Hello, I'm Mr. Marchant, and I'll be your history teacher for today.

I'm really looking forward to starting our learning journey together, and my role will be to make sure that you can meet today's learning objective.

Welcome to today's lesson, which is part of our unit on the transformation of the Cold War, where we've been asking ourselves, was the world on the brink of nuclear war? By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to account for the key events and decisions made during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

There are two keywords which will help us navigate our way through today's lesson.

Those are blockade and compromise.

A blockade is a situation in which a government or soldiers stop goods or people from entering or leaving a place.

And a compromise is an agreement to accept something which is not exactly what you want.

Today's lesson will be split into two parts, and we'll begin by focusing on JFK and ExComm.

On the 14th of October, 1962, Soviet missile launch sites were detected under construction in Cuba.

Once operational, 80% of the US population would live within range of Cuban-based intermediate range ballistic missiles, or IRBMs. President John F.

Kennedy, or JFK, and his advisors were determined to prevent Soviet nuclear missiles becoming operational on Cuba.

JFK received advice from a group of military and non-military officials from the Executive Committee of the National Security Council, otherwise known as ExComm.

So thinking about what we've heard so far, what was the name of the group of officials who helped advise JFK during the Cuban Missile Crisis? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that officials from the Executive Committee of the National Security Council, or ExComm, helped advise JFK during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Members of ExComm were not agreed upon the best way of resolving the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Some members were known as hawks and others were doves.

Hawks were those who favoured military action by the United States to remove the missile threat in Cuba, whilst doves were those who favoured responses which were less likely to trigger nuclear war between the USA and the USSR.

So let's make sure we have a secure understanding of what we've just heard.

We have a statement on the screen that says, all members of ExComm believed JFK should take military action to resolve the crisis.

Is that statement true or false? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that that statement was false, but we need to be able to justify our response.

So two justifications have appeared on the screen.

The first says that all members of ExComm were doves who believed that Kennedy should not take military action.

The second says, some members of ExComm were doves and others were hawks who were divided over the use of military action.

So, which one of those two justifications is correct? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct justification was B.

Some members of ExComm were doves and others were hawks who were divided over the use of military action.

Hawks supported it and doves generally opposed it.

Once Soviet missile launch sites were detected under construction in Cuba, one of the options favoured by hawks in ExComm was for the USA to launch military strikes against the island.

It was suggested that the Air Force could target the Soviet missile sites, or that a full scale US invasion of Cuba could be launched.

The military power of the USA suggested that either of these options could be successful in knocking out the missile sites and would demonstrate that JFK and his government were serious about defending American interests.

However, as Cuba was a Soviet ally, with Soviet military advisors present on the island, there was a high risk that any US military attack could trigger a nuclear conflict between the superpowers.

So reflecting on what we've just heard, why was an American attack on Cuba likely to lead to war with the USSR? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was the USSR was an ally of Cuba.

Therefore, if the USA attacked Cuba, the USSR was likely to step in to defend its ally.

Doves in ExComm recommended that JFK avoid military action altogether and pursue negotiations instead.

Many doves noted that the Soviets could launch nuclear attacks at the USA from their own territory, so the new missiles in Cuba made no practical difference.

It was argued that the USA could ask the United Nations, the UN, to help, or that the USA could trade the removal of American Jupiter missiles in Turkey for the removal of Soviet missiles in Cuba.

However, although there were many peace protests in the USA, JFK had run for president as a man who would be tough on communism.

Kennedy expected that failing to take a hard line during the crisis would cost him significant political support in the US and encourage Soviet aggression in other parts of the world.

So let's make sure we have a secure understanding of what we've just heard.

I want you to change one word to correct the following sentence.

Some hawks in ExComm advised JFK that he should trade the removal of US missiles in Turkey for the withdrawal of Soviet missiles from Cuba.

So consider which word appears to be incorrect and what should it be changed to.

Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the incorrect word was hawks and that it should have been changed to doves.

Some doves in ExComm advised JFK that he should trade the removal of US missiles in Turkey for the withdrawal of Soviet missiles from Cuba.

It was also proposed that the USA could blockade Cuba.

A blockade of the island would prevent the USSR from sending nuclear warheads and certain components which were needed to operate the missiles in Cuba.

It was possible that Soviet ships would ignore any blockade, which would either make the US look weak or require the ships to be sunk, which would be likely to trigger a nuclear war.

However, a blockade did keep JFK's options open.

Before Soviet ships reached the blockade, the USSR would have a chance to withdraw its missiles peacefully and the USA could still prepare for a military attack on Cuba.

So let's check our understanding of what we've just heard.

I want you to write the missing word from the following sentence.

Some members of ExComm supported a blank against Cuba to prevent Soviet supplies reaching the island.

So what's the missing word? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the missing word was blockade.

