Hi, my name's Mr. Williams and I'm going to be your history teacher for today.

This lesson is part of a unit on Cold War Crises from 1958 to 1970.

I'm really looking forward to teaching you, so let's get started.

By the end of today's lesson, you're going to be able to analyse the causes, key events, and consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

There are five keywords that you're going to need to understand in order to be able to access today's lesson.

They are IRBM.

This stands for Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile.

These missiles can be fitted with nuclear warheads and had a range of 3,500 kilometres.

ExComm.

This is short for executive committee of the National Security Council.

It played a pivotal role in advising the president during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Blockade.

An act or means of sealing off a place to prevent goods or people from entering or leaving.

Brinkmanship.

The practise of pursuing a dangerous policy to the threshold of confrontation.

And finally, hotline.

In this context, it means a direct communication link established between the United States and the Soviet Union to enable immediate communication in times of crisis.

Today's lesson is going to focus on the Cuban Missile Crisis.

It's going to be split into three parts, and in this first part, we're going to be learning about the origins of the crisis.

The Cuban Missile Crisis began on the 14th of October, 1962, when an American U2 spy plane took detailed photographs of Cuba, which showed the bases for Soviet intermediate range ballistic missiles, or IRBMs, were being built on the island.

The discovery caused great alarm amongst President Kennedy, JFK, and his advisors, especially, as Khrushchev had previously assured JFK that he would not place missiles in Cuba.

IRBMs could be fitted with nuclear warheads, and because Cuba was only 145 kilometres from the US mainland, missiles fired from the Cuban base would be able to strike the vast majority of American cities.

JFK was advised that the most developed of the bases could be operational in a week.

Shortly after the missile basis were discovered, American Intelligence agencies informed JFK that 20 Soviet ships carrying missiles were on their way to Cuba.

Let's check your understanding.

On the 14th of October, 1962, how did America become aware of the Soviet missile bases being built in Cuba? Was it A, reports from anti-Castro Cuban exiles, B, photographs from a U2 spy plane, or C, they discovered them when they invaded Cuba? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you said B.

The Americans discovered that Soviet missile bases were being built on Cuba due to photographs from a U2 spy plane.

Well done if you got that correct.

There are several reasons why Khrushchev decided to take this provocative step in October, 1962.

Firstly, the USA had built missile bases in Turkey, which had the ability to strike the USSR.

Therefore, building Cuban missile bases was a way for Khrushchev to restore the balance of power.

In fact, some historians have argued that Khrushchev's main objective was to pressure the USA into removing their missiles from Turkey.

Secondly, Khrushchev had received criticism for the events that led to the building of the Berlin Wall in August, 1961, including from some powerful members of the Soviet Communist Party.

As a result, it is possible that Khrushchev is motivated to place missiles in Cuba to demonstrate Soviet strength and restore his own prestige.

Finally, Khrushchev may have feared another American attempt to overthrow Castro's government, which would've been a major setback for communism.

Some historians argue that Khrushchev placed the missile bases in Cuba to prevent an American invasion of the island.

Let's check your understanding.

Khrushchev's decision to build missile bases in Cuba was partly motivated by US missile bases in which country? Was it A, Albania B, Iran, C, Syria, or D, Turkey? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you said that the correct answer was Turkey.

We are now ready for the first practise task of this lesson.

On the screen, there's a table which I want you to complete.

In the first column of the table are some reasons why Khrushchev built missile bases in Cuba, and the column you need to complete is the second column.

And in the second column, there's a question which says, how does this explain why Khrushchev decided to build missile bases in Cuba, and for each of the reasons I want you to answer that question.

You should aim to write about a sentence for each of the reasons.

Pause the video now, press play when you're ready to see a completed table.

Very well done for your hard work on that first practise task.

You were asked to complete the table by explaining each of the reasons why Khrushchev decided to build missile bases in Cuba.

So you were filling in the second column.

so let's go through the answers now.

The first row, the first reason says the USA had built missile bases in Turkey.

So how does this explain why Khrushchev decided to build missile bases in Cuba? Let's have a look.

So you could have written, it would help to restore the balance of power and allow the USSR to threaten America in the same way that US missile bases in Turkey threatened the USSR.

Very well done if you wrote something similar to that.

