Hello, I'm Mr. Marchant, and thank you for joining me for today's history lesson.

My job today is to help guide you through our history resources in the lesson.

And I'm gonna be working to make sure that by the end of our time together, you can securely meet our lesson 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 analyse the causes, events, and consequences of the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

There are four key words which will help us navigate our way through today's lesson.

Those are provenance, satellite, CIA, and exile.

Provenance refers to the background of a source, including who, why, and when it was written.

A satellite is a country controlled by or depending on a more powerful country.

The CIA is the Central Intelligence Agency, a US intelligence agency used for spying and organising secret operations in other countries.

And an exile is someone who's been forced to leave their home and live somewhere else, often for political reasons.

Today's lesson will be split into free parts, and we'll begin by focusing on American attitudes towards Castro's Cuba.

In January, 1961, John F.

Kennedy, otherwise known as JFK, became president of the USA.

Issues around Cuba proved to be very significant during JFK's presidency.

During his campaign to become president, JFK shared his views of Cuba, and of its leadership under Fidel Castro during a speech given in October, 1960.

So thinking about what we've just heard, he became president of the USA in January, 1961.

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

Okay, well done to everybody who said the correct answer was John F.

Kennedy, or JFK.

Historians can use speeches like JFK's on Cuba as sources when studying the past.

Historians using a source may consider both its content, so, what it says or shows, and its provenance, i.

e, its background, so things like its authorship.

Both the content and provenance of JFK's speech regarding Cuba are useful for historians studying the USA's attitude towards Cuba's government in the early 1960s.

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

Which of the following is part of a source's provenance? Is it what the source actually says, the author of the source, or a reader's own knowledge that relates to the source? Pause a 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 B.

The author of a source is part of its provenance, alongside other factors such as when it was published, or why it was published.

In October, 1960, just three months before he became president, John F.

Kennedy, JFK, gave a speech on the topic of Cuba.

During his speech, Kennedy shared his view that Fidel Castro has transformed the island of Cuba into a hostile and militant communist satellite, a base from which to carry communist infiltration throughout the Americas with guidance, support, and arms from Moscow.

The United States can hardly close its eyes to a potential enemy missile or submarine base only 90 miles from our shores.

JFK continued to explain that Castro's abusive anti-Americanism, and pro-communist messages are carried in books and newspapers, shipped to every corner of North and South America.

Latin America's largest news agency controlled from Havana, which was the Cuban capital city, carries anti-American and pro-Soviet messages throughout the Americas.

This is a critical situation to find so dangerous and enemy on our very doorstep.

For the present, Cuba is gone, but in the meantime, the USA must firmly resist further communist expansion in the Americas, and encourage those liberty loving Cubans who are leading the resistance to Castro.

So, thinking about the contents of JFK's speech, what was JFK suggesting when he called Cuba a communist satellite? Was he saying that Cuba was a democratic country? That Cuba was beginning its own space programme? Or that Cuba was loyal to the Soviet Union? Pause a 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.

By calling Cuba a communist satellite, JFK was trying to say in his speech that Cuba was loyal to the Soviet Union, the USA's rival during the Cold War.

And let's try another question.

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

JFK argued that the USA should ignore the groups in Cuba who opposed Castro and his government.

So consider which one of those words seems to be incorrect and what should it be changed to? Pause video here and press play when you're ready to check your response.

Okay, well done to everybody who said that the word ignore should have been changed to encourage.

JFK argued that the USA should encourage the groups in Cuba who opposed Castro and his government.

So we are now in a good position to put all of our knowledge about American attitudes towards Castro's government into practise.

For task A, I want you to do two things.

Firstly, I want you to identify two quotes from JFK's speech on Cuba in 1960, which demonstrate that he opposed Castro's government.

And then secondly, I want you to tell me, why is the provenance of JFK's Cuba speech useful for historians studying US attitudes towards the Castro government in the early 1960s? 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 task.

So firstly, I asked you to identify two quotes from JFK's speech on Cuba in 1960, which demonstrate that he opposed Castro's government.

And your answer may have included, "Castro has transformed the island of Cuba into a hostile and militant communist satellite." "This is a critical situation to find so dangerous an enemy on our very doorstep." And, "Encourage those liberty loving Cubans who are leading the resistance to Castro." So well done if you selected any two of those quotes.

And for the second part of task A, I asked you why the provenance of JFK's Cuba speech is useful for historians studying US attitudes towards the Castro government in the early 1960s.

And your answer may have included; The providence of JFK's Cuba speech is useful for historians because he became president of the USA shortly after making his speech on Cuba in October, 1960.

This suggests that the opposition he expressed to Castro's government would also have been the official policy of the US government from January, 1961 onwards, when JFK became president.

So really well done if your own response looks something similar to that model.

