New
New
Year 11
Edexcel

The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

I can analyse the causes, key events and consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

New
New
Year 11
Edexcel

The Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

I can analyse the causes, key events and consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The Cuban Missile Crisis began on 14th October 1962 when the USA discovered Soviet missile bases in Cuba.
  2. Khrushchev built missile bases in Cuba for several reasons but it was partly a response to US missile bases in Turkey.
  3. The USA set up a blockade around Cuba; as Soviet ships approached, people feared the possibility of nuclear war.
  4. The US blockade was successful; this strengthened Kennedy's reputation and weakened Khrushchev's position as leader.
  5. After the crisis, the USA and the USSR took steps to reduce the risk of a similar crisis happening in the future.

Common misconception

The Soviet missile bases in Cuba were important because they provided the USSR with the ability to strike the USA with nuclear weapons.

The USSR had ICBMs which meant they already had the ability to attack the USA with nuclear weapons, however these were expensive and the USA had more. The USSR had more IRBMs, so placing these missiles in Cuba gave them an important advantage.

Keywords

  • IRBM - stands for intermediate range ballistic missile; these missiles could be fitted with nuclear warheads and had a range of 3500 kilometres

  • ExComm - 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 practice of pursuing a dangerous policy to the threshold of confrontation

  • Hotline - a direct communication link established between the United States and the Soviet Union to enable immediate communication in times of crisis

Provide students with the options Kennedy had for resolving the Cuban Missile Crisis and get them to debate the advantages and disadvantages. Students could be asked to 'vote with their feet' and justify their choice before Kennedy's decision is revealed.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
Who became leader of Cuba in 1959 after its revolution?
Correct Answer: Fidel Castro, Castro
Q2.
How close is Cuba to the USA?
45 km away
Correct answer: 145 km away
1450 km away
Q3.
Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
1 - Batista ruled over Cuba.
2 - Castro took power.
3 - All foreign-owned land in Cuba was nationalised.
4 - US trade restrictions introduced.
5 - Cuba began working more closely with the USSR.
6 - US banned all trade with Cuba.
7 - Diplomatic relations between the USA and Cuba were cut off.
Q4.
Which country backed the Bay of Pigs Invasion?
Correct answer: USA
USSR
UK
Cuba
Q5.
The troops who carried out the Bay of Pigs Invasion were made up of ...
Correct answer: Cuban exiles
Cuban exiles and US troops jointly
US troops
Q6.
Write the missing country name. The appeared weak after the failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
Correct Answer: USA, US, United States of America, United States, America

6 Questions

Q1.
How did the US detect missile sites in Cuba?
They were found by US soldiers invading the island.
Correct answer: They were photographed by US spy planes.
They were revealed by the Cuban government.
Q2.
Which superpower was Cuba allied to?
Correct Answer: USSR, the USSR, Soviet Union, the Soviet Union, The USSR
Q3.
Where did the USA install their own missiles in 1961?
Correct Answer: Turkey, Turkiye, Turkey (Turkiye)
Q4.
Who was President of the USA during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Fidel Castro
John F Kennedy
Nikita Khrushchev
Dwight D Eisenhower
Q5.
What was the shortened name of the group of advisors who helped JFK during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Correct Answer: ExComm, Ex Comm, Ex-Comm, excomm, Excomm
Q6.
Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
1 - Soviet missiles were detected in Cuba.
2 - JFK formed his advising group.
3 - US blockade was announced.
4 - Soviet ships turned around.
5 - Khrushchev sent two telegrams to JFK.
6 - USA secretly agreed to remove their missiles.

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