Soviet foreign and international policies: split with China; peaceful coexistence with the West; the Cuban Missile Crisis; negotiations with the West over Berlin; the space programme
Under Khrushchev, the USSR pursued a contradictory foreign policy. It sought to reduce tension with the West while simultaneously losing its communist ally China and nearly triggering nuclear war over Cuba.
Real World
During thirteen days in October 1962, US spy planes photographed Soviet nuclear missile sites under construction in Cuba; back-channel negotiations between Kennedy and Khrushchev — including a secret deal to remove US missiles from Turkey — prevented a nuclear exchange and became the Cold War's most studied crisis.
Exam Focus
Avoid treating the Cuban Missile Crisis in isolation — link it to Berlin tensions and peaceful coexistence to show you understand Khrushchev's contradictory foreign policy.
Essay Framework
Use PEEL to structure every paragraph. Tap each step for guidance and an example.
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