And now we can move on to the second part of our lesson for today, where we are going to think about the failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

JFK's hostility towards Castro's government in Cuba was shared by many others in America.

Before JFK took power, President Dwight D.

Eisenhower had already approved plans for the CIA to organise the overthrow of Fidel Castro.

When JFK became president in January, 1961, he inherited these plans.

After Castro gained power, many of his opponents had fled to the USA.

Under plans originally authorised by President Eisenhower, the CIA spent roughly $45 million on training these Cuban exiles to prepare them for an invasion of Cuba.

These exiles called themselves La Brigada 2506.

And by the end of their training, the invasion force numbered almost 1500 men.

The aim of this invasion was to remove Castro and put a new US friendly government in control of Cuba.

Although the number of men in La Brigada 2506 was small, the CIA was confident that the invasion would trigger a national uprising, which Castro's government would be unable to resist.

When JFK became president, he gave his own approval to these plans.

So thinking about what we've just heard, who were the members of La Brigada 2506? Was it American Soldiers, Castro supporters, or Cuban exiles? 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 C, La Brigada 2506 was made up of Cuban exiles who'd fled from the island to the USA after the Cuban Revolution.

The site chosen for the American sponsored attack on Cuba was the Bay of Pigs on Cuba's southern coast.

This area had often been used and visited by pirates who were referred to as dirty pigs, leading to the Bay gaining its name.

The Bay of Pigs Invasion, which took place in April, 1961, turned out to be a disastrous failure.

It was easily defeated by Castro's Forces.

100 members of La Brigada 2506 were killed, and another 1,100 were captured.

The failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion resulted in an American government inquiry in 1961, which found that multiple faults had affected the plan, including unrealistic expectations, and a lack of secrecy.

Indeed, the CIA misjudged Castro's popularity.

Although he had lost some support, most ordinary Cubans had failed to rise up as they were relatively happy with Castro's leadership.

La Brigada's chances of success were also harmed by the USA's refusal to send US ground troops or airstrikes to support them.

It had been hoped that avoiding direct US involvement would present the invasion as a purely Cuban effort, but it actually left the invaders significantly overpowered when they attacked.

Finally, the invasion suffered as it lacked the element of surprise.

Castro's government had already found out about the invasion and had 20,000 soldiers ready and waiting to resist the invasion when it finally took place.

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

We have a statement on the screen that reads, "American Soldiers participated in the Bay of Pigs Invasion." 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 JFK disapproved of the plan and even withdrew American training for members of La Brigada to 2506.

The second says that JFK wanted the invasion to appear like a purely Cuban effort, rather than as a US attack on Cuba.

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 US soldiers did not participate in the Bay of Pigs Invasion because JFK wanted the invasion to appear like a purely Cuban effort, rather than as a US attack on Cuba.

But this failure to involve US ground troops or American airstrikes, also contributed to the failure of the invasion.

And let's try another question.

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

Fidel Castro's government was not aware of plans to attack Cuba before the Bay of Pigs Invasion took place.

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 changed the word not to already.

Fidel Castro's government was already aware of plans to attack Cuba before the Bay of Pigs Invasion took place, and therefore had made significant preparations to defend the island.

So we're now in a good position to put all of our knowledge about the failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion into practise.

I want you to study the extract from an American government inquiry into the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

It says, "We can confidently assert that the CIA had no evidence that Cubans would join the invaders in significant numbers.

Furthermore, the project lost all elements of secrecy.

As for more than three months, the American Press had been reporting on the recruitment and training of Cubans." So I want you to explain two things that the extract reveals about the failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961.

You should include quotes from the extract to support your answer.

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

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

So I asked you to explain two things the extract reveals about the failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion in 1961.

And your answer may have included; "The extract reveals that the failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion was partly caused by misjudging the levels of support it would receive from ordinary Cubans.

Whereas it was hoped that the invasion would trigger a national uprising, the report explains that the CIA had no evidence that Cubans would join the invaders insignificant numbers.

The extract also reveals that the operation lacked the element of surprise.

For example, in the extract it says that for more than three months, the American press had been reporting on the recruitment and training of Cubans.

This allowed Castro's government to prepare for the invasion." So really well done if your own response looks something similar to that model there.

What's critical is that you made sure you incorporated those quotes from the extract to support your answer.

And now we're ready to move on to the third and final part of our lesson for today, where we are going to focus on the consequences of the failed invasion.

The Bay of Pigs Invasion was a significant moment in the Cold War.

The failure of the invasion had consequences for the USA and Cuba, as well as for the USSR, America's Superpower rival.

So we'll by thinking about consequences for the USA.

The USA was embarrassed by the failure, which made the country appear weak.

