What were the immediate and long term effects and consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis?

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a serious event that had both short-term and long-term consequences. Once the United States discovered that the Soviet Union was building missile sites in Cuba and placing missiles there, we responded to this threat.

In the short term, the consequences were significant. We put our military on high alert. We imposed a naval blockade around Cuba and indicated that the Soviet ships would not be allowed to pass through the blockade. We also demanded they remove the missiles from Cuba and dismantle the missile sites. The world anxiously watched events unfold in what had the potential to be a nuclear confrontation. Fortunately, a compromise was reached, and disaster was avoided.

In the long run, the Cuban Missile Crisis had several effects. Both the United States and the Soviet Union realized how close they came to a major confrontation that could have involved the use of nuclear weapons. Both sides agreed in 1963 to ban the aboveground testing of nuclear weapons. Both countries agreed to establish a telephone hotline so the leaders of both countries could talk if a crisis developed. In 1968, both countries signed an agreement, called the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, where each side agreed not to give other countries nuclear technology.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a serious event that had both short-term and long-term impacts.