Why was the Cuban Missile Crisis considered one of the most dangerous moments of the Cold War?
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Correct answer: The United States and Soviet Union came close to a direct nuclear war
The crisis brought the two nuclear superpowers into a direct confrontation. Miscalculation, military action, or accidental escalation could have produced a catastrophic nuclear war.
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More Cuban Missile Crisis questions
- What role did U-2 spy planes play in the Cuban Missile Crisis?
- What was ExComm during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
- Which earlier event increased Castro's fears of another U.S. attempt to overthrow his government?
- What was the public part of the agreement that ended the Cuban Missile Crisis?
- What secret U.S. concession was connected to the settlement of the Cuban Missile Crisis?
- How did the Cuban Missile Crisis affect U.S.-Soviet communication afterward?