JFK therefore continued to authorise secret plans aimed at overthrowing Castro, such as assassination attempts by the CIA.

The president also authorised for 40,000 US troops to be sent to train in the Caribbean where they staged a mock invasion of another Caribbean island.

This was supposed to put out a threat to Castro to demonstrate that whilst the USA had been made to look weak, it was still strong.

In other words, America was still determined to find some way of getting rid of Castro's government.

The global reputation of the USA also suffered, because America was made to appear aggressive.

And this was used for a propaganda victory by the USSR, so also harming the USA compared to its superpower rival.

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

How did JFK try to challenge views that the USA was weak after the Bay of Pigs Invasion? Was it that he did nothing to challenge this view? That he began a second invasion of Cuba before the end of 1961? Or that he sent a large US army to train in the Caribbean? Pause the video here and press play when you're ready to see the right answer.

Okay, well then to everybody who said that the correct answer was C.

The USA had been made to look weak by the failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

So JFK tried to counter this view by sending 40,000 American soldiers to train in the Caribbean.

And now we can think about some of the consequences of the failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion for Cuba.

Cuba gained sympathy abroad, especially from other countries in the Americas.

Castro declared himself to be a communist and called for revolutions across the Americas.

He's pushed to do this because after the invasion, he had the impression the American government was so hostile towards him, that it wouldn't make any difference on that front, whether he called himself a communist, but it could earn himself extra support from the USSR and other countries.

Cuba also signed new agreements with the Soviet Union, aimed at helping to defend the island from future attacks, as Castro and his government were sure that the Americans would try to stage some other invasion in future.

So let's check our understanding.

We've got a statement on the screen that says, Castro's still worried about US threats after the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

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 true.

But we need to be able to justify our response.

So two justifications have appeared on the screen.

The first says that Cuba signed new defensive agreements with the USSR.

And the second says that Cuba agreed to reverse policies which the US had opposed.

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.

Cuba signed new defensive agreements with the USSR aimed at helping to defend the island if it was attacked by the USA again in future.

And finally, we can think about some of the consequences of the failure that Bay of Pigs Invasion for the USSR.

Nikita Khrushchev felt more confident to challenge the USA after the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

He claimed that JFK would make a fuss, but then agree.

He thought that the American leader seemed weak and therefore that the USSR could push him around.

The Soviet Union was also able to increase its power and influence in the USA's sphere of influence in the Americas.

We can see that by the end of 1961, Soviet military advisors, and even combat units were based in Cuba, meaning that America's attempts to have exclusive dominance over the Americas had clearly been undermined.

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

How did the USSR increase its power and influence in the USA's sphere of influence? Was it, that it tightened control over Soviet satellite states in Europe? Did it sent military advisors and combat troops to Cuba? Or that it increased its nuclear weapons stockpile in the USSR? Pause 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 B.

The USSR increased its power and influence in the USA's sphere of influence by sending military advisors and combat troops to Cuba.

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

I want you to answer the following question, which country benefited the most from the failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion? Was it Cuba, the USA, or USSR? You should write one paragraph to explain your answer.

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

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

So I asked you which country benefited the most from the failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion? And your answer may have included, "Cuba and its leader, Fidel Castro benefited the most from the failure of the Bay Pigs Invasion, as a Cuban government was able to claim greater support both in Cuba and abroad.

For example, Castro claimed that the refusal of most Cubans to support the invasion demonstrated his popularity on the island.

Furthermore, Cuba gained the sympathy of many other countries, and began to cooperate more extensively with the USSR, which increased the supply of troops and weapons to help defend Cuba from any future attacks." Alternatively, your answer may have included; "The USSR benefited the most from the failure of the Bay Peaks invasion.

For one, Soviet propaganda benefited from the invasion as the USSR could present their Cold War rival, the USA, as an aggressive state when competing for the support of other states.

Furthermore, by increasing Cuban fears of US attacks, the failed invasion created greater opportunities for the USSR to increase its power in America's sphere of influence.

Indeed, a new defence agreement signed by Cuba and the USSR led to Soviet combat units being stationed on Cuba." So really well done if your own response, looks something like either of those models which we've seen.

And now we've reached the end of today's lesson, which puts us in a good position to summarise our learning about the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

We've seen that the USA was opposed to Castro's government in Cuba in the early 1960s.

JFK called Cuba, a communist satellite.

The 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion was a US backed plan for Cuban exiles to overthrow Castro, and set up a pro-American government.

The Bay of Pigs Invasion failed, in part because of the operation's lack of secrecy, and the CIA's unreal expectations about popular support.

The US appeared weak and aggressive after the invasion, whilst Cuba and the USSR deepened their cooperation after the invasion.

The Soviet troops and more weapons were sent to defend Cuba.

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

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