nuclear arms race could be. Whether Kennedy was a hero or merely lucky, his actions during those tense 13 days in October 1962 will forever be remembered as a watershed moment in world history.