L4. What was the Cuban missile crisis and how did JFK avoid a war?

Learning Outcomes:L4: To describe what Kennedy’s options were and argue which he should take. Toexplain how the crisis was solved

L5: To compare Kennedy’s options and explain the consequences of the crisis

L6:To evaluate Kennedy’s actions and decide whether he was a good leader in thiscrisis

L7: To judge how important Kennedy’s actions were in a wider context of History

Think back to the first couple of lessons on this unit:

why would America and the USSR be enemies in the 1960s?

Lesson Colour KeyPurple: InstructionsRed: Copy into bookGreen: Answer questions in neatbook

Cuba is a large island in the Caribbean,about 90 miles (160km) from Miami,Florida, mainland USA.• Cuba had been a holiday destination for

rich Americans who enjoyed its sun andbars, even though the people of Cuba werepoor themselves.

• Many Americans owned many of thebusinesses in Cuba, and the American navykept a huge naval base there.

• The Americans provided the leader ofCuba, General Batista, with money andmilitary support. He was a corrupt leader,but the USA supported him as he wasagainst Communism.

Why was Cuba important to the USA?

Revolutionary Cuba • Cuba is a Communist

country and was becomingmore friendly with theSoviet Union.

• This friendship meant thatthe Soviet Union could storenuclear weapons on Cubathat were within easy reachof being fired at America.

• Plus JFK's brother, Robert, wasin charge of a top secretprogramme to assassinateFidel Castro!! (The Bay ofPigs Invasion=failed)

Task:

Looking at this map and havingread the information, explain whymight America be verysuspicious and anxious aboutthis friendship?

Fidel Castro (Leader of Cuba)

Khrushchev (Leader of

Soviet Union)

On 15 October 1962, an American spy plane took photographs of Cuba.

Just how serious was this?

These showed the construction of long-range Soviet missile launching sites. But they didn’t see any actual missiles.Further spy photographs revealed Soviet ships travelling towards Cuba carrying long-range nuclear weapons.

October 1962 What happened?

Why was the USSR keen to have Cuba as a nuclear missile site?

Was America right to be worried about Soviet missiles?

Is America right to be worried about Soviet missiles?

Thursday, 04 June 2020

Task:

Use the information on the following slide to complete your handout.

Answer the questions below in your neat book.

The Cuban Missile CrisisTask: Use the following links to complete the answer thequestions on the Cuban Missile Crisis:https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z3bqk7h/revision/1https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwWW3sbk4EUhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbKCyQn5oTc

How was the Cuban missile crisis ended? 1. What agreement was madebetween the two superpowers toend the blockade of Cuba?

2. Explain one consequence of theCrisis.

E.g.

One consequence of the Cuban Missile Crisis was…

For example…

This shows that this was a consequence because…

Plenary: Rate itTask: How well do you think Kennedy handled theCuban Missile Crisis? Explain fully in your neat book.Does this event give you any evidence for why JFK mighthave been assassinated?