Cuban Missile Crisis Online Simulation

[Leto Corrales]

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Teacher Lecture - Interactive Multimedia Presentation Student activity sheet to accompany the presentation

Complete with video clips, the comprehensive presentation guides through the origins and development of the Cold War. This presentation is broken up with short video clips and 6 key decision points in the student worksheet which the class has to discuss and reach judgements on (e.g. "Discussion Point [4/6] The Iron Curtain Speech / Stalin's Salami Tactics:Which of the following two statements do you agree with? A. "Churchill's Iron Curtain speech accelerated the Cold War. The wartime alliance was clearly breaking down, but this speech finished it off" or B. "Churchill's Iron Curtain speech merely acknowledged that the Cold War had already begun; its only significance is that it was the first public declaration that this was the case").

Soviet Roleplay

Students Worksheet Roleplay Cards

This two-part Soviet roleplay involves thinking through the arguments for and against placing missiles in Cuba from the Soviet perspective in a general sense based on essential historical context. Then, each member of the class takes on the role of a named Soviet advisor with a clear agenda. After they have formed their proposal, the teacher takes on the role of Khrushchev to talk through the arguments. The final outcome is a detailed set of notes outlining the position of various Politburo members which will be invaluable for the essay writing / sourcework analysis examination.

US Roleplay Part 1 (one hour): The Initial Response

Student Worksheet Roleplay Cards Concluding Write-Up

In this roleplay, attention shifts back to the USA. Each student takes the role of a member of EX-COMM, and prepares a statement arguing for a course of action in response to Khrushchev's policy regarding Cuba. The teacher notes outline how the debate should be managed by the teacher (in role as Kennedy). The rolecards have been carefully written so that the students do not simply learn about the policy of each key character (invaluable for a source-based examination), but also learn about the relationship between the individuals concerned. After watching two short video clips about Kennedy's final decision (links provided within the worksheets), students produce a concluding write-up reflecting on how effectively he dealt with the initial stage of the crisis.

Slideshow of ExComm

This slideshow rotates a gallery of images of the key characters involved in EX-COMM (with names) and can be left running on the whiteboard during the reflection/roleplay phase of the activity.

In this second roleplay, designed to last about an hour, students witness the crisis unfold step-by-step. At each stage, they have to discuss what they think Kennedy should do, then make comments about his actions after being told what he actually decided. The Teacher-led Multimedia Presentation provides all the materials a teacher needs to help students complete the Student Worksheet.

Consequences of the Cuban Missile Crisis

Student Worksheet

This activity allows students to comment on the impact of the crisis on different key individuals and countries. There are links to relevant video clips as extension material (complete with suggested questions / discussion points).

Upper-level undergraduate and graduate students who take this course, created by retired Army Lt. Col. Robert Kirchubel, PhD, and FORCES Founder and CLA's Associate Dean of Research Sorin Adam Matei, learn how technology impacts and influences elements of political, military, economic and cultural strategy. They also learn about the evolution of strategic thinking and its place in the world. The course includes presentations from national and international experts, offering students the chance to interact with those who are widely known in their fields. Contact FORCES staff for more information and details about upcoming course availability at for...@purdue.edu

It was my experience with the Institute for Global Security and Defense Innovation (i-GSDI) and political science that compelled me to take this course myself. ...In the fall of 2019, I had started working with i-GSDI as a research intern. There, I was tasked with the job of describing first, my experience as a liberal arts student at a STEM-focused research university, and, second, the type of courses I would like to see that could showcase i-GSDI's mission in an undergraduate course. My own interests are in public policy and international relations, so I suggested a course that focused on the application of Purdue technology to military strategy and policy. The director of i-GSDI, Dan DeLaurentis, suggested that I look into the course they were developing with the College of Liberal Arts under their joint academic venture, FORCES: Technology, War, and Strategy.

I was excited to learn about the practical applications of the technology that was being developed at Purdue, such as hypersonics and nuclear power, applied to mbeilitary strategy and war. As a senior, I was also excited to take on a graduate-level course.

The course was divided into three modules. The first focused on principles of strategy, the second on technology-centric military strategy, and the third on technology-centric strategic thinking in the recent past and near future. ...

I found I gained the most insight from the second module on technology-centric military strategy. The speakers from this second module included Colonel Gail Yoshitani and Mr. Richard Samuels. ...Both speakers provided dynamic discussion which engaged the class to think differently about national strategy and military decision making.

I also found this section supported historical claims of how applied strategy is flawed but important when considering possible outcomes. I especially had an active learning experience from the in-class simulation of the Cuban missile crisis. The experiment allowed students to work together applying the strategic tools we had learned about in class. I feel that simulations always push students to find the purpose and reality of the lessons taught in class. Overall, this section stood out to me over the others due to the discussions and strategic thinking that was applied.

This course has taught me the importance of military strategy, decision making, and expert input. The discussions with experts throughout the semester have enriched the course work, showing it has real-world implications. ...The readings, course work, and speakers gave a well-rounded presentation of the topics of technology, strategic thinking, and war. I will carry the lessons I learned from this course with me into my pursuits of higher education and professional opportunities.

I would recommend this course to any undergraduate student who is interested in learning more about national security and defense. ...I think any student in STEM coursework, liberal arts, or otherwise could learn something from this class. I think it is important to be informed in life, and in these contested times of uncertainly, I think it is imperative to educate ourselves on the technology and strategic implications of our government. The information provided by experts in these fields is invaluable.

The United States responded with a daily airlift of food and supplies into the besieged city. The airlift lasted until September of 1949. In all, the western allied powers would deliver 2.3 million tons of supplies and fuel to West Berlin during the airlift.

The Soviet Union had begun research on its own atomic bomb program in 1943. Aided by information and plans stolen from the Manhattan Project by Soviet spies, the USSR was able to develop its own nuclear weapon within only a few years after the end of World War II.

On November 1, 1952 at 7:15am local time (October 31, 1915 hours GMT), the United States tested its first thermonuclear device (hydrogen bomb) on the island of Elugelab in the Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands about 3,000 miles west of Hawaii. Code named Ivy Mike, the device was detonated remotely from a distance of about 30 miles.

The resulting fireball was 3 miles wide and reached a height of 120,000 feet. The mushroom cloud that followed the fireball was 100 miles wide. The yield of the explosion was a little over 10 megatons, more than 700 times larger than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Elugelab was vaporized and the crater left behind was more than a mile wide and more than 160 feet deep.

Japan began ruling Korea in 1910, but ceded control of Korea when it surrendered at the end of WWII. The United States and the USSR agreed to split Korea into two occupation zones. The zone north of the 38th parallel was occupied by the USSR and it helped the Koreans living there form a communist government. The US occupied the south and it oversaw elections that resulted in a democratic government.

The US and the USSR each wanted to achieve technological superiority over the other. Included in that struggle was the race to become the first country to build a rocket capable of launching an object into space. Not only would this be an immense technological achievement, but a rocket that was powerful enough to carry a payload into space could also carry a nuclear warhead capable of reaching the other country.

Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam, was considered an important sphere of influence by both US and Soviet leaders. When nationalist forces created North Vietnam in 1956, the USSR and China recognized and backed the new communist country while the US became committed to stopping the spread of communism in the region and backed South Vietnam.

As in Korea, the US and the USSR avoided direct warfare by backing the opposing governments and forces. The war was immensely unpopular in the US, which finally withdrew the last of its forces and aide to South Vietnam in 1975. North Vietnam ultimately prevailed in the war and Vietnam was unified into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1976.

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