Introduction
The difference between the democratic principles that the United States was governed by and the totalitarian concepts that the USSR was founded on eventually led to significant conflict. By locating its weapons on Cuba, the USSR posed a serious threat to the wellbeing of the American citizens. Indeed, given the tension that existed at the time between the USA and the USSR, the possibility of an attack was quite high. Therefore, the Cuban Missile Crisis led to a range of implications that affected people’s social, economic, and political life.
Military Factor
When assessing the effects that the location of missiles in Cuba has had on the relationship between the USA and the USSR, one must mention the fact that Cuba and the Soviet Union were allies at the time. Therefore, by choosing the island to place their missiles in, the USSR created a rather threatening environment for the United States. In the era when the threat of a nuclear attack was viewed as the primary fear factor, the Cuban Missile Crisis created grounds for worrying about the wellbeing of the American citizens, hence the increase in the levels of mistrust between the USSR and the U.S. (Blight and Welch 13).
Social Factor
Although the military issue had the greatest impact on the foreign policy of the U.S., the gravity of the issue was also quite tangible in the social environment. As detailed above, the fact that the USSR located its missiles on Cuba implied that it was ready to start a military confrontation with the United States. Given the consistent work on the development of nuclear weapons that both states were busy with at the time, the American citizens became understandably anxious about the threat of the global war that might wipe them off the face of the Earth (Lichfield, Barbanente, and Borri 371). Consequently, the relationships between the representatives of the two cultures became rather hostile. Furthermore, it could be argued that the threat of the Communists’ attack allowed emphasizing the significance of the democratic principles that the U.S. were based on, thus, promoting patriotism among the American population (Widmaler 61). Thus, although there were some admittedly negative social effects of the Cuban missile crisis, it put the concept of social relationships in perspective, emphasizing the importance of democratic principles as the foundation for the society (Hanson 71).
Economic Factor
When considering the economic implications of the Cuban Missile Crisis, one must bring up the fact that the measures that the United States took to influence the USSR were primarily economic. Instead of starting a large political conflict, the American government preferred to inflict economic sanctions on Cuba. For instance, the restrictions concerning the import of sugar were viewed as the necessary step in addressing the problem (Miller 255).
Political Factor
The political clash that followed the crisis can be considered as rather large. However, at the same time, the crisis allowed shaping the U.S. foreign policy, which, at the time, was rather straight-forward, to a more subtle tool that could prevent the confrontation from occurring. As a result, the prerequisites for fanning the flames further were removed successfully. Particularly, the policy suggested by Kennedy implied that a blockade should be used instead of a direct military confrontation as the means of addressing the crisis and improving the relationships between the two states (George 51).
Conclusion
The effects that the Cuban Missile Crisis had on the American political, social, and economic situation were quite big. While the social implications left much to be desired, causing people to panic, the economic power that the U.S. gained as a result of the sanctions could be viewed as a benefit. The decisive and efficient manner of addressing the political problem in question allowed for creating a safer environment for international communication.
Works Cited
Blight, James G., and David A. Welch. Intelligence and the Cuban Missile Crisis. New York, NY: Routledge, 2013. Print.
George, Alice. The Cuban Missile Crisis: The Threshold of Nuclear War. New York, NY: Routledge, 2013. Print.
Hanson, Philip. The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Economy: An Economic History of the USSR 1945 – 1991. New York, NY: Routledge, 2014. Print.
Lichfield, Nathaniel, Angela Barbanente, and Dino Borri. Evaluation in Planning: Facing the Challenge of Complexity. New York, NY: Springer Science & Business Media, 2013. Print.
Miller, Steven E. Strategy and Nuclear Deterrence. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, Jul 14, 2014. Print.
Widmaler, Wesley. Presidential Rhetoric from Wilson to Obama: Constructing Crises, Fast and Slow. New York, NY: Routledge, 2014. Print.