If we move on to the second row, the reason is criticism of Khrushchev for his handling of events in Berlin 1961.

So how does this explain why Khrushchev decided to build missile bases in Cuba? You could have written it would allow Khrushchev to show that he was a strong leader and restore his personal prestige, which had been damaged by events in Berlin.

Very well done if you wrote something similar to that.

And finally in the last row, the reason is there were fears that the USA might invade Cuba.

And by way of explanation, you could have written, Khrushchev could not allow Castro's Communist government to be overthrown as this would be a setback for communism.

Soviet missiles could protect Cuba.

Brilliant effort on that first practise task and well done if your completed table looks similar to the one on the screen.

Let's move on now to the second part of our lesson.

The title of the second part of our lesson, "13 Days," refers to the 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

And during this 13 days, tensions were extremely high because many people feared that the Cuban Missile Crisis could result in a nuclear confrontation between the USA and the USSR.

Let's find out more.

JFK had warned the USSR that he would prevent missiles from being placed in Cuba by whatever means may be necessary.

With Soviet ships heading towards Cuba.

JFK had to quickly decide what action to take as the wrong decision could spark a nuclear conflict that had the potential to destroy the world.

As a result, on the 16th of October, JFK assembled ExComm to advise him.

They met every day for 13 days until the crisis was resolved.

JFK was under pressure from a group within the American government known as Hawks, who argued that the USA should take strong action to protect itself.

Some Hawks advised JFK to invade Cuba or bomb the missile base, while others suggested that the USA should sink the Soviet ships carrying the missiles.

Another group nicknamed Doves urged Kennedy to be cautious and avoid any action that could lead to war.

Let's check your understanding.

On the screen, there's a statement.

All members of the US government believed Kennedy should take military action to resolve the crisis.

Is this statement true or false? Pause the video now, press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you said that was false, but we need to be able to justify our answer.

So on the screen are two justifications.

A says, all members of the US government believe JFK should not take military action.

And B says, members of the US government were divided over JFK using military action to resolve the crisis.

Which one of these justifications is correct? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you said justification, B, members of the US government were divided over JFK using military action to resolve the crisis.

The Hawks believed he should and the Doves cautioned him to be careful and avoid military action that could lead to a conflict with the USSR.

On the 22nd of October, JFK decided he would use the US Navy to blockade Cuba preventing any ships from entering Cuba without American permission.

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

There were fears in the USA and across the world that the Soviet ships would ignore the blockade and that the USA would be forced to sink them.

If this happened, nuclear war seemed inevitable.

JFK knew this was a possibility, and in preparation he ordered 54 B-52 bombers to be armed each with four nuclear warheads.

On the morning of the 24th of October, the missile carrying Soviet ships accompanied by a Soviet submarine approached the blockade.

The world held its breath.

Then suddenly at 10:32 AM the Soviet ships either stopped or turned around.

Let's check your understanding.

I want you to discuss this question with a partner.

What evidence is there to suggest that JFK was worried the blockade of Cuba would be unsuccessful? Pause the video now, talk to your partner, and press play when you're ready to see a model response.

Okay, I hope that conversation was useful.

You might have said something like this.

Kennedy ordered B-52 bombers to be armed with nuclear warheads so that the USA would be prepared for war if the Soviet ships broke the blockade around Cuba.

Very well done If your conversation included some of those ideas.

The fact that the Soviet ships did not attempt to break the American blockade meant the war had been avoided, but the USSR still had missile sites on Cuba and JFK still wanted them removed.

JFK announced that the USA would invade Cuba unless the Soviet missile sites were removed.

On the 26th of October, Khrushchev sent JFKA telegram stating that the USSR would remove their missile sites if the USA promised not to invade Cuba.

On the 27th of October, before JFK had the opportunity to respond to the first telegram, Khrushchev sent a second telegram offering to remove the Soviet missile sites if the USA removed their missiles from Turkey.

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

On the 28th of October, Khrushchev agreed and the crisis was over.

Much later, it was revealed that JFK's brother Robert Kennedy had met with the Soviet ambassador in Washington and agreed to removing American missiles from Turkey.

But this part of the agreement was kept secret.

Let's check your understanding.

The paragraph on the screen contains some mistakes.

I want you to identify and correct the mistakes.

