In October 1962, the world came the closest it’s ever come to nuclear Armageddon. The discovery of Soviet missiles being installed in Cuba triggered the most dangerous encounter of the Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union. After thirteen anxious days, John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev reached a resolution, both aware of the danger of mutual destruction. But the crisis was far from over, as it wasn’t just a showdown between two Cold War rivals—it was a global crisis, which also included Fidel Castro of Cuba, who was not consulted on the deal reached by Moscow and Washington. Serhii Plokhii, professor of history at Harvard University, offers an international perspective on the crisis based on a range of archival documents, including White House recordings in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and previously classified KGB records.
Professor Plokhii will deliver the Gould Center for Humanistic Studies' 2022-23 Lerner Lecture on Hinge Moments in History.
Serhii Plokhii (Plokhy) is the Mykhailo Hrushevsky Professor of Ukrainian History and the director of the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University. A leading authority on Eastern Europe and Russia, he has published extensively on the international history of the Cold War. His award-winning books include The Last Empire: The Final Days of the Soviet Union, The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine, and Chernobyl: History of a Tragedy.
Professor Plokhii will deliver the Gould Center for Humanistic Studies' 2022-23 Lerner Lecture on Hinge Moments in History.
View Video: You?Tube with Serhii Plokhii
