New
New
Year 11
AQA
Initial stages of the Cuban Missile Crisis
I can assess the Soviet Union’s motives for installing nuclear weapons on Cuba.
New
New
Year 11
AQA
Initial stages of the Cuban Missile Crisis
I can assess the Soviet Union’s motives for installing nuclear weapons on Cuba.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- American spy planes detected Soviet missile bases on Cuba.
- The discovery of Soviet missile bases triggered the Cuban Missile Crisis.
- Soviet missiles on Cuba would be capable of hitting most of the USA.
- Cuba and the USSR suspected that the US was planning to invade Cuba.
- Khrushchev was concerned by US missiles installed in Turkey.
Keywords
Alliance - an agreement between countries to work together
Prestige - respect and admiration which a country enjoys from others
Balance of power - the strength of different countries compared to one another
Deter - to make someone less likely to do something
Common misconception
The USSR did not believe that the USA would be bothered by nuclear missiles in Cuba.
The Soviets were aware that missile deployments to Cuba could trigger a crisis but believed they could help resolve the balance of power and deter any American attacks on Cuba.
Students may be shown other sources as part of Task C, such as extracts from Khrushchev's memoirs and the accounts of Sergei Khrushchev. Students may identify differences and points of corroboration between the source before explaining which they find most convincing and why.
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).Starter quiz
Download starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.
Write the missing word. People who are forced to live in another country are known as .
Q2.
Which country backed the Bay of Pigs Invasion?
Cuba
USSR
Q3.
Which US organisation trained Cuban exiles for the Bay of Pigs Invasion?
Q4.
Who appeared weak after the Bay of Pigs Invasion?
Cuba
USSR
Q5.
Match each individual to the country they led in the early 1960s.
Cuba
USA
Soviet Union
Q6.
Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
What three-word phrase refers to the strength of different countries compared to one another?
Q2.
How did the US detect missile sites in Cuba?
They were found by US soldiers invading the island.
They were revealed by the Cuban government.
Q3.
Which superpower was Cuba allied to?
Q4.
Where did the USA install Jupiter missiles in 1961?
Q5.
What did Khrushchev compare Soviet missiles in Cuba to?
American troops in Berlin
US naval base in Hawaii
Q6.
Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
Additional material
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