Pause the video, find and correct the mistakes, and press play when you're ready to see a corrected paragraph.

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

You are asked to identify and correct the mistakes in the paragraph and the corrected paragraph should read as follows.

On the 26th of October, Khrushchev sent JFK Telegram offering to remove Soviet missiles from Cuba if the USA promised not to invade Cuba.

The next day, Khrushchev sent a second telegram offering to remove Soviet missiles from Cuba if the USA removed their missiles from Turkey.

JFK agreed to the terms of the first telegram.

Let's check your understanding again with this question that I want you to discuss with a partner.

What secret agreements did Robert Kennedy make with the Soviet ambassador in Washington? Pause the video now, talk to your partner, and press play when you're ready to see our model response.

Okay, welcome back.

I hope those were useful conversations and you should have said something like this.

Robert Kennedy met secretly with the Soviet ambassador in Washington and agreed that the USA would remove their missile from Turkey as Khrushchev had demanded.

We're now ready for the second practise task of today's lesson.

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

You should aim to write about three key events and may wish to write about the following.

The discovery of Soviet missile bases in Cuba, the US blockade of Cuba and the Soviet response.

And then finally, Khrushchev's telegrams to Kennedy.

Try to organise your answer in chronological order.

Pause the video now attempt the question and press play when you're ready to see a model response.

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

You are asked to write an account analysing the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

You were asked to write about three events in chronological order, and your first paragraph could have read something like this.

The Cuban Missile Crisis began on the 14th of October, 1962 when American U2 spy plane discovered evidence of Soviet missile sites being built in Cuba.

This caused huge concern because IRBMs fired from Cuba would be able to hit most American cities with nuclear warheads.

Kennedy was informed that 20 Soviet ships carrying missiles had been sighted on their way to Cuba.

As a result, Kennedy set up a committee known as ExComm to provide him with advice about what action to take.

Your answer may have gone on to say something like this.

Kennedy came under pressure from some advisors to take strong action and attack Cuba or the Soviet ships carrying the missiles, but he wanted to avoid war, and so he set up a blockade around Cuba.

On the 24th of October, the Soviet ships approached the blockade.

Many people feared that they would ignore it and this would force the US ships to attack them, which could result in a nuclear conflict.

Fortunately, the Soviet ships turned around and this meant that the immediate threat of war was over.

However, Kennedy still wanted the USSR to remove their missile sites from Cuba.

Your third paragraph might have said something like this.

Kennedy announced that the USA would invade Cuba unless all missile sites were removed.

On the 26th of October, Khrushchev sent Kennedy a telegram promising to remove Soviet missile sites if the USA agreed not to invade Cuba before Kennedy could respond.

Khrushchev sent a second telegram on the 27th of October offering to remove Soviet missile sites from Cuba if the USA removed their our sites from Turkey.

Kennedy ignored Krista's second telegram and responded to the first.

Khrushchev agreed, and the crisis was finally over.

Well done for all your hard work on that second practise task and well done if your answer is similar to the model answer that we've just gone through.

We're now ready to move on to the third and final part of today's lesson.

And in this third part of the lesson, we're going to be looking at the consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The Cuban Missile Crisis gave the USA and the USSR a stark warning about the dangers of following a policy of brinkmanship.

In the years following the crisis, both countries took action to reduce the chance that future misunderstandings would lead to war.

And in many ways, the crisis led to the world becoming a safer place in the years that followed.

For example, in June, 1963, the US and the USSR established a hotline to allow for immediate communication between both nations' leaders.

Additionally, in August, 1963, the USA, the USSR and the UK signed a test ban treaty banning the testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere, outer space, and underwater.

This was an important step towards controlling the development of nuclear weapons.

Furthermore, in January, 1967, the USA and the USSR signed the Outer Space Treaty, in which the two superpowers agreed not to use space for military purposes and promised not to put nuclear weapons into orbit.

Finally, in 1968, both countries signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which committed them to not sharing their nuclear technology with other countries.

The crisis also had important consequences for JFK and Khrushchev.

JFK's actions had shown him to be a strong leader and significantly increased his popularity, perhaps, because his agreement to remove American missiles from Turkey had not been made public.

In contrast, important people in the Communist Party believed that the USSR had been forced into a humiliating withdrawal.