Some members of ExComm supported a blockade against Cuba to prevent Soviet supplies reaching the island.

So we're now ready to put all of our knowledge about JFK and ExComm into practise.

We are gonna split task A into two parts.

Firstly, I want you to match each proposal for responding to the Soviet missiles in Cuba with its potential problem for JFK.

So you have three proposals to think about: an attack, to negotiate, or to launch a blockade, and you need to match each of those to the relevant problem which could occur as a result of it.

So pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to check your answers.

Okay, well done for all of your effort on that task.

So I asked you to match each proposal for responding to the Soviet missiles in Cuba with its potential problems for JFK.

For an attack, you should have matched this with the problem that it was likely to trigger a war with the Soviets because of their Cuban alliance.

When it comes to negotiating, you should have matched this with the problem that it risked losing the support of voters who expected JFK to be tough against communism.

And for a blockade, you should have put that it risked either war or embarrassment if it was ignored by the Soviets.

So well done if you matched up each of those correctly.

And now we can move on to the second part of task A.

For this, I want you to complete the table which you can see.

Identify one benefit of each proposal for responding to the Soviet missiles in Cuba.

So pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to reflect on your responses.

Okay, well done for all of your hard work on that part of task A.

So I asked you to complete the table by identifying one benefit of each proposal for responding to the Soviet missiles in Cuba.

And your answers may have included: an attack on Cuba could be considered beneficial as it would demonstrate US strength and might deter further Soviet challenges in other parts of the world.

A blockade of Cuba might seem beneficial because it would provide more time during which the USSR might back down or military preparations against Cuba could continue.

And finally, negotiating could be considered beneficial for JFK in the USA because it would avoid the risk of nuclear war between the superpowers.

So really well done if your own responses looked something like those models which we've just seen there.

And now we're ready to move on to the second part of our lesson where we are going to think about the 13 days.

JFK was notified of the Soviet missile sites in Cuba on the 16th of October, 1962, and brought together ExComm that same day.

The USA and USSR entered a crisis period lasting nearly two weeks, which has been referred to by historians as the 13 days.

During the 13 days, the risk of nuclear war between the superpowers was high.

But by the 28th of October, 1962, the Cuban missile crisis was resolved without conflict.

On the 22nd of October, after nearly a week of meetings in ExComm, JFK decided he would use the US Navy to blockade Cuba.

That same night, the president appeared on TV and told the American people about the existence of the missile bases in Cuba.

JFK avoided calling this action a blockade as this would technically make it an act of war.

Instead, he said the USA was creating a quarantine around Cuba to prevent offensive weapons from reaching the island.

The Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, refused to accept the American blockade, and Soviet ships, accompanied by a submarine, continued to approach the quarantine zone.

There were widespread fears that the Soviets would simply ignore the American blockade.

Knowing that an escalation to nuclear war was possible, JFK ordered 54 American B-52 bombers to be prepared, each armed with four nuclear warheads.

However, on the morning of the 24th of October, all the Soviet ships which had approached the quarantine zone around Cuba either stopped or turned around.

So let's reflect on what we've just heard.

What policy did JFK announce on the 22nd of October, 1962? Was it a US invasion of Cuba, US negotiations with the USSR, or US quarantine of Cuba? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was C, JFK announced a quarantine of Cuba after a week of ExComm meetings.

Now let's try another question.

This time we have a statement which reads, JFK was confident that the blockade of Cuba would be successful.

Is that statement true or false? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to check your answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that that statement was false, but we need to be able to justify our response.

So two justifications have appeared on the screen.

The first says that Kennedy ordered for 54 nuclear bombers to be prepared in case the Soviets ignored the blockade.

And the second says that Kennedy began negotiations with the Soviets after Khrushchev said he would ignore the blockade.

So which one of those two justifications is correct? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct justification was A.

We can tell that JFK was not completely confident that his blockade of Cuba would be successful because he ordered for 54 nuclear bombers to be prepared in case the Soviets ignored the blockade.

Despite the success of the US blockade, the Cuban Missile Crisis continued in October, 1962, as Soviet missiles remained on Cuba.

JFK hoped for the unconditional withdrawal of Soviet missiles, and to increase pressure on the Soviets, announced that the USA would invade the island.

However, Kennedy also wanted to avoid war and was beginning to consider compromises which both superpowers could accept.

On the 26th of October, Khrushchev sent Kennedy a telegram stating that the USSR would dismantle their missiles if the USA promised not to invade Cuba.

JFK did not respond immediately, largely because the agreement would prevent the US from overthrowing Fidel Castro's government in future.

That same day, an American U-2 spy plane was shot down over Cuba, leading some members of ExComm to call for an immediate invasion.

JFK chose to hold his nerve and decided against a military response.

