THE CHOICES PROGRAM BROWN UNIVERSITY
VIDEO COLLECTION

The Cuban Missile Crisis: Considering Its Place in Cold War History

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Introduction: October 16, 1962

What was the Cuban Missile Crisis?

Part I: Cold War Tension

How did Cuba become an ally of the Soviet Union?
What is deterrence?
What was the Cold War?
Did Khrushchev think he could manipulate Kennedy?
What did the Soviet people think of Fidel Castro?
What was Nikita Khrushchev like as a person?
How did many Cubans view U.S. influence in Cuba in the 1950s?
How did different national perspectives lead to three names for the crisis?
Why did Cuba align itself with the Soviet Union?
What did Kennedy learn from the Bay of Pigs invasion?
What was the Bay of Pigs invasion and why was it significant?
What were U.S.-Cuban relations like leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis?

October 1962: The Moment of Decision

How did different national perspectives lead to three names for the crisis?

Epilogue: On the Brink

What could have happened if the United States had attacked Cuba?
What lessons did Cubans take from the crisis?
How did Americans, Soviets, and Cubans react to the crisis?
How did Khrushchev react to Castro’s letter of October 26?
How did Kennedy react to Khrushchev’s letter of October 26 and 27?
How did Kennedy’s thinking change during the crisis?
What was the Cuban Missile Crisis like from the Soviet perspective?
What advice did General Curtis LeMay give Kennedy?
How close did we come to nuclear war?
How did Soviet submarines increase the chance of nuclear war?

Lesson: Retracing the Path to October 1962

How did many Cubans view U.S. influence in Cuba in the 1950s?
What were U.S.-Cuban relations like leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis?
What did the Soviet people think of Fidel Castro?

Lesson: Examining the Documents of the Missile Crisis

How did Khrushchev react to Castro’s letter of October 26?
How did Kennedy react to Khrushchev’s letter of October 26 and 27?
Why did Khrushchev send two letters to Kennedy?

Lesson: Castro's Point of View and Lessons for Today

How close did we come to nuclear war?
What lessons have you learned from critical oral history?
What is the value of bringing former adversaries together?
What is critical oral history?
How did Soviet submarines increase the chance of nuclear war?
How is the Cold War taught to students in Russia today?
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