Khrushchev, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Soviet Bloc

Abstract

Khrushchev, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Soviet Bloc The paper first analyses the main features of the new Soviet policy after Stalin’s death. It then qualifies the Cuban missile crisis as a real one by using the novel concept of real versus pseudo-crises during the Cold War. The authors evaluate both Khrushchev’s and Kennedy’s policies during the crisis as partial failure and partial victory. The paper also investigates the reaction of a totally surprised and underinformed Hungarian leadership to the conflict, while the final part deals with the serious lessons learned by the Soviet Bloc’s leaders during the aftermath of the crisis.