On the 27th of October, before his first telegram had been responded to, Khrushchev sent a second telegram.

In this second telegram, Khrushchev repeated his offer to remove the Soviet missile sites, but introduced a new condition.

As well as a non-invasion pledge, he demanded that US missiles be removed from Turkey.

JFK decided to ignore Khrushchev's second telegram and responded to the first instead, promising that the USA would not invade Cuba as long as the USSR removed their missile bases from Cuba.

However, in a secret meeting, JFK's brother, Robert Kennedy, met with the Soviet ambassador in the USA and promised that the USA's Jupiter missiles would be withdrawn from Turkey.

On the 28th of October, Khrushchev agreed to JFK's offer and the crisis was over.

So let's make sure we have a secure understanding of those events we just heard about.

Which demand was included in Khrushchev's first telegram to JFK on the 26th of October, 1962? Was it for an American promise not to invade Cuba, an American promise to withdraw missiles from Turkey, or an American promise to reduce its military spending? Pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the correct answer was A.

In his initial telegram on the 26th of October, Khrushchev demanded an American promise not to invade Cuba.

Now let's try another question.

This time, starting with the earliest, I want you to sort the events from the Cuban Missile Crisis into chronological order.

The events we have are: secret meeting between Robert Kennedy and the Soviets, JFK begins meeting with ExComm, Cuban Missile Crisis resolved, U-2 plane detects Soviet missile sites on Cuba, and quarantine zone around Cuba announced.

You should use the numbers one to five to indicate the correct chronological order.

So pause the video here, and press play when you're ready to check your answers.

Okay, so thinking about our answers here, we should have said that the first of these events was that a U-2 plane detected Soviet missile sites on Cuba.

Following on from this, JFK began meeting with ExComm to discuss how the USA should respond.

ExComm and JFK eventually decided that a quarantine zone, a blockade, would be established around Cuba.

Later in the crisis, there were some compromises made by the USA and by the Soviets as there was a secret meeting between Robert Kennedy and the Soviets.

After this meeting and other negotiations, the Cuban Missile Crisis was finally resolved.

So well done if you got each of those events ordered in their correct chronological order.

So now we're in a good position to put all of our knowledge from today's lesson into practise.

I want you to write an account that analyses the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

You should ensure that your account follows the correct chronology of the crisis, that it makes it clear how events in the crisis were linked together, that it includes specific details, and that it comes to a clear conclusion.

In other words, how did the crisis end? So pause the video here, and press play when you are ready to reflect on your response.

Okay, well done for all of your hard work on that task.

So I asked for you to write an account that analyses the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

And your answer may have included: the Cuban Missile Crisis began on the 14th of October, 1962, when an American U-2 spy plane detected Soviet missile sites being built in Cuba.

This caused shock in the USA, where President Kennedy, JFK, set up a committee known as ExComm to advise him on how the US should respond.

Some hawks recommended military attacks against Cuba, while some doves argued that JFK should rely upon negotiations or UN assistance to avoid the risk of conflict with the USSR.

To reduce the risk of war but avoid appearing weak, JFK made the decision to blockade Cuba, preventing important Soviet missile supplies from reaching the island.

On the 24th of October, as Soviet ships approached the blockade, they stopped or turned around.

However, as Soviet missiles remained on Cuba, JFK threatened to invade the island to increase pressure on the USSR.

Facing the prospect of war, Nikita Khrushchev finally made peace offers to the USA, offering to remove Soviet missile sites in return for a promise that the US would not invade Cuba and that its Jupiter missiles would be removed from Turkey.

JFK accepted the first of these conditions directly and used his brother to agree to the second Soviet condition in secret.

As a result, by the 28th of October, both the USA and USSR had agreed to compromise and ended the crisis.

So really well done if your own response looked something like that model which we've just seen there.

What's really important to remember is that your account should follow a clear chronology, but it also needs to make it clear how different events as part of this crisis were linked together.

And so now we've reached the end of today's lesson, which puts us in a good position to summarise our learning about the 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

We've seen that the Cuban Missile Crisis began on the 14th of October, 1962, and lasted for 13 days.

JFK was advised by members of ExComm during the crisis.

The USA blockaded Cuba to prevent a shipment of offensive weapons from the USSR.

Both the USA and USSR made preparations for war during the crisis, although both were eager to avoid conflict if possible.

And the crisis was resolved as both superpowers agreed to compromises.

The US promised not to invade Cuba and to withdraw its missiles from Turkey, and the Soviets agreed to remove their missiles from Cuba.

So really well done for all of your effort throughout today's lesson.

It's been a pleasure to help guide you through our resources, and I look forward to seeing you again in the future as we think further about the transformation of the Cold War and continue to ask ourselves, was the world on the brink of nuclear war during the 1960s?.