Khrushchev became very unpopular, and in 1964, he was forced to step down as leader and was replaced with Leonid Brezhnev.

Let's check your understanding.

I want you to discuss this question with a partner.

Why was a hotline established between the USA and the USSR? Pause the video, discuss the question with a partner, and press play when you're ready to see a model response.

Okay, welcome back.

I hope those conversations were useful.

You might have said something like this.

A hotline was established so that leaders of the USA and the USSR could talk directly to one another.

The purpose was to reduce the risk of misunderstandings that could lead to another crisis.

Let's do another check.

There's a table on the screen.

What I want you to do is to complete the table with one sentence summarising what was agreed in each of the treaties.

One of them has been done for you, so I need you to complete the other two.

Pause the video now, complete the table and press play when you're ready to go through the answers.

Okay, well done for your work on that task.

<v ->Let's go through the answers now.

</v> So the Test Ban Treaty of 1963, what was agreed? The USA, the USSR and the UK agreed to ban the testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere, outer space, and underwater.

The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty of 1968, what was agreed? Countries with nuclear weapons committed to not sharing their nuclear technology with other countries.

Very well done, if you got that correct.

Let's do another check.

JFK and Khrushchev both strengthen their position as leaders because of the Cuban missile crisis.

Is that true or false? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done.

That was false, but we need to be able to justify our answer.

So there's two justifications on the screen.

A says, JFK's position as leader was strengthened.

However, Khrushchev's was weakened and he was forced to step down.

And B says, Khrushchev's position as leader was strengthened.

However, JFK's was weakened and he was forced to resign.

Which of these justifications is correct? Pause the video now and press play when you're ready to see the correct answer.

Okay, well done if you said that the correct answer was A, JFK's position as leader was strengthened, but Khrushchev was weakened and he was forced to step down, and he was replaced by Leonid Brezhnev.

We are now ready for the final practise task of today's lesson.

I want you to explain two consequences of the Cuban missile crisis.

You should identify two consequences and then write one paragraph per consequence to explain each one.

Pause the video now, attempt the question, and when you are ready, press play and we'll go through a model answer.

Okay, fantastic effort on that final practise task.

You were asked to explain two consequences of the Cuban missile crisis and you were asked to write about them in separate paragraphs.

So let's have a look at what the first paragraph might have included.

One consequence of the Cuban missile crisis was that it led to the USA and USSR taking action to avoid a similar crisis happening in the future.

During the crisis, it was difficult for JFK and Khrushchev to communicate, and a misunderstanding could have led to conflict.

As a result, a hotline was established to allow American and Soviet leaders to talk directly to one another.

In addition, the USA and USSR signed treaties such as the Test Ban Treaty in 1963 and the Outer Space Treaty in 1967, which were important steps in the control of nuclear weapons.

Well done if you've got a paragraph that reads something like that one.

For your second paragraph, you could have focused on the impact on the two leaders and you could have written something like this.

Another consequence of the Cuban Missile Crisis was that it weakened Khrushchev's position as the leader of the Soviet Union.

While JFK's reputation as a leader was enhanced by the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Khrushchev's decision not to break the American blockade around Cuba was criticised by important members of the Communist Party.

These influential people believed that Khrushchev's actions had led to the USSR being humiliated.

As a result, Khrushchev was forced to step down as leader in 1964.

In comparison, JFK's popularity increased as he has been portrayed as a strong and capable leader.

Very well done for all of your hard work on that final practise task and well done if you've got two paragraphs that are similar to the ones that we've just gone through.

We're at the end of our lesson now.

So before we finish, let's just summarise our key learning points.

On the 14th of October, 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis began when a US spy plane discovered Soviet IRBM missile base on Cuba.

Khrushchev placed missiles in Cuba to restore the balance of power, strengthen his own position, and protect Cuba from invasion.

JFK set up a blockade around Cuba and fears of a nuclear conflict increased as Soviet ships carrying missiles approached it.

Soviet ships did not break the blockade and turned around.

Khrushchev later agreed to remove Soviet missile bases from Cuba.

The crisis strengthened JFK's position, weakened Khrushchev, and demonstrated the dangers of brinkmanship.

Fantastic effort today.

Well done.

It's been a pleasure to teach you and I hope to teach you again very soon.