Initial stages of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can assess the Soviet Union’s motives for installing nuclear weapons on Cuba.
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.
Teacher tip
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.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge 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?
Q3.Which US organisation trained Cuban exiles for the Bay of Pigs Invasion?
Q4.Who appeared weak after the Bay of Pigs Invasion?
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.
Assessment exit quiz
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?
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?
Q6.Starting with the earliest, sort the following events into chronological order.
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: Initial stages of the Cuban Missile Crisis, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 history lesson on: Initial stages of the Cuban Missile Crisis, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 history lessons from the Wider Depth Study - Conflict and tension between East and West, 1945–1972 unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.